''Delaware State News'' is an American

daily newspaper A newspaper is a periodical publication containing written information about current events and is often typed in black ink with a white or gray background. Newspapers can cover a wide variety of fields such as politics, business, sports ...

published in Dover, Delaware. It is owned by Independent Newsmedia Inc. USA and prints seven days a week. It bills itself as "The Capital Daily" and "downstate Delaware's dominant daily newspaper", primarily covering Dover and the state's two southern counties,

Kent Kent is a county in South East England and one of the home counties. It borders Greater London to the north-west, Surrey to the west and East Sussex to the south-west, and Essex to the north across the estuary of the River Thames; it faces ...

and Sussex. It is one of two dailies based in the state of Delaware; the other is ''

The News Journal ''The News Journal'' is the main newspaper for Wilmington, Delaware, and the surrounding area. It is headquartered in unincorporated New Castle County, Delaware, near New Castle, and is owned by Gannett. History The ancestry of the News Jo ...

'' in

New Castle County New Castle County is the northernmost of the three counties of the U.S. state of Delaware (New Castle, Kent, and Sussex). As of the 2020 census, the population was 570,719, making it the most populous county in Delaware, with nearly 60% of the ...

, at the state's northern end.

History

The ''Delaware State News'' debuted as a four-page weekly newspaper in Dover in May 1902. Thirty years later, the paper said it aimed to deliver "a live, readable newspaper at all times. While Democratic in politics, we shall not swerve from our policy of many years' standing to maintain an independent attitude at all times. ..." The paper was founded by Robert H. Wilson, who owned it from May 24, 1902, to June 28, 1908. He sold it to James C. Wickes, who owned it until his death August 1, 1945. Wickes, who had cut his teeth in journalism as a

printer's devil A printer's devil was a young apprentice in a printing establishment who performed a number of tasks, such as mixing tubs of ink and fetching type. Notable writers including Ambrose Bierce, Benjamin Franklin, Walt Whitman, and Mark Twain served ...

at a previous Dover paper in the early 1880s, was on the inaugural staff of the ''Delaware State News''. Under his leadership, the paper championed the progressive politics of the day. He supported

Woodrow Wilson Thomas Woodrow Wilson (December 28, 1856February 3, 1924) was an American politician and academic who served as the 28th president of the United States from 1913 to 1921. A member of the Democratic Party, Wilson served as the president of ...

and, in a series of editorials, was the first Delaware publisher to push for the presidential nomination of

Franklin D. Roosevelt Franklin Delano Roosevelt (; ; January 30, 1882April 12, 1945), often referred to by his initials FDR, was an American politician and attorney who served as the 32nd president of the United States from 1933 until his death in 1945. As the ...

. He was affectionately known as the

dean Dean may refer to: People * Dean (given name) * Dean (surname), a surname of Anglo-Saxon English origin * Dean (South Korean singer), a stage name for singer Kwon Hyuk * Dean Delannoit, a Belgian singer most known by the mononym Dean Titles * ...

of Delaware publishers and as "Colonel Jim", having been appointed a

Kentucky Colonel Kentucky Colonel is the highest title of honor bestowed by the Commonwealth of Kentucky, and is the most well-known of a number of honorary colonelcies conferred by United States governors. A Kentucky Colonel Commission (the certificate) i ...

in 1935. George Willets Parker purchased the paper from Wickes' estate in January 1946, then sold it half a year later to J. Hampton Barnes Jr. Bernard "Jack" Smyth, a newspaper owner in Renovo, Pennsylvania, purchased the ''Delaware State News'' and a competing weekly in 1953 for $40,000 (), with the intention of turning it into a daily newspaper, after learning that Dover was the only

state capital Below is an index of pages containing lists of capital cities. National capitals *List of national capitals * List of national capitals by latitude *List of national capitals by population * List of national capitals by area * List of capital c ...

without one. The ''Delaware State News'' became the first daily newspaper in Delaware outside of Wilmington, starting with its edition of September 14, 1953. Smyth moved to

Arizona Arizona ( ; nv, Hoozdo Hahoodzo ; ood, Alĭ ṣonak ) is a state in the Southwestern United States. It is the 6th largest and the 14th most populous of the 50 states. Its capital and largest city is Phoenix. Arizona is part of the Fou ...

for health reasons in 1969, selling the paper to his children. His son Joe Smyth bought out his siblings' shares in the 1970s, establishing Independent Newspapers Inc. and expanding his holdings into Arizona and Florida. In 1991, he transferred ownership of the company to a nonprofit trust, INI Holdings Inc., to ensure that the papers remain independent. In May 1997, the ''Delaware State News'' announced it would merge with the ''Daily Whale'' of

Lewes, Delaware Lewes ( ) is an incorporated city on the Delaware Bay in eastern Sussex County, Delaware, United States. According to the 2010 census, the population is 2,747. Along with neighboring Rehoboth Beach, Lewes is one of the principal cities of Delawar ...

. The Lewes paper had been purchased by Independent Newspapers in March 1996. Independent Newspapers Inc. changed its name to Independent Newsmedia Inc. USA in 2011.

Sister papers

The ''Delaware State News'' is the East Coast flagship publication of Independent Newsmedia Inc. USA, a company founded by the Smyth family and now owned by a nonprofit trust. The company owns newspapers in

, Delaware,

Florida Florida is a state located in the Southeastern region of the United States. Florida is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the northwest by Alabama, to the north by Georgia, to the east by the Bahamas and Atlantic Ocean, and to ...

and

Maryland Maryland ( ) is a state in the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States. It shares borders with Virginia, West Virginia, and the District of Columbia to its south and west; Pennsylvania to its north; and Delaware and the Atlantic Ocean to ...

, including the '' Daily Independent'' of Sun City, Arizona. The Dover newsroom publishes four monthly community papers covering specific cities and regions in Delaware: * ''Greater Dover Extra'' of Dover * ''Milford Chronicle'' of

Milford, Delaware Milford is a city in Kent and Sussex counties in the U.S. state of Delaware. According to the 2020 census, the population of the city is 11,190 people and 4,356 households in the city. The Kent County portion of Milford is part of the Dover, DE ...

* ''Smyrna Extra'' of

Smyrna, Delaware Smyrna is a town in Kent and New Castle counties in the U.S. state of Delaware. It is part of the Dover, Delaware Metropolitan Statistical Area. According to the Census Bureau, as of 2010, the population of the town is 10,023. The international ...

* ''Sussex Post'' of Sussex County, Delaware Independent Newsmedia also owns three weekly newspapers nearby on the

Delmarva Peninsula The Delmarva Peninsula, or simply Delmarva, is a large peninsula and proposed state on the East Coast of the United States, occupied by the vast majority of the state of Delaware and parts of the Eastern Shore regions of Maryland and Virginia. ...

: * ''Dorchester Banner'' of

Cambridge, Maryland Cambridge is a city in Dorchester County, Maryland, United States. The population was 13,096 at the 2020 census. It is the county seat of Dorchester County and the county's largest municipality. Cambridge is the fourth most populous city in Mary ...

, published Wednesdays * ''Crisfield-Somerset County Times'' of

Crisfield, Maryland Crisfield is a city in Somerset County, Maryland, United States, located on the Tangier Sound, an arm of the Chesapeake Bay. The population was 2,515 at the 2020 census. It is included in the Salisbury, Maryland-Delaware Metropolitan Statist ...

, published Wednesdays * ''Salisbury Independent'' of

Salisbury, Maryland Salisbury () is a city in and the county seat of Wicomico County, Maryland, United States, and the largest city in the state's Eastern Shore region. The population was 33,050 at the 2020 census. Salisbury is the principal city of the Salisbury ...

, published Thursdays

References

External links

* {{Official website, https://baytobaynews.com/ Newspapers published in Delaware Dover, Delaware Companies based in Kent County, Delaware Publications established in 1902 1902 establishments in Delaware