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The ''Los Angeles Examiner'' was a newspaper founded in 1903 by
William Randolph Hearst
William Randolph Hearst Sr. (; April 29, 1863 – August 14, 1951) was an American businessman, newspaper publisher, and politician known for developing the nation's largest newspaper chain and media company, Hearst Communications. His flamboya ...
in
Los Angeles
Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world' ...
, California. The afternoon ''
Los Angeles Herald-Express
The ''Los Angeles Herald-Express'' was one of Los Angeles' oldest newspapers, formed after a combination of the '' Los Angeles Herald'' and the '' Los Angeles Express''. After a 1962 combination with Hearst Corporation's ''Los Angeles Examiner ...
'' and the morning ''Los Angeles Examiner'', both of which had been publishing in the city since the turn of the 20th century, merged in 1962. For a few years after this merger, the ''
Los Angeles Herald Examiner
The ''Los Angeles Herald Examiner'' was a major Los Angeles daily newspaper, published in the afternoon from Monday to Friday and in the morning on Saturdays and Sundays. It was part of the Hearst syndicate. It was formed when the afternoon ' ...
'' claimed the largest afternoon-newspaper circulation in the country, publishing its last edition on November 2, 1989.
Founding
The first edition was issued on Sunday, December 13, 1903, under the
business manager
The Oxford English Dictionary defines a business manager as "a person who manages the business affairs of an individual, institution, organization, or company".
Compare manager.
Business managers drive the work of others (if any) in order to oper ...
ship of
L. C. Strauss, who had managed the New York City office of the ''
San Francisco Examiner
The ''San Francisco Examiner'' is a newspaper distributed in and around San Francisco, California, and published since 1863.
Once self-dubbed the "Monarch of the Dailies" by then-owner William Randolph Hearst, and flagship of the Hearst Corporat ...
,'' the first Hearst-owned newspaper. It was predicted to be
Democratic in politics and to compete with the
Republican
Republican can refer to:
Political ideology
* An advocate of a republic, a type of government that is not a monarchy or dictatorship, and is usually associated with the rule of law.
** Republicanism, the ideology in support of republics or agains ...
-supporting ''
Los Angeles Times
The ''Los Angeles Times'' (abbreviated as ''LA Times'') is a daily newspaper that started publishing in Los Angeles in 1881. Based in the LA-adjacent suburb of El Segundo since 2018, it is the sixth-largest newspaper by circulation in the Un ...
,'' another
morning newspaper.
["Press Notes of Interest," ''Buffalo (New York) Evening News,'' November 24, 1903, image 9]
/ref>
The ''Examiner'' published a preview edition on Friday, December 11, to announce its platform
Platform may refer to:
Technology
* Computing platform, a framework on which applications may be run
* Platform game, a genre of video games
* Car platform, a set of components shared by several vehicle models
* Weapons platform, a system or ...
, but its first regular "mammoth Sunday issue" (84 pages, "profusely illustrated") was dated December 13.["Los Angeles Examiner," '']Weekly Journal-Miner
''Arizona Miner'' (alternatively the ''Arizona Weekly Miner'', ''Miner'', or ''Weekly Miner'') was a newspaper published in Prescott, Arizona Territory, from 1868 to 1885 and circulated throughout Yavapai County. The paper merged with the ...
,'' Prescott, Arizona, December 16, 1903, page 4] "Fireworks
Fireworks are a class of Explosive, low explosive Pyrotechnics, pyrotechnic devices used for aesthetic and entertainment purposes. They are most commonly used in fireworks displays (also called a fireworks show or pyrotechnics), combining a l ...
, the booming of cannon and shouts of the populace greeted the appearance of the paper."["Press Notes of Interest," ''Buffalo Evening News,'' New York, December 21, image 19]
/ref>
The ''Weekly Journal-Miner
''Arizona Miner'' (alternatively the ''Arizona Weekly Miner'', ''Miner'', or ''Weekly Miner'') was a newspaper published in Prescott, Arizona Territory, from 1868 to 1885 and circulated throughout Yavapai County. The paper merged with the ...
'' of Prescott, Arizona
Prescott ( ) is a city in Yavapai County, Arizona, United States. According to the 2020 Census, the city's population was 45,827. The city is the county seat of Yavapai County.
In 1864, Prescott was designated as the capital of the Arizona T ...
, said of the ''Examiner'':
The paper is a typical Hearst publication, a style of journalism which is original with Mr. Hearst and the only one of its kind in the United States and for that matter the world, except for the ''Phenix Enterprise,'' which affects the Hearst style.
The ''Journal-Miner'' predicted the ''Examiner'' would be a pro-labor
The labour movement or labor movement consists of two main wings: the trade union movement (British English) or labor union movement (American English) on the one hand, and the political labour movement on the other.
* The trade union movement ...
newspaper as opposed to the rival open-shop ''Los Angeles Times.''[
]
Building
The five-story Los Angeles Examiner Building on South Broadway
Broadway may refer to:
Theatre
* Broadway Theatre (disambiguation)
* Broadway theatre, theatrical productions in professional theatres near Broadway, Manhattan, New York City, U.S.
** Broadway (Manhattan), the street
**Broadway Theatre (53rd Stree ...
at 11th Street was designed in a mix of Mission Revival
The Mission Revival style was part of an architectural movement, beginning in the late 19th century, for the revival and reinterpretation of American colonial styles. Mission Revival drew inspiration from the late 18th and early 19th century ...
and Spanish Colonial Revival
The Spanish Colonial Revival Style ( es, Arquitectura neocolonial española) is an architectural stylistic movement arising in the early 20th century based on the Spanish Colonial architecture of the Spanish colonization of the Americas.
In the ...
styles by architect Julia Morgan
Julia Morgan (January 20, 1872 – February 2, 1957) was an American architect and engineer. She designed more than 700 buildings in California during a long and prolific career.Erica Reder"Julia Morgan was a local in ''The New Fillmore'', 1 Febr ...
.[Roger Vincent, "Arizona State to Expand Into Downtown L.A. at Historic Herald Examiner Building," August 21, 2018]
/ref> The 7,800-square-foot building was the largest structure in the United States devoted solely to the publication of a newspaper.[
A train of nine ]freight cars
A railroad car, railcar (American and Canadian English), railway wagon, railway carriage, railway truck, railwagon, railcarriage or railtruck (British English and UIC), also called a train car, train wagon, train carriage or train truck, is a ...
arrived in Los Angeles on November 19, 1903, loaded with the machinery to print the paper. Five of the cars carried a mammoth Hoe printing press.["Telegraphic Sparks"]
''Weekly Journal-Miner
''Arizona Miner'' (alternatively the ''Arizona Weekly Miner'', ''Miner'', or ''Weekly Miner'') was a newspaper published in Prescott, Arizona Territory, from 1868 to 1885 and circulated throughout Yavapai County. The paper merged with the ...
,'' Prescott, Arizona, November 25, 1903, page 1, column 7
In 1918, a set for the motion picture ''The Empty Cab'' was a replica of the editorial rooms of the ''Examiner.''
The Sunday Examiner building was displayed prominently in Laurel and Hardy's skyscraper, girder-walking sequence that was part of the silent Hal Roach comedy "Liberty" (1929).
Patriotism controversy
In common with the other Hearst newspapers Hearst may refer to:
Places
* Hearst, former name of Hacienda, California, United States
* Hearst, Ontario, town in Northern Ontario, Canada
* Hearst, California, an unincorporated community in Mendocino County, United States
* Hearst Island, an i ...
, the ''Examiner'' was opposed to American involvement in
World War One and in 1918 attracted opposition and boycotts.
A "large number of editorials attacking the government's war policies," clipped from the ''Examiner,'' were seized in a raid by federal agents in a raid on a Santa Barbara school for boys called "Boyland." Five people were arrested and charged with espionage
Espionage, spying, or intelligence gathering is the act of obtaining secret or confidential information (intelligence) from non-disclosed sources or divulging of the same without the permission of the holder of the information for a tangibl ...
.
An organization called the California Loyal League claimed that the ''Examiner'' was "disloyal and a dangerous influence in this city." It included both the French and the British consul
Consul (abbrev. ''cos.''; Latin plural ''consules'') was the title of one of the two chief magistrates of the Roman Republic, and subsequently also an important title under the Roman Empire. The title was used in other European city-states throug ...
s in Los Angeles.
The University Club of Los Angeles and the Sierra Madre Club both banned the Examiner from its reading rooms. ''Examiner'' staffers were barred from taking photographs at a French national day
Bastille Day is the common name given in English-speaking countries to the national day of France, which is celebrated on 14 July each year. In French, it is formally called the (; "French National Celebration"); legally it is known as (; "t ...
celebration at the Shrine Auditorium
The Shrine Auditorium is a landmark large-event venue in Los Angeles, California. It is also the headquarters of the Al Malaikah Temple, a division of the Shriners. It was designated a Los Angeles Historic-Cultural Monument (No. 139) in 1975, and ...
. They were jeered on their way out of the building.
Staffers manhandled, kidnapped
In 1934 automobile-race driver Al Reinke and driver Babe Stapp
Elbert "Babe" Stapp (February 26, 1904 in San Antonio, Texas – September 17, 1980 in Indianapolis, Indiana) was an American racecar driver
Auto racing (also known as car racing, motor racing, or automobile racing) is a motorsport involv ...
were indicted on charges of manhandling and then kidnapping reporter James Lee who went with photographer John Bennus to the funeral of Ernie Triplett
Ernie Leo Triplett (September 25, 1906 in Barry, IllinoisThe Talk of Gasoline Alley, Network Indiana, May 25, 2006 – March 5, 1934 in El Centro, California) was an American racecar driver
Auto racing (also known as car racing, motor racing, ...
, who had been killed in a racing accident in Imperial, California
Imperial is a city in Imperial County, California, north of El Centro.
As of the 2010 census, the city had a population of 14,758. It is part of the El Centro metropolitan area. In 2016, Imperial was the fourth fastest-growing city in the sta ...
. Lee said five men threatened violence against the newspaper's workers if news photos were taken at the funerals of any race drivers. The newspaper had been campaigning against automobile-racing fatalities.[Associated Press, "3 Who Prevented Photo Face Chair on Kidnap Charge," ''New York Daily News,'' March 10, 1934, image 72]]
Reinke was killed in a racing accident before he could be tried.
Merger
In 1962, the morning ''Examiner'' merged with the ''Los Angeles Herald-Express,'' an afternoon newspaper also owned by the Hearst organization. The ''Examiner'' published its last edition on Sunday, January 7. The succeeding newspaper was known as the ''Los Angeles Herald Examiner
The ''Los Angeles Herald Examiner'' was a major Los Angeles daily newspaper, published in the afternoon from Monday to Friday and in the morning on Saturdays and Sundays. It was part of the Hearst syndicate. It was formed when the afternoon ' ...
.''
Notable people
* Elliott Roosevelt (general), Elliott Roosevelt, aviation editor"Elliot Roosevelt Is Aviation Editor," ''New York Daily News,'' August 27, 1933, image 296
/ref>
References
{{Hearst
1903 establishments in California
1962 disestablishments in California