Waco Tribune-Herald
Encyclopedia
The Waco Tribune-Herald is an American
daily newspaper
serving Waco, Texas
and vicinity.
The newspaper has its roots in five different predecessors, beginning with the Waco Evening Telephone in 1892. The Tribune-Herald took its current identity when E.S. Fentress and Charles Marsh, who owned the Waco News-Tribune, bought the Waco Times-Herald. That purchase was the beginning of Newspapers, Inc., a chain which eventually owned 13 newspapers.
The newspapers stayed in the Fentress family until 1976, when they were sold to Cox Newspapers, which continued to own the chain until 2009, when Waco businessman Clifton Robinson bought the paper.
The Tribune-Herald is best known for a series of stories in February and March 1993 about the Branch Davidian
sect
which was headquartered in a compound in Mount Carmel
, near Waco. The series reported that leader Vernon Howell, later known as David Koresh
, had turned the group into a cult, engaged in polygamy
, abused children living in the compound, and was amassing an arsenal of weapons. The Tribune-Herald had been reporting on a number of issues about the compound in the months before the series. Federal authorities asked managing editor Barbara Elmore to hold off on the series, but she refused, and the first of seven parts was published on February 27, 1993. The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms was planning a raid on the compound on March 1, with warrants for Koresh and several followers, but the raid was moved up a day in response to the Tribune-Herald series. The raid turned deadly, as the Davidians were tipped off early and were expecting the federal agents. A shootout occurred, leading to a 51-day siege
that ended in an attack on the compound, which resulted in its fiery destruction that was seen live by television
viewers around the world.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
daily newspaper
Newspaper
A newspaper is a scheduled publication containing news of current events, informative articles, diverse features and advertising. It usually is printed on relatively inexpensive, low-grade paper such as newsprint. By 2007, there were 6580 daily newspapers in the world selling 395 million copies a...
serving Waco, Texas
Waco, Texas
Waco is a city in and the county seat of McLennan County, Texas. Situated along the Brazos River and on the I-35 corridor, halfway between Dallas and Austin, it is the economic, cultural, and academic center of the 'Heart of Texas' region....
and vicinity.
The newspaper has its roots in five different predecessors, beginning with the Waco Evening Telephone in 1892. The Tribune-Herald took its current identity when E.S. Fentress and Charles Marsh, who owned the Waco News-Tribune, bought the Waco Times-Herald. That purchase was the beginning of Newspapers, Inc., a chain which eventually owned 13 newspapers.
The newspapers stayed in the Fentress family until 1976, when they were sold to Cox Newspapers, which continued to own the chain until 2009, when Waco businessman Clifton Robinson bought the paper.
The Tribune-Herald is best known for a series of stories in February and March 1993 about the Branch Davidian
Branch Davidian
The Branch Davidians are a Protestant sect that originated in 1955 from a schism in the Davidian Seventh Day Adventists , a reform movement that began within the Seventh-day Adventist Church around 1930...
sect
Sect
A sect is a group with distinctive religious, political or philosophical beliefs. Although in past it was mostly used to refer to religious groups, it has since expanded and in modern culture can refer to any organization that breaks away from a larger one to follow a different set of rules and...
which was headquartered in a compound in Mount Carmel
Mount Carmel Center
Mount Carmel Center was the name of the Branch Davidian home outside of Waco, Texas, led by Benjamin Roden and later David Koresh. Named after the Biblical Mountain in northern Israel, it was here that the infamous 1993 Waco Siege occurred in which four ATF agents and 83 Branch Davidians died...
, near Waco. The series reported that leader Vernon Howell, later known as David Koresh
David Koresh
David Koresh , born Vernon Wayne Howell, was the leader of a Branch Davidian religious sect, believing himself to be its final prophet. Howell legally changed his name to David Koresh on May 15, 1990. A 1993 raid by the U.S...
, had turned the group into a cult, engaged in polygamy
Polygamy
Polygamy is a marriage which includes more than two partners...
, abused children living in the compound, and was amassing an arsenal of weapons. The Tribune-Herald had been reporting on a number of issues about the compound in the months before the series. Federal authorities asked managing editor Barbara Elmore to hold off on the series, but she refused, and the first of seven parts was published on February 27, 1993. The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms was planning a raid on the compound on March 1, with warrants for Koresh and several followers, but the raid was moved up a day in response to the Tribune-Herald series. The raid turned deadly, as the Davidians were tipped off early and were expecting the federal agents. A shootout occurred, leading to a 51-day siege
Waco Siege
The Waco siege began on February 28, 1993, and ended violently 50 days later on April 19. The siege began when the United States Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms attempted to execute a search warrant at the Branch Davidian ranch at Mount Carmel, a property located east-northeast of Waco,...
that ended in an attack on the compound, which resulted in its fiery destruction that was seen live by television
Television
Television is a telecommunication medium for transmitting and receiving moving images that can be monochrome or colored, with accompanying sound...
viewers around the world.