The Dallas Morning News facts for kids
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Front page of the April 24, 2010 issue
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| Type | Daily newspaper |
|---|---|
| Format | Broadsheet |
| Owner(s) | DallasNews Corporation (sale to Hearst Communications pending) |
| Founder(s) | Alfred Horatio Belo |
| Founded | October 1, 1885 |
| Language | English |
| Headquarters | |
| Country | United States |
| Circulation | 69,694 print 63,000 digital-only (as of 2023) |
| ISSN | 1553-846X |
| OCLC number | 1035116631 |
The Dallas Morning News is a daily newspaper that serves the Dallas–Fort Worth area in Texas. It was started on October 1, 1885, by Alfred Horatio Belo. He created it as a sister paper to the Galveston Daily News. For many years, and even today, it is the most important newspaper in Dallas.
Over the years, the newspaper has won many important awards. These include nine Pulitzer Prizes for its excellent reporting and photography. It has also received George Polk Awards and an Overseas Press Club award for its photos. The main office of The Dallas Morning News is located in downtown Dallas.
Contents
History of the Newspaper
The Dallas Morning News began in 1885. It was created by Alfred Horatio Belo as a new paper, separate from the Galveston Daily News. In 1926, the Belo family sold most of the paper to George Dealey, who had been its publisher for a long time. By the 1920s, The Dallas Morning News had become bigger than the Galveston Daily News. It was known for being a forward-thinking newspaper in Dallas and Texas.
During the 1920s, a group called the Ku Klux Klan was very strong in Dallas. The Dallas Morning News bravely spoke out against them in its news stories and opinions. The Klan tried to get people to stop reading the newspaper, but the paper kept reporting the truth.
In 1904, The Dallas Morning News started publishing the Texas Almanac. This book had been published sometimes in the 1800s by the Galveston Daily News. After more than 100 years, the Morning News gave the Almanac's rights to the Texas State Historical Association in 2008.
By the late 1940s, the Morning News built a new office, newsroom, and printing place in downtown Dallas. A special quote is carved into the stone above the front doors. It says:
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BUILD THE NEWS UPON
THE ROCK OF TRUTH
AND RIGHTEOUSNESS
CONDUCT IT ALWAYS
UPON THE LINES OF
FAIRNESS AND INTEGRITY
ACKNOWLEDGE THE RIGHT
OF THE PEOPLE TO GET
FROM THE NEWSPAPER
BOTH SIDES OF EVERY
IMPORTANT QUESTION
G. B. DEALEY
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The newspaper used this building at 508 Young Street for most of its operations for the next sixty years.
In late 1991, The Dallas Morning News became the only major newspaper in Dallas. This happened when the Dallas Times Herald closed down. The two papers had been competing for years, especially for advertising. In 1991, Belo Corporation bought the Times Herald and closed it the next day.
This was not the first time the Belo family had bought and closed a newspaper in Dallas. In 1879, Alfred H. Belo tried to buy another paper called The Herald. When that didn't work, he sent George Bannerman Dealey to start a new paper, which became the Morning News. It quickly became successful and took over its older rival.
In 2003, The Dallas Morning News started a Spanish-language newspaper called Al Día. At first, you had to buy Al Día, but later it became free. It was published twice a week. However, Al Día stopped being published in June 2023.
Between 2003 and 2011, The Dallas Morning News also published a smaller, tabloid-sized paper called Quick. It first shared general news in a fast-read style. Later, it focused more on entertainment and lifestyle stories.
In late 2013, The Dallas Morning News stopped working closely with the TV station WFAA. Instead, the newspaper started a new partnership with KXAS at that time.
Historically, the opinion section of the Morning News has often supported conservative ideas. This matches how Texas has generally supported the Republican Party since the 1950s. However, on September 7, 2016, the paper supported Hillary Clinton for president. This was the first time it had supported a Democrat for president since Franklin D. Roosevelt in 1940. The day before, it published a strong opinion piece saying that Republican candidate Donald Trump was "not qualified to serve as president." This was the first time since 1964 that the paper had not supported a Republican candidate.
Before the 2018 midterm elections, the Morning News again supported a Democratic candidate: Beto O'Rourke. He was running against the current Senator Ted Cruz. In 2024, the Morning News supported Colin Allred. They mentioned Allred's ability to work with both parties and Cruz's tendency to divide.
In late 2016, The Dallas Morning News announced it would move from its home of 68 years. It moved to a smaller building on Commerce Street. This building used to be the downtown branch of the Dallas Public Library. The reasons for the move included new technology and fewer staff. Also, the printing presses were no longer in the same building as the newsroom. The move was finished by December 2017.
In January 2019, the newspaper announced some changes. These included reducing the Business section to only one separate section per week, on Sundays. For the rest of the week, business news was put into the Metro section. Some employees also lost their jobs.
In February 2019, the Morning News' printing plant in the suburbs stopped printing for some other publications. This affected many jobs there.
DallasNews Corporation, which owns the paper, announced in September 2023 that it would offer buyouts to reduce staff. In May 2024, the company said it would move its printing operations from Plano to a smaller facility in Carrollton. This change would save the company money each year. The Plano location was sold in December 2024. A new printing press will be bought for the Carrollton site and should be ready in 2025.
In July 2025, Hearst Communications announced it had bought The Dallas Morning News. The Dallas Morning News and DallasNews Corporation will become a private company. The sale is expected to be completed in late 2025.
Awards and Recognition
The Dallas Morning News has won many important awards for its journalism.
Pulitzer Prizes
The Pulitzer Prize is a very famous award for newspapers, magazines, and online journalism. The Dallas Morning News has won nine Pulitzer Prizes:
- 1986: For National Reporting (stories about the whole country)
- 1989: For Explanatory Journalism (stories that explain complex topics clearly)
- 1991: For Feature Photography (interesting photos)
- 1992: For Investigative Reporting (deep research into important issues)
- 1993: For Spot News Photography (photos of breaking news events)
- 1994: For International Reporting (stories from other countries)
- 2004: For Breaking News Photography (photos of sudden, important events)
- 2006: For Breaking News Photography
- 2010: For Editorial Writing (opinion pieces by the newspaper's editors)
George Polk Awards
The George Polk Awards recognize brave and important journalism.
- 1990: Gayle Reaves, David Hanners, and David McLemore for regional reporting.
- 1994: Olive Talley for education reporting.
Overseas Press Club Awards
The Overseas Press Club Awards honor excellent international journalism.
- 2001: Cheryl Diaz Meyer for photographic reporting from abroad.
See also
- List of newspapers in Texas
- Fort Worth Star-Telegram
