The Philadelphia
Inquirer is a morning daily newspaper that serves the Philadelphia
, Pennsylvania
, metropolitan area
of the United States. The newspaper was founded by John R.
Walker and
John Norvell in June 1829 as
The Pennsylvania Inquirer and is the
third-oldest surviving daily newspaper in the United States. Owned
by the local group
Philadelphia Media Holdings LLC,
The Inquirer has the sixteenth largest average weekday
U.S.
newspaper circulation and
has won eighteen
Pulitzer
Prizes.
The paper has risen and fallen in prominence throughout its
history.
The Inquirer first became a major newspaper
during the
American Civil War
when its war coverage was popular on both sides. The paper's
circulation dropped after the war, then rose by the end of the 19th
century. Originally supportive of the
Democratic Party,
The
Inquirer's political affiliation eventually shifted towards
the
Whig Party and then
the
Republican
Party before officially becoming politically independent in the
middle of the 20th century. By the end of the 1960s,
The
Inquirer trailed its chief competitor, the
Philadelphia Evening Bulletin,
and lacked modern facilities and experienced staff. In the 1970s,
new owners and editors turned the
newspaper into one of the country's most prominent, winning 17
Pulitzers in 15 years. Its prestige has since waned because of
cost-cutting and a shift of focus to more local coverage.
History
The Philadelphia Inquirer was founded as
The
Pennsylvania Inquirer by printer John R. Walker and
John Norvell, former editor of Philadelphia's
largest newspaper, the
Aurora & Gazette. An
editorial in the first issue of
The
Pennsylvania Inquirer promised that the paper would be devoted
to the right of a minority to voice their opinion and "the
maintenance of the rights and liberties of the people, equally
against the abuses as the usurpation of power." They pledged
support to then-
President Andrew
Jackson and "home industries, American manufactures, and
internal improvements that so materially contribute to the
agricultural, commercial and national prosperity." Founded on June
1, 1829,
The Philadelphia Inquirer is the third oldest
surviving daily newspaper in the United States. However, in 1962,
an
Inquirer-commissioned historian traced
The
Inquirer to
John Dunlap's
The
Pennsylvania Packet, which was founded on October 28, 1771. In
1850
The Packet was merged with another newspaper
The
North American, which later merged with the
Philadelphia Public
Ledger. Finally, the
Public Ledger merged with
The Philadelphia Inquirer in the 1930s and between 1962
and 1975, a line on
The Inquirer's front page claimed that
the newspaper is the United States' oldest surviving daily
newspaper.
Six months after
The Inquirer was founded, with
competition from eight established daily newspapers, lack of funds
forced Norvell and Walker to sell the newspaper to publisher and
United States Gazette associate editor
Jesper Harding. After Harding acquired
The Pennsylvania Inquirer, it was briefly published as an
afternoon paper before returning to its original morning format in
January 1830. Under Harding, in 1829,
The Inquirer moved
from its original location between Front and Second Streets to
between Second and Third Streets. When Harding bought and merged
the
Morning Journal in January 1830, the newspaper was
moved to South Second Street. Ten years later
The Inquirer
again was moved, this time to its own building at the corner of
Third Street and Carter's Alley. Harding expanded
The
Inquirer's content and the paper soon grew into a major
Philadelphian newspaper. The expanded content included the addition
of fiction, and in 1840, Harding gained rights to publish several
Charles Dickens novels for which
Dickens was paid a significant amount. At the time the common
practice was to pay little or nothing for the rights of foreign
authors' works.
Civil War to 1920s
Harding retired in 1859 and was succeeded by his son William White
Harding, who had become a partner three years earlier. William
Harding changed the name of the newspaper to its current name,
The Philadelphia Inquirer. Harding, in an attempt to
increase
circulation, cut the
price of the paper, began delivery routes and had newsboys sell
papers on the street. In 1859, circulation had been around 7,000
and by 1863 it had increased to 70,000. Part of the increase was
due to the interest in news during the
American Civil War. Twenty-five to thirty
thousand copies of
The Inquirer were often distributed to
Union soldiers during the
war and several times the U.S. government asked
The
Philadelphia Inquirer to issue a special edition specifically
for soldiers.
The Philadelphia Inquirer supported the
Union, but Harding wanted their coverage to remain neutral.
Confederate generals
often sought copies of the paper, believing that the newspaper's
war coverage was accurate.
Inquirer journalist Uriah Hunt
Painter was at the First Battle of Bull Run
in 1861, a battle which ended in a Confederate
victory. Initial reports from the government claimed a Union
victory, but
The Inquirer went with Painter's firsthand
account. Crowds threatened to burn
The Inquirer's building
down because of the report. Another report, this time about
[[George Meade|General George Meade]], angered Meade enough that he
punished Edward Crapsey, the reporter who wrote it. Crapsey and
other war correspondents later decided to attribute any victories
of the [[Army of the Potomac]], Meade's command, to [[Ulysses S.
Grant]], commander of the entire Union army. Any defeats of the
Army of the Potomac would be attributed to Meade. During the war,
''The Inquirer'' continued to grow with more staff being added and
another move into a larger building on Chestnut Street. However,
after the war, economic hits combined with Harding becoming ill,
hurt ''The Inquirer''. Despite Philadelphia's population growth,
distribution fell from 70,000 during the Civil War to 5,000 in
1888. Beginning in 1889, the paper was sold to publisher James
Elverson. To bring back the paper, Elverson moved ''The Inquirer''
to a new building with the latest printing technology and an
increased staff. The "new" ''Philadelphia Inquirer'' premiered on
March 1 and was successful enough that Elverson started a Sunday
edition of the paper. In 1890, in an attempt to increase
circulation further, the price of ''The Inquirer'' was cut and the
paper's size was increased, mostly with [[Classified
advertising|classified advertisements]]. After five years ''The
Inquirer'' had to move into a larger building on Market Street and
later expanded into adjacent property. After Elverson's death in
1911, his son by his wife Sallie Duvall, James Elverson Jr. took
charge. Under Elverson Jr., the newspaper continued to grow,
eventually needing to move again. Elverson Jr. bought land at
[[Broad Street (Philadelphia)|Broad]] and Callowhill Streets and
built the eighteen-story Elverson Building, now known as the
Inquirer Building. The first ''Inquirer'' issue printed at the
building came out on July 13, 1925. Elverson Jr. died a few years
later in 1929 and his sister, Eleanor Elverson, Mrs. [[Jules
Patenotre des Noyers|Jules Patenôtre]], took over. === Annenberg
years === {| align="right" class="wikitable" |+ '''Daily
Circulation''' |- ! Year ! Weekday ! Sunday |- | 1936 | 280,093 |
369,525 |- | 1938 | 345,422 | 1,035,871 |- | 1968 | 648,000 |
905,000 |- | 1984{{cite journal |quotes=no |first=William A.
|last=Henry III |year=1984 |month=April 30
|url=http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,951064-1,00.html
|title=The Ten Best U.S. Dailies |journal=Time |pages=61}} |
533,000 | 995,000 |- | 1990{{cite journal |quotes=no |first=Frank
|last=Lewis |year=1999 |month=October 21–28 |title=Sinking Ship
|journal=Philadelphia City Paper
|url=http://www.citypaper.net/articles/102199/feat.cov.story1.shtml}}
| 511,000 | 996,000 |- | 1999 | 402,000 | 802,000 |- | 2002 |
373,892 | 747,969 |- | 2006{{cite journal2 |first=Joseph N.
|last=DiStefano |year=2006 |month=May 9 |title=Shrinking only on
paper |journal=The Philadelphia Inquirer}} | 350,457 | 705,965 |- |
2007{{cite journal|first=Maria|last=Panaritis|date=March 1,
2008|title=Audit reduces Inquirer Sunday circulation|journal=The
Philadelphia Inquirer|page=D01}} | 338,049 | 645,095 |} Eleanor
Elverson Patenôtre ordered cuts throughout the paper, but was not
really interested in managing it and ownership was soon put up for
sale. [[Cyrus Hermann Kotzschmar Curtis|Cyrus Curtis]] and
[[Curtis-Martin Newspapers]] Inc. bought the newspaper on March 5,
1930.{{cite journal |quotes=no |year=1930 |month=March 17
|url=http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,738833-1,00.html
|title=Again, Curtis-Martin |journal=Time }} Curtis died a year
later and his step son-in-law, [[John Charles Martin]], took
charge. Martin merged ''The Inquirer'' with another paper, the
''[[Public Ledger (Philadelphia)|Public Ledger]]'', but the [[Great
Depression]] hurt Curtis-Martin Newspapers and the company
[[Default (finance)|defaulted]] in payments of maturity notes.
Subsequently ownership of ''The Inquirer'' returned to the
Patenôtre family and Elverson Corp.{{cite journal |quotes=no
|year=1936 |month=August 10
|url=http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,762298,00.html
|title=Philadelphia Purchase |journal=Time }} Charles A. Taylor was
elected president of The Inquirer Co. and ran the paper until it
was sold to [[Moses Annenberg|Moses L. Annenberg]] in 1936. During
the period between Elverson Jr. and Annenberg ''The Inquirer''
stagnated, its editors ignoring most of the poor economic news of
the Depression. The lack of growth allowed J. David Stern's
newspaper, ''[[The Philadelphia Record]]'', to surpass ''The
Inquirer'' in circulation and become the largest newspaper in
Pennsylvania.{{cite book |last=Ogden |first=Christopher |year=1999
|title=Legacy: A Biography of Moses and Walter Annenberg
|publisher=Little, Brown and Company |location=New York
|isbn=0-316-63379-8}} Under Moses Annenberg, ''The Inquirer''
turned around. Annenberg added new features, increased staff and
held promotions to increase circulation. By November, 1938
''Inquirer'''s weekday circulation increased to 345,422 from
280,093 in 1936. During that same period the ''Record'''s
circulation had dropped to 204,000 from 328,322. In 1939, Annenberg
was charged with [[Tax avoidance and tax evasion|income tax
evasion]]. Annenberg pleaded guilty before his trial and was sent
to prison where he died in 1942. Upon Moses Annenberg's death, his
son, [[Walter Annenberg]], took over. Not long after, in 1947, the
''Record'' went out of business and ''The Philadelphia Inquirer''
became Philadelphia's only major daily morning newspaper. While
still trailing behind Philadelphia's largest newspaper, the
[[Philadelphia Bulletin|''Evening Bulletin'']], ''The Inquirer''
continued to be profitable. In 1948, Walter Annenberg expanded the
Inquirer Building with a new structure that housed new [[printing
press]]es for ''The Inquirer'' and, during the 1950s and 60s,
Annenberg's other properties, [[Seventeen
(magazine)|''Seventeen'']] and ''[[TV Guide]]''. In 1957 Annenberg
bought the ''[[Philadelphia Daily News]]'' and combined the ''Daily
News''' facilities with ''The Inquirer'''s. A thirty-eight day
strike in 1958 hurt ''The Inquirer'' and, after the strike ended,
so many reporters had accepted buyout offers and left that the
[[newsroom]] was noticeably empty. Furthermore, many current
reporters had been copyclerks just before the strike and had little
experience. One of the few star reporters of the 1950s and 60s was
investigative reporter Harry Karafin. During his career Harry
Karafin exposed corruption and other exclusive stories for ''The
Inquirer'', but also [[Extortion|extorted]] money out of
individuals and organizations. Karafin would claim he had harmful
information and would demand money in exchange for the information
not being made public. This went on from the late 1950s into the
early 60s before Karafin was exposed in 1967 and convicted of
extortion a year later. By the end of the 1960s, circulation and
advertising revenue was in decline and the newspaper had become,
according to [[Time (magazine)|''Time'' magazine]], "uncreative and
undistinguished." === Corporate ownership ===
[[Image:Inquirerbldgfull.jpg|left|thumbnail|180px|The Inquirer
Building on North Broad Street.]] In 1969 Annenberg was offered
US$55 Million for ''The Inquirer'' by [[Samuel Irving Newhouse,
Sr.|Samuel Newhouse]], but having earlier promised [[John S.
Knight]] the right of first refusal of any sale offer, Annenberg
sold it to Knight instead. ''The Inquirer'', along with the
''Philadelphia Daily News'', became part of Knight Newspapers and
its new subsidiary, Philadelphia Newspapers Inc. Five years later,
Knight Newspapers merged with Ridder Publications to form [[Knight
Ridder]]. When ''The Inquirer'' was bought, it was understaffed,
its equipment was outdated, many of its employees were underskilled
and the paper trailed its chief competitor, the ''Evening
Bulletin'', in weekday circulation. However, [[Eugene L. Roberts
Jr.]], who became ''The Inquirer'''s executive editor in 1972,
turned the newspaper around. Between 1975 and 1990 ''The Inquirer''
won seventeen [[Pulitzer Prize|Pulitzers]], six consecutively
between 1975 and 1980, and more journalism awards than any other
newspaper in the United States. ''Time'' magazine chose ''The
Inquirer'' as one of the ten best daily newspapers in the United
States, calling Roberts' changes to the paper, "one of the most
remarkable turnarounds, in quality and profitability, in the
history of American journalism." By July 1980 ''The Inquirer'' had
become the most circulated paper in Philadelphia, forcing the
''Evening Bulletin'' to shut down two years later. ''The
Inquirer'''s success was not without hardships. Between 1970 and
1985 the newspaper experienced eleven strikes, the longest lasting
forty-six days in 1985. ''The Inquirer'' was also criticized for
covering "[[Karachi]] better than [[Kensington, Philadelphia,
Pennsylvania|Kensington]]". This did not stop the paper's growth
during the 1980s, and when the ''Evening Bulletin'' shut down,
''The Inquirer'' hired seventeen ''Bulletin'' reporters and doubled
its bureaus to attract former ''Bulletin'' readers.{{cite journal
|quotes=no |first=Michael |last=Shapiro |year=2006
|month=March/April |title=Looking for Light |journal=Columbia
Journalism Review |url=http://www.cjr.org/issues/2006/2/shapiro.asp
|format={{dead link|date=February 2009}} –
[http://scholar.google.co.uk/scholar?hl=en&lr=&q=author%3AShapiro+intitle%3ALooking+for+Light&as_publication=Columbia+Journalism+Review&as_ylo=2006&as_yhi=2006&btnG=Search
Scholar search]}} By 1989 Philadelphia Newspapers Inc.'s
editorial staff reached a peak of 721 employees. The 1990s saw
gradually dropping circulation and advertisement revenue for ''The
Inquirer''. The decline was part of a nationwide trend, but the
effects were exacerbated by, according to dissatisfied ''Inquirer''
employees, the paper's resisting changes that many other daily
newspapers implemented to keep readers and pressure from Knight
Ridder to cut costs. During most of Roberts's time as editor,
Knight Ridder allowed him a great deal of freedom in running the
newspaper. However, in the late 1980s, Knight Ridder had become
concerned about ''The Inquirer'''s profitability and took a more
active role in its operations. Knight Ridder pressured ''The
Inquirer'' to expand into the more profitable suburbs, while at the
same time cutting staff and coverage of national and international
stories. Staff cuts continued until Knight Ridder was bought in
2006, with some of ''The Inquirer'''s best reporters accepting
buyouts and leaving for other newspapers such as ''[[The New York
Times]]'' and ''[[The Washington Post]]''. By the late 1990s, all
of the high level editors who had worked with Eugene Roberts in the
1970s and 80s had left, none at normal retirement age. Since the
1980s, the paper has won just one Pulitzer, a 1997 award for
"Explanatory Journalism."{{cite book |last=Merritt |first=Davis
|authorlink=W. Davis Merritt |year=2005 |title=Knightfall: Knight
Ridder and How the Erosion of Newspaper Journalism is Putting
Democracy at Risk |publisher=AMACOM |location=New York
|isbn=0-8144-0854-0}} In 1998 ''Inquirer'' reporter Ralph Cipriano
filed a [[Slander and libel|libel]] suit against Knight Ridder,
''The Philadelphia Inquirer'', and ''Inquirer'' editor Robert
Rosenthal over comments Rosenthal made about Cipriano to ''The
Washington Post''. Cipriano had claimed that it was difficult
reporting negative stories in ''The Inquirer'' about the [[Roman
Catholic Archdiocese of Philadelphia]]{{cite journal |quotes=no
|first=Frank |last=Lewis |year=2001 |month=January 11–18 |title=So
Sorry |journal=Philadelphia City Paper
|url=http://www.citypaper.net/articles/011101/cb.om.sorry.shtml}}
and Rosenthal later claimed that Cipriano had "a very strong
personal point of view and an agenda...He could never prove [his
stories]."{{cite journal |quotes=no |first=Frank |last=Lewis
|year=1998 |month=June 18–25 |title=Bob and Weave
|journal=Philadelphia City Paper
|url=http://www.citypaper.net/articles/061898/om.bob.shtml}} The
suit was later settled out of court in 2001. Knight Ridder was
bought by rival [[The McClatchy Company]] in June 2006. ''The
Inquirer'' and the ''Philadelphia Daily News'' were among the
twelve less-profitable Knight Ridder newspapers that McClatchy put
up for sale when the deal was announced in March.{{cite news
|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/business/4802304.stm |title=Knight
Ridder bought for $4.5bn |publisher=BBC News |date=March 13, 2006
|accessdate=2006-05-28}} On June 29, 2006, ''The Inquirer'' and
''Daily News'' were sold to [[Philadelphia Media Holdings]] LLC, a
group of Philadelphian area business people, including [[Brian
Tierney|Brian P. Tierney]], Philadelphia Media's chief executive.
The new owners planned to spend US$5 million on advertisements and
promotions to increase ''The Inquirer'''s profile and
readership.{{cite journal |quotes=no |first=Joseph N.
|last=DiStefano |year=2006 |month=June 30 |title=Job 1 for new
owners: Raise papers' profile |journal=The Philadelphia Inquirer}}
In the years following Philadelphia Media Holding's acquisition,
''The Inquirer'' has seen larger than expected revenue losses,
mostly from national advertising, and continued loss of
circulation. The revenue losses have caused management to cut four
hundred jobs at ''The Inquirer'' and ''Daily News'' in the three
years since the papers were bought.{{cite journal | quotes=no |
first=Steve | last=Volk | date=February 2009 | title=1978 Called.
It wants its Newspaper Back | journal=Philadelphia Magazine
|url=http://www.phillymag.com/articles/philadelphia_inquirer_1978_called_it_wants_its_newspaper_back/page1
| accessdate=2009-02-01}}{{cite journal |quotes=no |first=Joann
|last=Loviglio |year=2007 |month=January 3 |title=Philadelphia
Inquirer lays off 71 people |journal=[[BusinessWeek]]}} On August
21, 2007, Philadelphia Media Holdings announced that it was selling
The Inquirer Building in a plan to help pay off the debts incurred
when buying the newspapers.{{cite journal |quotes=no |first=Bob
|last=Fernandez |year=2007 |month=August 21 |title=Inquirer
Building to be sold |journal=The Philadelphia Inquirer}} Despite
efforts to cut costs, Philadelphia Newspapers LLC, filed for
[[Chapter 11, Title 11, United States Code|Chapter 11 bankruptcy
protection]] on February 21, 2009. Philadelphia Media Holdings is
about US$390 million in debt due to money borrowed to buy ''The
Inquirer'' and ''Daily News''.{{cite journal | quotes=no |
first=Richard | last=Pérez-Peña | date=February 22, 2009 |
title=Philadelphia Newspapers Seeking Bankruptcy | journal=The New
York Times
|url=http://www.nytimes.com/2009/02/23/business/media/23philly.html?ref=media
| accessdate=2009-02-24}} In May 2009, Brian Tierney suggested that
the paper, in conjunction with its sister publication the
''Philadelphia Daily News'' and their shared web site Philly.com,
would launch an online paid-content model by the end of the
year.{{cite web
|url=http://technicallyphilly.com/news/philadelphia-inquirer-will-launch-a-paid-content-model-for-web
|format=Web site|title=Philadelphia Inquirer will launch a
paid-content model for Web |publisher=Technically Philly
|accessdate=2009-06-08}} == Politics == [[Image:Inquirerbldg
sign.jpg|right|thumbnail|230px|The sign above the entrance to The
Inquirer Building]] John Norvell left the ''Aurora & Gazette''
and his job as editor because he disagreed with what he felt was
the newspaper's editorial approval of a movement towards a European
class system. When Norvell and John Walker founded ''The Inquirer''
they wanted the newspaper to represent all people and not just the
higher classes. The newly launched newspaper supported
[[Jeffersonian democracy]] and President Andrew Jackson, and it
declared support for the right of the minority's opinion to be
heard. A [[legend]] about the founding of ''The Inquirer'' states
that Norvell said, "There could be no better name than ''The
Inquirer''. In a free state, there should always be an inquirer
asking on behalf of the people: 'Why was this done? Why is that
necessary work not done? Why is that man put forward? Why is that
law proposed? Why? Why? Why?'"{{cite journal |quotes=no
|last=Shapiro |first=Howie |date=May 23, 2006 |title=Asking 'Why?'
since 1829 |publisher=''The Philadelphia Inquirer''
|accessdate=2006-07-10}} When Norvell and Walker sold their
newspaper to Jesper Harding, Harding kept the paper close to the
founder's politics and backed the [[Democratic Party (United
States)|Democratic Party]]. However, disagreeing with Andrew
Jackson's handling of the [[Second Bank of the United States]] he
began supporting the anti-Jackson wing of the Democrats. During the
[[United States presidential election, 1836|1836 Presidential
election]] Harding supported the [[Whig Party (United States)|Whig
party]] candidate over the Democratic candidate and afterwards
''The Inquirer'' became known for its support of Whig candidates.
Before the American Civil War began, ''The Inquirer'' supported the
preservation of the Union, and was critical of the
[[Abolitionism|antislavery movement]] which many felt was
responsible for the Southern succession crisis.{{cite book
|author=Weigley RF et al. (eds): |title=Philadelphia: A 300-Year
History |publisher=[[W. W. Norton & Company]] |year=1982
|location=New York and London |isbn=0-393-01610-2 |pages=388,
404–405}} Once the war began ''The Inquirer'' maintained an
independent reporting of the war's events. However ''The Inquirer''
firmly supported the Union side. At first ''The Inquirer'''s
editors were against [[Emancipation Proclamation|emancipation of
the slaves]], but after setbacks by the Union army ''The Inquirer''
started advocating a more pro-war and pro-[[Republican Party
(United States)|Republican]] stance. In a July 1862 article ''The
Inquirer'' wrote "in this war there can be but two parties,
patriots and traitors." === Republican Bible === Under James
Elverson, ''The Philadelphia Inquirer'' declared, "the new
''Inquirer'' shall be in all respects a complete, enterprising,
progressive newspaper, moved by all the wide-awake spirit of the
time and behind in nothing of interest to people who want to know
what is going on every day and everywhere...steadily and vigorously
Republican in its political policy, but just and fair in its
treatment of all questions..." During the [[1900 Republican
National Convention|1900 Republican convention]] in Philadelphia,
Elverson set up a large electric banner over Broad Street that
declared "Philadelphia Inquirer – Largest Republican Circulation in
the World." At the turn of the 20th century the newspaper began
editorial campaigns to improve Philadelphia, including the paving
of major streets and stopping a corrupt plan to buy the polluted
[[Schuylkill Canal]] for drinking water. The newspaper continued
similar politics under Elverson Jr., and by the 1920s ''The
Inquirer'' became known as the "Republican Bible of Pennsylvania".
Between 1929 and 1936, while under Patenotre and Curtis-Martin,
''The Inquirer'' continued to support the Republican party and
[[Herbert Hoover|President Herbert Hoover]], noticeably by not
reporting on the news of the Great Depression. Statistics on
unemployment or business closings were ignored, even when they came
from the government. Information about Philadelphia banks closing
was relegated to the back of the financial section. When Moses
Annenberg took over ''The Philadelphia Inquirer'', he announced
that the paper would "continue to uphold the principles of the
Republican Party," but in a meeting with newspaper editors shortly
after, he proposed that the paper go independent and support
[[Franklin D. Roosevelt|President Franklin D. Roosevelt]] in the
upcoming election. The editors rejected this idea and the paper
remained Republican. In the late 1930s Annenberg disagreed with
Roosevelt's [[New Deal]] programs and his handling of strikes. This
prompted editorials criticizing the policies of Roosevelt and his
supporters. He strongly opposed Democratic Pennsylvania governor
[[George Howard Earle III|George Earle]] and had ''The Inquirer''
support the Republican candidates in the 1938 Pennsylvania state
elections. When Republicans swept the election there was a
celebration at ''The Inquirer'' headquarters with red flares and
the firing of cannons. The attacks against Democrats and the
support given towards Republicans caught the attention of the
Roosevelt administration. Annenberg had turned ''The Philadelphia
Inquirer'' into a major challenger to its chief competitor the
Democratic ''Record'', and after Annenberg began focusing on
politics, Democratic politicians often attacked Annenberg and
accused him of illegal business practices. In 1939 Annenberg was
charged with income tax evasion, pled guilty before the trial, and
was sent to prison for three years. Annenberg's friends and his
son, Walter, claimed that the whole trial was politically motivated
and despite Annenberg actually being guilty, they claimed his
sentence was harsher then it should have been. === Independent ===
When the ''Record'' shut down in 1947, ''The Inquirer'' announced
that it was now an independent newspaper and, frustrated with
corruption in Philadelphia, supported Democratic candidates in the
1951 election. While Walter Annenberg had made ''The Inquirer''
independent he did use the paper to attack people he disliked.
Sometimes when a person or group angered Annenberg, they were
[[blacklist]]ed and not mentioned anywhere within ''The Inquirer''.
People on the blacklist were even [[airbrush]]ed out of images.
People who were on the list at one point included [[Nicholas
Katzenbach]], [[Ralph Nader]], [[Zsa Zsa Gabor]], and the
basketball team the [[Golden State Warriors|Philadelphia
Warriors]], who were not mentioned for an entire season. In 1966,
Walter Annenberg used ''The Inquirer'' to attack Pennsylvania
gubernatorial candidate [[Milton Shapp]]. During a press
conference, an ''Inquirer'' reporter asked Shapp if he had ever
been a patient in a mental hospital; having never been one Shapp
said no. The next day's headline in ''The Inquirer'' read "Shapp
Denies Ever having been in a Mental Home." Shapp attributed his
loss of the election to Annenberg's attack campaign. Annenberg was
a backer and friend of [[Richard Nixon]]. In the [[United States
presidential election, 1952|1952 presidential election]] critics
later claimed Annenberg had ''The Inquirer'' look the other way
when covering accusations Nixon was misappropriating funds. Later,
to avoid accusations of political bias, Annenberg had ''The
Inquirer'' use only [[news agency]] sources such as the
[[Associated Press]] for the 1960 and 1968 presidential elections.
When Nixon was elected president in 1968, Annenberg was appointed
the U.S. ambassador to the [[Court of St. James's]]. A year later
when Annenberg sold the newspaper to Knight Newspapers, a part of
the deal stipulated that Annenberg's name would appear as "Editor
and Publisher Emeritus" in ''The Inquirer'''s [[Masthead
(publishing)|masthead]]. In 1970 Annenberg, already unhappy with
changes in the newspaper, had his name removed from the paper after
an editorial critical of Richard Nixon appeared. Under Knight
Ridder, ''The Inquirer'' continued to be editorially independent.
However, [[Conservatism in the United States|conservative]]
[[blog]]s and commentators have labeled ''The Inquirer''
[[Liberalism in the United States|left leaning]],{{cite web
|url=http://mediamatters.org/items/200602160010 |title=In List of
"Left-Wing Papers," O'Reilly Included Five that Endorsed Bush for
President |publisher=Media Matters For America
|accessdate=2006-07-09}}{{cite news |last=Smerconish |first=Michael
|title=Meet the New Boss, Same as the Old Boss?
|publisher=''Philadelphia Daily News'' |year=2006 |month=July 13
|accessdate=2006-08-07}} and the paper hasn't endorsed a Republican
U.S. Presidential candidate since [[Gerald Ford]] in 1976.{{cite
journal2 |first=Troy |last=Graham |year=2006 |month=May 9
|title=Inquirer's pick comes with a dissent |journal=The
Philadelphia Inquirer
|url=http://www.philly.com/inquirer/world_us/31242164.html}}{{cite
journal |quotes=no |year=1976 |month=November 8
|url=http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,918478,00.html
|title=Who's for Whom |journal=Time }} Throughout the 1990s and
into the 21st century, groups supportive of [[Israel]] such as the
[[Zionist Organization of America]] often accused ''The Inquirer''
of being [[Anti-Zionism|anti-Israel]].{{cite web
|url=http://zena.secureforum.com/Znet/zmag/articles/barherman.htm
|title=Edward Herman Beyond Hypocrisy: Decoding the News
|author=Interviewed by David Barsamian |date=July 14, 1993
|accessdate=2006-07-09}} At the same time [[Edward S. Herman]], a
[[University of Pennsylvania]] media analyst, has written many
articles accusing ''The Inquirer'' of caving into conservative
pressure and including a conservative slant in the paper's
reporting and editorial page.{{cite web |last=Herman |first=Edward
|authorlink=Edward S. Herman
|url=http://musictravel.free.fr/political/political16.htm
|title=The Philadelphia Inquirer's New "Right Stuff" Program
|accessdate=2006-07-09}} In 2006, ''The Inquirer'' became one of
the only major United States newspapers to print one of the
[[Jyllands-Posten Muhammad cartoons controversy|''Jyllands-Posten''
Muhammad cartoons]]. Afterwards, protesting the printing of the
cartoon, Muslims picketed outside The Inquirer Building.{{cite
journal |quotes=no |year=2006 |month=February 13 |title=Muslims
Protest Philadelphia Newspaper's Publishing of Cartoon
|journal=Associated Press
|url=http://www.firstamendmentcenter.org/news.aspx?id=16470}} When
Philadelphia Media Holdings L.L.C. (PMH) bought the paper in 2006,
Brian P. Tierney and the business people behind PMH signed a pledge
promising that they would not influence the content of the paper.
Tierney, a Republican activist who had represented many local
groups in the Philadelphia area, had criticized ''The Inquirer'' in
the past on behalf of his clients. One of Tierney's clients had
been the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Philadelphia, which he'd
represented during the [[Brian Tierney#Cipriano affair|Cipriano
affair]]. PMH membership includes Bruce E. Toll, vice chairman of
[[Toll Brothers|Toll Brothers Inc.]] Tierney says the group is
aware that the fastest way to ruin its investment is to threaten
the paper's [[editorial independence]].{{cite journal |quotes=no
|first=Ken |last=Dilanian |year=2006 |month=May 24 |title=Frequent
critic of media takes newspapers' helm |journal=The Philadelphia
Inquirer}} In 2009 a lawsuit was filed that accused ''The
Philadelphia Inquirer'' of writing critical stories about Chester
Community Charter School's use of public funds after business
negotiations between school operator Vahan H. Gureghian and Tierney
failed.{{cite journal |quotes=no |first=Joe |last=Strupp |
date=January 9, 2009 |title=Charter School Owner Sues 'Philly Inky'
Over Coverage |journal=Editor & Publisher
|url=http://www.editorandpublisher.com/eandp/news/article_display.jsp?vnu_content_id=1003928876
| accessdate=2009-02-01}} == Production == ''The Philadelphia
Inquirer'' is headquartered in The Inquirer Building in [[Center
City, Philadelphia|Center City Philadelphia]] along with ''The
Philadelphia Daily News''. ''The Inquirer'' is printed seven days a
week at the Schuylkill Printing Plant in [[Conshohocken,
Pennsylvania]]. According to the [[Audit Bureau of Circulations]],
''The Inquirer'' is the sixteenth most circulated weekday newspaper
in the United States. The Sunday edition's circulation is
approximately twice as large as the average weekday circulation.
''The Inquirer'''s publisher is Brian Tierney. Tierney replaced
Joseph Natoli who resigned on August 1, 2006.{{cite journal
|quotes=no |first=Joseph N. |last=DiStefano |year=2006
|month=August 2 |title=Tierney to fill role of Inquirer publisher
|journal=The Philadelphia Inquirer}} ''The Inquirer'''s editor and
executive vice-president is William Marimow. Marimow, a former
Pulitzer winning ''Inquirer'' reporter, became ''The Inquirer'''s
editor in November 2006, replacing previous editor Amanda
Bennett.{{cite journal |quotes=no |first=Joseph N. |last=DiStefano
|year=2006 |month=November 8 |title=Bennett steps down as Inquirer
editor; Marimow to take over |journal=The Philadelphia Inquirer}}
''The Inquirer'' is operated by Philadelphia Newspapers LLC, which
replaced Philadelphia Newspapers, Inc., when Philadelphia Media
Holdings LLC bought PNI in 2006. Since 1995, ''The Inquirer'' has
been available on the Internet at Philly.com, which, along with the
''Philadelphia Daily News'' and several other regional
publications, is a division of Philadelphia Newspapers LLC. ''The
Inquirer'''s local coverage covers Philadelphia,
southeastern Pennsylvania,
and
southern New
Jersey.
In Pennsylvania, The Inquirer
maintains bureaus in Conshohocken
; Doylestown
; Media
; West Chester
; and Norristown
, while in New Jersey it has bureaus in Cherry
Hill
and Margate
. In 2004, The Inquirer formed a
partnership with Philadelphia's NBC station,
WCAU
, giving the
paper access to WCAU's weather forecast.
See also
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