The Daily (News Corp.)

The Daily (News Corp.)
Name	The Daily
Type	Digital newspaper
Format	Tablet app
Owner	News Corporation
Founded	2010
Ceased publication	2012
Headquarters	New York City
Language	English

The Daily (News Corp.) The Daily was a tablet-only news publication launched by News Corporation in 2010 and positioned as a next-generation digital newspaper aimed at readers of The New York Times, USA Today, and The Wall Street Journal. Conceived under the leadership of Rupert Murdoch, edited by Joel Klein and guided by executive producers linked to Hulu and Fox News Channel, the project sought to marry multimedia journalism typified by The Washington Post video desks, BBC News interactive graphics, and apps from The Guardian. The title generated attention from figures associated with Apple Inc., Microsoft, Google, and legacy publishers such as Hearst Corporation and Gannett.

Overview and Launch

The Daily debuted in February 2011 after a year of development overseen by Rupert Murdoch, with launch events featuring executives from Apple Inc., News Corporation, and media partners including Condé Nast and Dow Jones & Company. The project brought together editorial veterans from The New York Post, The Wall Street Journal, and Time (magazine) alongside technologists from Adobe Systems, Twitter, and Facebook. Early coverage compared the initiative to digital ventures such as Slate, Politico, HuffPost, and mobile experiments by The New Yorker, while commentators referenced business models used by Netflix and Spotify.

Format and Content

The publication adopted a tablet-first format with shorter daily editions, multimedia packages, interactive graphics, and serialized features similar to those in Wired (magazine), Vanity Fair, and Rolling Stone. Editorial sections covered politics associated with Barack Obama, Mitt Romney, and Hillary Clinton; international affairs referencing Arab Spring, Iraq War, and Afghan conflict reporting; culture pieces on artists like Lady Gaga, Beyoncé Knowles, and Kanye West; and sports stories linked to Super Bowl, World Cup, and Olympic Games reporting. Contributors included journalists with bylines in The Atlantic, Foreign Policy, New York Magazine, and investigative reporters formerly at ProPublica and Reuters.

Technology and Distribution

Built for the iPad (1st generation), the app integrated video production techniques from Bloomberg L.P., photo galleries echoing National Geographic, and data visualizations in the style of The New York Times graphics team. The platform used content management systems influenced by WordPress, design patterns from IDEO, and ad serving technologies used by DoubleClick and Comcast. Distribution relied on the App Store (iOS), subscription systems aligned with Apple Inc. policies, and backend hosting comparable to Amazon Web Services and Akamai Technologies. Partnerships with telecoms such as Verizon Communications and device makers like Samsung were discussed in trade outlets including Adweek and Variety.

Reception and Criticism

Critical response mixed praise from critics at Columbia Journalism Review, Nieman Lab, and columnists in The Economist with skepticism from commentators at Forbes, Bloomberg News, and NPR. Praise highlighted multimedia storytelling akin to PBS documentaries and interactive features similar to The New York Times apps; criticism invoked cost structures associated with legacy operations at The New York Post and perceived editorial slants linked to Fox News Channel. Academics from Columbia University and Harvard Kennedy School debated sustainability against business models championed by The Guardian and philanthropy-backed outlets like ProPublica. Legal commentators referenced antitrust debates involving News Corporation and regulatory scrutiny reminiscent of hearings before the Federal Communications Commission.

Business Model and Financial Performance

The Daily employed a subscription model with annual and weekly pricing tiers, echoing experiments at The Financial Times and premium offerings from The Wall Street Journal. Revenue streams combined subscriptions, advertising sold through agencies like WPP and Omnicom Group, and branded content partnerships similar to initiatives by CNN and BuzzFeed. Despite investment paced by executives formerly at 20th Century Fox and accounting overseen by firms such as PricewaterhouseCoopers, reported losses prompted comparisons to failed digital ventures including Yahoo News Digest and puzzled analysts at Goldman Sachs, Morgan Stanley, and UBS. Circulation and subscriber growth failed to meet projections promoted at investor briefings involving Rupert Murdoch and James Murdoch.

Closure and Aftermath

News Corporation announced the closure in December 2012, citing unsustainable economics, drawing commentary from media critics at The New York Times, Los Angeles Times, and The Washington Post. The shutdown influenced strategy debates at News Corporation and competitors such as Gannett and Tronc, and spurred experiments in subscription bundling by Apple News+ and digital initiatives at The Atlantic and Quartz. Former staff migrated to organizations including Vox Media, BuzzFeed News, Vice Media, and legacy newspapers like The New York Post and The Wall Street Journal. The project remains cited in academic studies at Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism and Stanford University as a case study in platform journalism, digital monetization, and the intersection of legacy conglomerates with tablet publishing.

Category:Defunct newspapers Category:News Corporation