Hartford Courant facts for kids
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Front page of the March 28, 2024, edition
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| Type | Weekly newspaper (until 1837); Daily newspaper (since 1837) |
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| Format | Broadsheet |
| Owner(s) | Tribune Publishing |
| Founded | October 29, 1764 (as the Connecticut Courant) |
| Headquarters | PO Box 569 Hartford, CT 06141 |
| Country | United States |
| Circulation | 92,998 Daily 135,609 Sunday (as of 2018) |
| ISSN | 1047-4153 |
| OCLC number | 8807834 |
The Hartford Courant is the biggest daily newspaper in the U.S. state of Connecticut. It is famous for being the oldest newspaper in the United States that has been published without stopping.
The newspaper is based in Hartford, Connecticut, the state capital. It covers news for most of the state. The Courant started as a weekly paper called the Connecticut Courant on October 29, 1764. It became a daily paper in 1837.
Over the years, the newspaper has been owned by different companies. In 1979, it was bought by the Times Mirror Company. Then, in 2000, the Tribune Company took over. In 2021, the newspaper was sold to Alden Global Capital, a company that owns many media properties.
Contents
History of the Hartford Courant
How It All Began
The Hartford Courant started as a weekly paper named the Connecticut Courant. It was founded by a printer named Thomas Green in 1764. Because it started so long ago, the newspaper uses the slogan "Older than the nation."
In 1837, a man named John L. Boswell began publishing a daily version of the paper. He called it The Daily Courant. The name was later changed to The Hartford Daily Courant and finally became The Hartford Courant in 1887.
Is It Really the Oldest Newspaper?
Other newspapers also say they are the oldest in the country. For example, The New Hampshire Gazette started in 1756. However, it stopped publishing for a long time in the 20th century.
The New York Post claims to be the oldest daily paper that has never stopped publishing. It started as a daily paper 35 years before the Courant did. But the Courant existed as a weekly paper for almost 40 years before the New York Post was even founded. This makes the Courant the older newspaper overall.
Important People in the Courant's History
In 1867, Joseph Roswell Hawley, a former governor of Connecticut, bought the newspaper. Under his leadership, the Courant became a very important and respected newspaper, especially among members of the Republican Party.
Another key person was Emile Gauvreau, who became the managing editor in 1919. He was known for his exciting and sometimes sensational news style. This style caused disagreements with the owner, who eventually let him go.
Herbert Brucker was another important editor at the Courant during the 20th century.
The Courant in Modern Times
In 1979, the Courant was bought by Times Mirror, the company that also owned the Los Angeles Times. Some reporters at the time felt the new owners cared more about winning awards than covering local news.
In 2000, the Tribune Company bought the Courant. Tribune also owned local TV stations in Hartford. For a while, the newspaper and the TV stations were managed together.
Over the years, the newspaper's leadership changed many times. Like many newspapers, the Courant also had to reduce its staff because of falling income from advertising. The number of people working in the newsroom went from almost 400 in 1994 to about 135 in 2009.
In 2018, the Courant joined over 300 other newspapers to publish articles explaining the important role of a free press in America.
In 2020, the newspaper announced it would stop printing in Hartford. The printing is now done in Massachusetts. Later that year, the main news office on Broad Street in Hartford was closed.
Awards and Recognition
The Hartford Courant has won several Pulitzer Prize awards, which are among the highest honors in journalism.
- 1992: The paper won for a series of articles about problems with the Hubble Space Telescope. A Connecticut company had helped build a part for the telescope.
- 1999: The staff won for their fast and detailed reporting on a sad event at the Connecticut Lottery headquarters.
- 2007: Reporters Lisa Chedekel and Matthew Kauffman were finalists for their reports on the mental health of American soldiers in Iraq. Their work led to action by the U.S. Congress and the military.
- 2013: The staff was a finalist for its coverage of the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting.
Politics and Endorsements
A newspaper's "endorsement" is when its editors officially support a candidate for an election, like for president or governor.
Presidential Elections
- In the 2000 and 2004 elections, the Courant endorsed George W. Bush.
- In 2012, the paper endorsed Barack Obama.
- In 2016, it endorsed Hillary Clinton.
- In 2020, the Courant endorsed Joe Biden. The paper wrote that a vote for his opponent was a vote for racism.
State Elections
In the 2018 election for the governor of Connecticut, the Courant endorsed Ned Lamont in the Democratic primary. For the main election, it supported an independent candidate, Oz Griebel.
See also
In Spanish: Hartford Courant para niños
