Arkansas Democrat-Gazette
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The ''Arkansas Democrat-Gazette'' is the
newspaper of record A newspaper of record is a major national newspaper with large circulation whose editorial and news-gathering functions are considered authoritative and independent; they are thus "newspapers of record by reputation" and include some of the o ...
in the U.S. state of
Arkansas Arkansas ( ) is a landlocked state in the South Central United States. It is bordered by Missouri to the north, Tennessee and Mississippi to the east, Louisiana to the south, and Texas and Oklahoma to the west. Its name is from the Osage ...
,History of the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette
/ref> printed in
Little Rock ( The "Little Rock") , government_type = Council-manager , leader_title = Mayor , leader_name = Frank Scott Jr. , leader_party = D , leader_title2 = Council , leader_name2 ...
with a
northwest The points of the compass are a set of horizontal, radially arrayed compass directions (or azimuths) used in navigation and cartography. A compass rose is primarily composed of four cardinal directions—north, east, south, and west—each sep ...
edition published in Lowell. It is distributed for sale in all 75 of Arkansas' counties. By virtue of one of its predecessors, the ''
Arkansas Gazette The ''Arkansas Gazette'' was a newspaper in Little Rock, Arkansas, that was published from 1819 to 1991. It was known as the oldest newspaper west of the Mississippi River. It was located from 1908 until its closing at the now historic Gazette ...
'' (founded in 1819), it claims to be the oldest continuously published newspaper west of the
Mississippi River The Mississippi River is the second-longest river and chief river of the second-largest drainage system in North America, second only to the Hudson Bay drainage system. From its traditional source of Lake Itasca in northern Minnesota, it f ...
. The original print shop of the ''Gazette'' is preserved at the
Historic Arkansas Museum The Historic Arkansas Museum, sometimes called HAM, is a state history museum in downtown Little Rock, Arkansas. The museum was created as part of the Arkansas Territorial Capitol Restoration Commission, by Act 388 of the 1939 Arkansas General As ...
in Little Rock.


History


Early years

The history of the ''Arkansas Democrat-Gazette'' goes back to the earliest days of territorial Arkansas. William E. Woodruff arrived at the territorial capital at Arkansas Post in late 1819 on a dugout canoe with a second-hand wooden press. He cranked out the first edition of the ''Arkansas Gazette'' on November 20, 1819, 17 years before Arkansas became a state. Early in its history the ''Gazette'' scrupulously avoided political involvement or endorsement. In 1821 the territorial capital was moved to
Little Rock ( The "Little Rock") , government_type = Council-manager , leader_title = Mayor , leader_name = Frank Scott Jr. , leader_party = D , leader_title2 = Council , leader_name2 ...
, and Woodruff moved his ''Gazette'' along with it. The ''Gazette'' led the campaign for Arkansas statehood which was accomplished in 1836 and constantly promoted new immigration to the state. The ''Gazette'' supported
Texas Texas (, ; Spanish language, Spanish: ''Texas'', ''Tejas'') is a state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. At 268,596 square miles (695,662 km2), and with more than 29.1 million residents in 2 ...
independence and called for volunteers from Arkansas to assist the Texans and supported the
Mexican–American War The Mexican–American War, also known in the United States as the Mexican War and in Mexico as the (''United States intervention in Mexico''), was an armed conflict between the United States and Mexico from 1846 to 1848. It followed the 1 ...
. In the 1840s Woodruff lost control of the paper and established a competing paper, the ''Arkansas Democrat'' (not related to the later ''Democrat''). In 1850, after the ''Gazette'' had briefly failed under its new owners, Woodruff regained control and combined it with his ''Democrat'' as the ''Arkansas State Gazette and Democrat''. Later in the 1850s, under another owner, the name was shortened to the ''Arkansas State Gazette''.


Civil War era

The ''Gazette'' struggled through the early
Civil War A civil war or intrastate war is a war between organized groups within the same state (or country). The aim of one side may be to take control of the country or a region, to achieve independence for a region, or to change government policies ...
years facing financial problems and shortages of supplies. The ''Gazette'' had initially been pro-Union but altered its position after Lincoln's call for troops, much like Arkansas as a whole. In 1863 Little Rock fell to Union troops and the ''Gazette'' suspended publication until May 1865 while Federal authorities used the presses for their own publications.


Competition after the Civil War

During the
Reconstruction Reconstruction may refer to: Politics, history, and sociology *Reconstruction (law), the transfer of a company's (or several companies') business to a new company *'' Perestroika'' (Russian for "reconstruction"), a late 20th century Soviet Unio ...
years a competitor arose called by a variety of names, under a variety of editors, and with several different owners. In 1878 J.N. Smithee bought the newspaper, changed its name to the ''Arkansas Democrat'', and went after lucrative state printing contracts held by the ''Gazette''. The ''Gazette'' and the ''Democrat'' engaged in a war of words that soon escalated into an exchange of gunfire between the owner of the ''Democrat'' and a part-owner of the ''Gazette''. Over the years the ''Gazette'' and the ''Democrat'' supported opposing candidates and took opposite editorial positions. Throughout the simmering battle the ''Gazette'' continued to be the dominant state newspaper. The ''Gazette'' was owned and edited by
John Netherland Heiskell John Netherland Heiskell (November 2, 1872 – December 28, 1972) was a prominent American newspaper editor who served briefly in the United States Senate after being appointed to fill a vacancy. He was the editor of the ''Arkansas Gazette'' fr ...
who guided it with a firm hand through most of the 20th century. In 1926, August Engel acquired a major interest in the ''Democrat.'' He became the newspaper's president and general manager, leading it through a period of great growth over the next 43 years. Engel gained a reputation as a hard-working, shrewd businessman who took an active part in the editorial process.


Central High crisis

The ''Gazette'' took a strong editorial stance against Governor
Orval Faubus Orval Eugene Faubus ( ; January 7, 1910 – December 14, 1994) was an American politician who served as the 36th Governor of Arkansas from 1955 to 1967, as a member of the Democratic Party. In 1957, he refused to comply with a unanimous ...
when he tried to prevent the
Little Rock Nine The Little Rock Nine were a group of nine African American students enrolled in Little Rock Central High School in 1957. Their enrollment was followed by the Little Rock Crisis, in which the students were initially prevented from entering ...
from integrating
Little Rock Central High School Little Rock Central High School (LRCHS) is an accredited comprehensive education, comprehensive public high school in Little Rock, Arkansas, Little Rock, Arkansas, Secondary education in the United States, United States. The school was the Littl ...
in 1957. In 1958 the ''Gazette'' was awarded the
Pulitzer Prize The Pulitzer Prize () is an award for achievements in newspaper, magazine, online journalism, literature, and musical composition within the United States. It was established in 1917 by provisions in the will of Joseph Pulitzer, who had made h ...
for Public Service for its stand, and executive editor
Harry Ashmore Harry Scott Ashmore (July 28, 1916 – January 20, 1998) was an American journalist who won a Pulitzer Prize for his editorials in 1957 on the school integration conflict in Little Rock, Arkansas. Early life and career Ashmore was born in Greenvi ...
won the
Pulitzer Prize for Editorial Writing The Pulitzer Prize for Editorial Writing is one of the fourteen American Pulitzer Prizes that are annually awarded for Journalism. It has been awarded since 1917 for distinguished editorial writing, the test of excellence being clearness of style, ...
. This was the first time in history that a newspaper won two Pulitzer Prizes within the same year. Despite its honors the circulation of the ''Gazette'' dropped during the crisis due to boycotts, which ended when Ashmore left the paper. The ''Democrat'' charted a generally neutral editorial stand. Its photographer
Will Counts Will Counts (Ira Wilmer Counts Jr.; August 24, 1931—October 6, 2001) was an American photojournalist most renowned for drawing the nation's attention to the desegregation crisis that was happening at Little Rock Central High School in Little Ro ...
took several important pictures of the crisis, including a famous picture of
Elizabeth Eckford Elizabeth Ann Eckford (born October 4, 1941) is one of the Little Rock Nine, a group of African-American students who, in 1957, were the first black students ever to attend classes at the previously all-white Little Rock Central High School in Li ...
, one of the Nine, being shouted at by an angry white girl, later identified as
Hazel Massery Hazel Bryan Massery (born 31 January 1942) was a student at Little Rock Central High School during the Civil Rights Movement. She was depicted in an iconic photograph made by photojournalist Will Counts showing her shouting at Elizabeth Eckford, o ...
; the
Associated Press The Associated Press (AP) is an American non-profit news agency headquartered in New York City. Founded in 1846, it operates as a cooperative, unincorporated association. It produces news reports that are distributed to its members, U.S. newspa ...
declared it to be one of the top 100 photos of the 20th century. Counts also helped arrange the public reconciliation of Eckford and Massery in 1997. Counts' work submitted by the ''Arkansas Democrat'' for the 1958 Pulitzer Prize, received the unanimous recommendation of the Pulitzer jurors for Best Spot News Photography. However, Counts was denied the award when the Pulitzer board overruled its jurors and gave the award to another entrant which portrayed a different local police force as friendly to its citizens. In 2005, the ''Democrat-Gazette'' editorial cartoonist, John Deering, and his wife Cathy created a bronze sculpture of the Nine, entitled ''Testament'', on the grounds of the
Arkansas State Capitol The Arkansas State Capitol, often called the Capitol Building, is the home of the Arkansas General Assembly, and the seat of the Arkansas state government that sits atop Capitol Hill at the eastern end of the Capitol Mall in Little Rock, Arkan ...
.


The newspaper war

Heiskell died in 1972, and his family continued to run the ''Gazette.'' In 1974 the ''Democrat'' was sold to
WEHCO Media WEHCO Media, Inc., based in Little Rock, AR is a privately held media company with holdings that include newspapers, cable television systems, and internet service. Walter E. Hussman, Jr. (born 1947), is the president. Hussmann is the grandson of ...
Inc., owned by the Hussman family.
Walter E. Hussman Jr. Walter Edward Hussman Jr. (born January 5, 1947), is an American newspaper publisher and chairman of WEHCO Media, Inc. He is the publisher of the ''Arkansas Democrat-Gazette'' in Little Rock, which is the largest newspaper in Arkansas. Hussman dire ...
, 27, became the publisher. At the time of Hussman's arrival the morning ''Gazette'' was far in front of the afternoon ''Democrat'', with daily circulation 118,702 to the ''Democrat's'' 62,405. Hussman embarked on a campaign of major cost reductions and concentrating subscription effort on the Little Rock urban market. These efforts had little success. By 1977 Hussman attempted to reach an agreement with the ''Gazette'' to combine operations but his overtures were rejected. Hussman vigorously fought back and was intent on making the ''Democrat'' the state's largest newspaper. A war ensued between the two papers. The ''Democrat'' expanded its news operation, offered free classified advertisements, and switched from afternoon publication to morning publication. In 1979 Hussman appointed
John Robert Starr John Robert Starr (1927 – 1 April 2000 ) was an American journalist and newspaper columnist. Starr was noted for his role in the demise of the ''Arkansas Gazette'' during the 1980s and his criticism of President Bill Clinton including popular ...
to the position of managing editor. The fiery and irascible Starr temperament and intent in the upcoming circulation war was humorously illustrated by a cover story in the monthly magazine ''Arkansas Times'' showing Starr squatting atop a ''Gazette'' newspaper box with a dagger between his teeth to show his seriousness. Starr doubled the size of the news staff and concentrated on hard news. Under Starr's direction readership increased steadily. During 1980 the ''Democrat'' was the fastest growing newspaper in the United States. The ''Gazette'' responded by hiring new staff, going to a color format, and filing a federal antitrust suit against the ''Democrat'' in 1984. The suit accused the Hussman enterprises of predatory practices and trying to harm the ''Gazette.'' The ''Democrat'' responded that it was only trying to gain market share to be more competitive with the larger and more dominant ''Arkansas Gazette.'' A federal jury in the court of U.S. District Judge William R. Overton rendered its verdict on March 26, 1986. The ''Democrat'' was found not guilty of all the allegations leveled against it by the ''Gazette''. The Heiskell family sold the ''Arkansas Gazette'' to
Gannett Gannett Co., Inc. () is an American mass media holding company headquartered in McLean, Virginia, in the Washington, D.C., metropolitan area.

Victory of the ''Democrat''

The financial losses of the fiercely contested battle were too much for Gannett to justify. On October 18, 1991 Gannett threw in the towel and sold the ''Gazette'' to WEHCO. The first edition of the ''Arkansas Democrat-Gazette'' rolled off the presses the next morning, October 19. Most Arkansans, regardless of which paper they subscribed to, were saddened by the sudden loss of their historic newspaper. Many of the reporters and staff of the more liberal ''Gazette'' were thrown out of work and not picked up by the more conservative ''Democrat-Gazette''. Many of these former employees were bitter at Gannett for their management of the newspaper war and angry at the ''Democrat'' for achieving victory. Many of the "Old Lady's" employees left for other markets while some who remained aided in converting the ''
Arkansas Times ''Arkansas Times'', a weekly alternative newspaper based in Little Rock, Arkansas, is a publication that has circulated more than 40 years, originally as a magazine. Founded as a small magazine on newsprint in 1977 by publisher Alan Leveritt, ...
'' from a magazine format to a tabloid newspaper in order to provide a more liberal weekly alternative to the dominant conservative paper. In the years since, the ''Arkansas Democrat-Gazette'' has maintained a higher circulation than newspapers in similarly sized cities. Many newspapers that defeated in-town rivals concentrated on reducing costs and reduced news coverage to meet their goals. The ''Arkansas Democrat-Gazette'' has continued to balance quality goals with profitability. Pulitzer Prize winner Paul Greenberg was appointed the ''Democrat-Gazette'' editorial page editor on April 29, 1992. Griffin Smith, a sixth-generation Arkansan, was appointed Executive Editor on June 23, 1992. Smith retired May 1, 2012. Managing editor David Bailey, who joined the paper in May 1993, took over leadership of the newsroom operation. Greenberg stepped down on August 1, 2015 and David Barham, who joined the paper in 2002, took over as editorial page editor.


Online

The ''Democrat-Gazette'' implemented a website
paywall A paywall is a method of restricting access to content, with a purchase or a paid subscription, especially news. Beginning in the mid-2010s, newspapers started implementing paywalls on their websites as a way to increase revenue after years of ...
in 2002, before most other newspapers. The newspaper credits the strategy with helping it stem declines in circulation, where it has fared much better than the industry at large since that time. Most other newspapers which implemented paywalls later had been operating popular free-access websites for years, leading to reader backlash. ''The Economist'' noted that the strategy is aided by its "virtual monopoly" over news in the region.


Digital conversion

The ''Democrat-Gazett''e ended print delivery of its Monday-Saturday papers statewide throughout 2018 and 2019 and transitioned to a digital replica edition. All subscribers were provided a new iPad to access the replica edition, as well as one-on-one instruction, training and technical assistance. The Sunday paper remains in traditional, print circulation.


See also

* Gazette Building (Little Rock, Arkansas)


References

*


External links

*
Northwest Arkansas edition
* * * *
Arkansas Blog: ''Arkansas Democrat-Gazette''Arkansas Media Watch: ''Arkansas Democrat-Gazette''
{{Authority control Newspapers published in Arkansas Pulitzer Prize-winning newspapers Mass media in Little Rock, Arkansas Daily newspapers published in the United States