Daily Mirror facts for kids
The Daily Mirror is a British newspaper. It was first published on 2 November 1903.
Contents
History of the Daily Mirror
Starting Out: The 20th Century
The Daily Mirror was launched on 2 November 1903 by Alfred Harmsworth. He later became Lord Northcliffe. He wanted it to be a newspaper for women, created by women. He even said it should be "a mirror of feminine life." It cost one penny.
At first, it wasn't very popular. In 1904, Harmsworth changed it into a picture newspaper. He renamed it The Daily Illustrated Mirror for a short time. He also hired Hamilton Fyfe as editor, who then let go of all the women journalists.
The newspaper's price was soon lowered to one halfpenny. It also added "A paper for men and women" to its name. This made it much more successful. By 1919, some days it sold over 1 million copies, making it the biggest daily picture paper.
In 1913, Harmsworth sold the newspaper to his brother, Harold Harmsworth (who became Lord Rothermere).
Changes and Challenges
By the mid-1930s, the Mirror was struggling. Other newspapers like the Daily Herald and the Daily Express were selling more copies. Lord Rothermere decided to sell his shares in the Mirror.
In the late 1930s, the paper changed its focus. It went from being a newspaper for middle-class people with traditional views to a paper for working-class people with more modern, left-wing views. The Mirror was the first UK paper to look like the smaller, more direct newspapers from New York. By 1939, it was selling 1.4 million copies every day.
During World War II, the Mirror faced challenges. A cartoon it published showed a sailor clinging to wreckage. Some people thought it made fun of the navy. The cartoon was actually criticizing the waste of fuel and other goods that sailors were risking their lives to bring across the Atlantic.
The Mirror became the UK's best-selling daily newspaper for working-class readers. In 1960, it bought the Daily Herald. The Mirror management didn't want the Herald to compete with the Mirror. So, in 1964, they relaunched the Herald as The Sun. When The Sun didn't attract enough readers, it was sold to Rupert Murdoch. He quickly changed The Sun to be more popular and exciting, making it a direct competitor to the Mirror.
In 1978, The Sun started selling more copies than the Mirror. In 1984, the Mirror was sold to Robert Maxwell. After Maxwell passed away in 1991, the Mirror went through a difficult time. In 1999, it joined with a regional newspaper group called Trinity to form Trinity Mirror. In recent years, the Daily Mail has also started selling more copies than the Mirror.
Today, the Daily and Sunday Mirror newspapers are printed in Watford and Oldham by Trinity Mirror.
The 21st Century
In 2002, the Mirror changed the color of its name at the top of the paper from red to black. This was because "red top" is a common name for a sensational newspaper that focuses on exciting stories. Sometimes the name was blue. But on 6 April 2005, the red color came back.
When Piers Morgan was the editor, the Mirror was against the 2003 invasion of Iraq. It published many front pages that criticized the war. It also helped pay for a large screen and provided thousands of signs for a big anti-war protest on 15 February 2003.
On 4 November 2004, after George W. Bush was re-elected as U.S. President, the Mirror's front page read: "How can 59,054,087 people be so DUMB?". It also showed a list of states and their average IQ scores. The paper claimed that states that voted for Bush had lower average intelligence. The source for this information was said to be The Economist, but it turned out to be a hoax. Richard Wallace became the editor in 2004.
Who Were the Editors?
Here is a list of some of the people who have been editors of the Daily Mirror:
- 1903: Mary Howarth
- 1904: Hamilton Fyfe
- 1907: Alexander Kenealy
- 1915: Ed Flynn
- 1916: Alexander Campbell
- 1931: Leigh Brownlee
- 1934: Cecil Thomas
- 1948: Silvester Bolam
- 1953: Jack Nener
- 1961: Lee Howard
- 1971: Tony Miles
- 1974: Michael Christiansen
- 1975: Mike Molloy
- 1985: Richard Stott
- 1990: Roy Greenslade
- 1991: Richard Stott
- 1992: David Banks
- 1994: Colin Myler
- 1995: Piers Morgan
- 2004: Richard Wallace
Images for kids
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Alfred Harmsworth (later Lord Northcliffe), who started the Daily Mirror
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The Daily Mirror Building (built 1957–1960) in Langham Place, London
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The front page of the Mirror on 24 June 1996, with the headline "ACHTUNG! SURRENDER For you Fritz, ze Euro 96 Championship is over"
See also
In Spanish: Daily Mirror para niños
