''The Mercury'' is a daily newspaper published in

Pottstown, Pennsylvania Pottstown is a borough in Montgomery County, Pennsylvania. Pottstown was laid out in 1752–53 and named Pottsgrove in honor of its founder, John Potts. The old name was abandoned at the time of the incorporation as a borough in 1815. In 1888 ...

, United States.

Awards

''The Mercury'' is the smallest circulation newspaper in the U.S. to have its staffers win two Pulitzer Prizes. In 1979, staff photographer

Thomas J. Kelly III Thomas J. Kelly III (August 8, 1947), born in Hackensack, New Jersey, is an American, Pulitzer prize-winning photojournalist. Based in greater Philadelphia, he has worked as a freelancer for electronic and print outlets since 1995. Kelly joined t ...

won in the Spot News Photography category. In 1990, staff Tom Hylton won in the

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, ...

category. ''The Mercury'' has won hundreds of other state and national awards in the past 89 years.

Campaigns

Some of its investigative work has led to changes in state and federal laws. In its most recent public service campaign, ''The Mercury'' led the battle to overturn a middle-of-the-night pay raise that Pennsylvania lawmakers voted themselves in July 2005. The newspaper published a series of editorials by editor Nancy March and

op-ed An op-ed, short for "opposite the editorial page", is a written prose piece, typically published by a North-American newspaper or magazine, which expresses the opinion of an author usually not affiliated with the publication's editorial board. O ...

columns by City Editor Tony Phyrillas demanding the repeal of the pay raise. The newspaper also collected 10,000 letters from readers demanding repeal of the pay raise and delivered them to the state Capitol in Harrisburg. One month after the letters were delivered, the legislature voted to repeal the pay raise. ''The Mercury'' celebrated its 75th anniversary in 2006 and continues as a crusading small-town newspaper. ''The Mercury'' covers parts of Montgomery,

Chester Chester is a cathedral city and the county town of Cheshire, England. It is located on the River Dee, close to the English–Welsh border. With a population of 79,645 in 2011,"2011 Census results: People and Population Profile: Chester Loca ...

and Berks counties in southeastern Pennsylvania. ''The Mercury'' won seven awards in the 2007 editorial excellence contest sponsored by Suburban Newspapers of America. Located at the corner of Hanover and King streets in Pottstown, ''The Mercury'' has a daily circulation of 27,500 and also posts stories at its Web site. ''The Mercury'' is owned by the MediaNews Group, formerly Journal Register Company, one of the largest newspaper chains in the country.

References

External links

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Journal Register Company
Daily newspapers published in Pennsylvania Montgomery County, Pennsylvania 21st Century Media publications {{Pennsylvania-newspaper-stub