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''The New York Sun'' is an American online newspaper published in
Manhattan Manhattan (), known regionally as the City, is the most densely populated and geographically smallest of the five Boroughs of New York City, boroughs of New York City. The borough is also coextensive with New York County, one of the List of co ...
; from 2002 to 2008 it was a daily newspaper distributed in New York City. It debuted on April 16, 2002, adopting the name, motto, and
masthead Masthead may refer to: * Nameplate (publishing), the banner name on the front page of a newspaper or periodical (UK "masthead") * Masthead (American publishing), details of the owners, publisher, departments, officers, contributors and address d ...
of the earlier New York paper, '' The Sun'' (1833–1950). It became the first general-interest broadsheet newspaper to be started in New York City in several decades. Its
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. ...
page became a prominent platform in the country for
conservative Conservatism is a cultural, social, and political philosophy that seeks to promote and to preserve traditional institutions, practices, and values. The central tenets of conservatism may vary in relation to the culture and civilization in ...
viewpoints. From 2009 to 2021 ''The Sun'' operated as an (occasional and erratic) online-only publisher of political and economic opinion pieces, as well as occasional arts content. Following acquisition from Dovid Efune in November 2021, ''The New York Sun'' has returned to full-time online publication since 2022. ''The New York Sun'' claims to be the heir of '' The Sun'', a successful broadsheet newspaper published in New York City from 1833 until 1950.


History

''The Sun'' was founded by a group of investors including publishing magnate
Conrad Black Conrad Moffat Black, Baron Black of Crossharbour (born 25 August 1944), is a Canadian-born British former newspaper publisher, businessman, and writer. His father was businessman George Montegu Black II, who had significant holdings in Cana ...
. The goal was to provide an alternative to ''
The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid ...
'', featuring front-page news about local and state events, in contrast to the emphasis on national and international news by the ''Times''. The Sun began business operations, prior to first publication, in October 2001. The newspaper's president and editor-in-chief was Seth Lipsky, former editor of ''
The Jewish Daily Forward ''The Forward'' ( yi, פֿאָרווערטס, Forverts), formerly known as ''The Jewish Daily Forward'', is an American news media organization for a Jewish American audience. Founded in 1897 as a Yiddish-language daily socialist newspaper, ...
''. Managing editor Ira Stoll also served as company vice-president. Stoll had been a longtime critic of ''The New York Times'' in his media watchdog blog smartertimes.com. When smartertimes.com became defunct, its Web traffic was redirected to ''The Sun'' web site. Published from the Cary Building in
Lower Manhattan Lower Manhattan (also known as Downtown Manhattan or Downtown New York) is the southernmost part of Manhattan, the central borough for business, culture, and government in New York City, which is the most populated city in the United States with ...
, it ceased print publication on September 30, 2008. When asked why, Lipsky said "we needed additional funds ... the 2008 financial collapse was sweeping the world, and the Internet was emerging as a challenge to traditional newspapering." Its web site resumed activity on April 28, 2009, but only contains a small subset of the original content of the paper, mostly focusing on editorials rather than news content. The paper's
motto A motto (derived from the Latin , 'mutter', by way of Italian , 'word' or 'sentence') is a sentence or phrase expressing a belief or purpose, or the general motivation or intention of an individual, family, social group, or organisation. Mo ...
, which it shared with its predecessor and namesake, was "It Shines For All".


Editorial perspective and reception

Editor-in-chief Lipsky said that the paper's prominent op-ed page would champion "limited government, individual liberty, constitutional fundamentals, equality under the law, economic growth ... standards in literature and culture, education". Another goal, said Lipsky, was "to seize the local beat from which ''The New York Times'' was retreating as it sought to become a national newspaper". Stoll characterized ''The Sun'''s political orientation as "
right-of-center Centre-right politics lean to the right of the political spectrum, but are closer to the centre. From the 1780s to the 1880s, there was a shift in the Western world of social class structure and the economy, moving away from the nobility and ...
", and an associate of Conrad Black predicted in 2002 that the paper would be
neoconservative Neoconservatism is a political movement that began in the United States during the 1960s among liberal hawks who became disenchanted with the increasingly pacifist foreign policy of the Democratic Party and with the growing New Left and cou ...
in its outlook. Unsigned editorials in the paper advocated prosecuting Iraq War protestors for
treason Treason is the crime of attacking a state authority to which one owes allegiance. This typically includes acts such as participating in a war against one's native country, attempting to overthrow its government, spying on its military, its diplo ...
(2003), nominating
Dick Cheney Richard Bruce Cheney ( ; born January 30, 1941) is an American politician and businessman who served as the 46th vice president of the United States from 2001 to 2009 under President George W. Bush. He is currently the oldest living former ...
for the presidency (2007), and lowering, rather than raising, the debt ceiling in response to the debt ceiling crisis (2013). ''The Suns columnists included prominent conservative and
neoconservative Neoconservatism is a political movement that began in the United States during the 1960s among liberal hawks who became disenchanted with the increasingly pacifist foreign policy of the Democratic Party and with the growing New Left and cou ...
pundits, including William F. Buckley, Jr., Michael Barone,
Daniel Pipes Daniel Pipes (born September 9, 1949) is an American historian, writer, and commentator. He is the president of the Middle East Forum, and publisher of its ''Middle East Quarterly'' journal. His writing focuses on American foreign policy and th ...
, and Mark Steyn. ''The Sun'' supported President George W. Bush and his decision to launch the
Iraq War {{Infobox military conflict , conflict = Iraq War {{Nobold, {{lang, ar, حرب العراق (Arabic) {{Nobold, {{lang, ku, شەڕی عێراق ( Kurdish) , partof = the Iraq conflict and the War on terror , image ...
in 2003. The paper also urged strong action against the perceived threat of the
Islamic Republic of Iran Iran, officially the Islamic Republic of Iran, and also called Persia, is a country located in Western Asia. It is bordered by Iraq and Turkey to the west, by Azerbaijan and Armenia to the northwest, by the Caspian Sea and Turkmeni ...
and also was known for its forceful coverage of Jewish-related issues, and advocacy for Israel's right of self-defense, as evidenced in articles by pro-Israel reporter Aaron Klein. ''The Sun'' established a readership niche for itself foremost in New York.
Alex Jones Alexander Emerick Jones (born February 11, 1974) is an American far-right and alt-right radio show host and prominent conspiracy theorist. He hosts ''The Alex Jones Show'' from Austin, Texas, which the Genesis Communications Network broadcast ...
of the Joan Shorenstein Center on the Press, Politics, and Public Policy said, "It was a newspaper especially savored by people who don't like ''The New York Times'', and there are plenty of those in New York." The paper also scored more scoops than would be expected for its size and
Stephen B. Shepard Stephen B. Shepard (born July 30, 1939) is an American business journalist and academic who served as editor-in-chief of ''BusinessWeek'' magazine and was the founding dean of the CUNY Graduate School of Journalism. Born and raised in New York Ci ...
, dean of the CUNY Graduate School of Journalism at the
City University of New York The City University of New York ( CUNY; , ) is the public university system of New York City. It is the largest urban university system in the United States, comprising 25 campuses: eleven senior colleges, seven community colleges and seven pr ...
said that its effective coverage of local news earned it a place in the New York media world. Accordingly, it was known as a good place for young, ambitious, scrappy reporters to start out. According to Scott Sherman, writing in ''
The Nation ''The Nation'' is an American liberal biweekly magazine that covers political and cultural news, opinion, and analysis. It was founded on July 6, 1865, as a successor to William Lloyd Garrison's ''The Liberator'', an abolitionist newspaper tha ...
'' in April 2007, ''The Sun'' was "a broadsheet that injects conservative ideology into the country's most influential philanthropic, intellectual and media hub; a paper whose day-to-day coverage of New York City emphasizes lower taxes, school vouchers and free-market solutions to urban problems; a paper whose elegant culture pages hold their own against the Times in quality and sophistication; a paper that breaks news and crusades on a single issue; a paper that functions as a journalistic SWAT team against individuals and institutions seen as hostile to Israel and Jews; and a paper that unapologetically displays the scalps of its victims."Sherman, Scott (2007-4-30)
"''Sun''-rise in New York"
''
The Nation ''The Nation'' is an American liberal biweekly magazine that covers political and cultural news, opinion, and analysis. It was founded on July 6, 1865, as a successor to William Lloyd Garrison's ''The Liberator'', an abolitionist newspaper tha ...
''.
In the same article,
Mark Malloch Brown George Mark Malloch Brown, Baron Malloch-Brown (born 16 September 1953) is a British diplomat, communications consultant, journalist and former politician serving as president of Open Society Foundations since 2021, having previously served as ...
,
Kofi Annan Kofi Atta Annan (; 8 April 193818 August 2018) was a Ghanaian diplomat who served as the seventh secretary-general of the United Nations from 1997 to 2006. Annan and the UN were the co-recipients of the 2001 Nobel Peace Prize. He was the found ...
's chief of staff at the
United Nations The United Nations (UN) is an intergovernmental organization whose stated purposes are to maintain international peace and security, develop friendly relations among nations, achieve international cooperation, and be a centre for harmonizi ...
, described ''The Sun'' as "a pimple on the backside of American journalism." According to Sherman, Brown "accepts that the paper's obsession with the UN translates into influence ... he admitted ''The Sun'' "does punch way above its circulation number, on occasion". He goes on to say, "Clearly amongst its minuscule circulation were a significant number of diplomats. And so it did at times act as some kind of rebel house paper inside the UN. It fed the gossip mills and what was said in the cafeterias." Brown's insult was in the context of ''The Sun''s reporting of the UN's central role in the
Saddam Hussein Saddam Hussein ( ; ar, صدام حسين, Ṣaddām Ḥusayn; 28 April 1937 – 30 December 2006) was an Iraqi politician who served as the fifth president of Iraq from 16 July 1979 until 9 April 2003. A leading member of the revolution ...
Oil-for-Food scandal The Oil-for-Food Programme (OIP), established by the United Nations in 1995 (under UN Security Council Resolution 986) was established to allow Iraq to sell oil on the world market in exchange for food, medicine, and other humanitarian needs fo ...
. In May 2007, ''
Adweek ''Adweek'' is a weekly American advertising trade publication that was first published in 1979. ''Adweek'' covers creativity, client–agency relationships, global advertising, accounts in review, and new campaigns. During this time, it has cove ...
'' columnist Tom Messner called ''The Sun'' "the best paper in New York", noting that "''The New York Sun'' is a conservative paper, but it gets the respect of the left. ''The Nation''s April 30 issue contains an article on the ''Sun''s rise by Scott Sherman that is as balanced an article as I have ever read in the magazine (not a gibe; you don't read ''The Nation'' for balance)." Catholic commentator
Richard John Neuhaus Richard John Neuhaus (May 14, 1936–January 8, 2009) was a prominent Christian cleric (first in the Lutheran Church–Missouri Synod, then ELCA pastor and later as a Catholic priest) and writer. Born in Canada, Neuhaus moved to the United State ...
, writing in ''
First Things ''First Things'' (''FT'') is an ecumenical and conservative religious journal aimed at "advanc nga religiously informed public philosophy for the ordering of society". The magazine, which focuses on theology, liturgy, church history, religio ...
'', described the ''Sun'' as a paper that had "made itself nearly indispensable for New Yorkers".


Features

''The New York Sun'' was particularly known for its arts coverage, for instance, breaking news of the death of Jim Gary days ahead of ''The New York Times'', ''The Washington Post'', and other publications throughout the world. The paper included pieces by such
critic A critic is a person who communicates an assessment and an opinion of various forms of creative works such as art, literature, music, cinema, theater, fashion, architecture, and food. Critics may also take as their subject social or govern ...
s as Adam Kirsch on literature, Jay Nordlinger on classical music, and Joel Lobenthal on dance. Lance Esplund, Maureen Mullarkey, and David Cohen covered art, Francis Morrone art and architecture. Literature was extensively covered by
Otto Penzler Otto Penzler (born July 8, 1942) is a German-born American editor of mystery fiction, and proprietor of The Mysterious Bookshop in New York City. Biography Born in Germany to a German-American mother and a German father, Penzler moved to The B ...
on mystery writing, Eric Ormsby on poetry, Carl Rollyson on biography.
Amanda Gordon Amanda is a Latin feminine gerundive (i.e. verbal adjective) name meaning, literally, “she who must (or is fit to) be loved”. Other translations, with similar meaning, could be "deserving to be loved," "worthy of love," or "loved very much b ...
acted as society editor,
Alan Wellikoff Alan Wellikoff is a writer, historian, and the author/editor of several books on United States material history, travel, and practical advice, including ''The American Historical Supply Catalogue'' (1984), ''The American Historical Supply Catal ...
covered cars, and
Will Friedwald Will Friedwald (born September 16, 1961) is an American author and music critic. He has written for newspapers that include the '' Wall Street Journal'', ''New York Times'', '' Village Voice'', '' Newsday'', '' New York Observer'', and '' New ...
wrote about jazz. Nathan Lee, Nicolas Rapold, Bruce Bennett, and Steve Dollar wrote on film. ''The Sun'' received critical praise for its sports section, writers for which included Steven Goldman,
Thomas Hauser Thomas C. Hauser (born February 27, 1946) is an American author known for his biographies and novels. Biography Hauser graduated from Columbia College in 1967 and Columbia Law School in 1970. He made his debut as a writer in 1978 with ''The ...
,
Sean Lahman Sean Lahman (born June 9, 1968) (pronounced "lay-men") is an author and journalist. He is currently a reporter for the USA Today Network and Rochester Democrat and Chronicle and frequently makes public appearances to speak about database journal ...
, Tim Marchman, and John Hollinger. Its
crossword A crossword is a word puzzle that usually takes the form of a square or a rectangular grid of white- and black-shaded squares. The goal is to fill the white squares with letters, forming words or phrases, by solving clues which lead to th ...
puzzle, edited by Peter Gordon, was called one of the two best in the United States. It also published the first regular wine column in a New York newspaper, "Along the Wine Trail", written by
G. Selmer Fougner Gustav Selmer Fougner (1884 in Chicago – 1941 in New York City) was a wine and restaurant critic best known for his column "Along the Wine Trail." Life Gustav Selmer Fougner was born in Chicago in a Norwegian-Danish family, of Albert Cato Fougner ...
. In its first edition, the paper carried the solution to the last
crossword A crossword is a word puzzle that usually takes the form of a square or a rectangular grid of white- and black-shaded squares. The goal is to fill the white squares with letters, forming words or phrases, by solving clues which lead to th ...
puzzle of the earlier ''Sun'' published in 1950.


Financial problems, circulation, and end of print run

''The Sun'' was started anew in 2002 in the face of a long-term decline of
newspapers in the United States Newspapers in the United States have been published since the 18th century and are an integral part of the culture of the United States. Although a few newspapers including ''The New York Times'', ''USA Today'', and ''The Wall Street Journal'' ar ...
, loss of advertising revenue to the Internet and the rise of
new media New media describes communication technologies that enable or enhance interaction between users as well as interaction between users and content. In the middle of the 1990s, the phrase "new media" became widely used as part of a sales pitch for ...
. From the beginning, it struggled for existence. ''The Sun'' was the first new daily newspaper launched in New York since 1976, when
News World Communications News World Communications Inc. is an American international news media corporation. Background It was founded in New York City, in 1976, by Unification movement founder and leader Sun Myung Moon. Its first two newspapers, '' The News World'' ( ...
, a company controlled by the
Unification Church The Family Federation for World Peace and Unification, widely known as the Unification Church, is a new religious movement, whose members are called Unificationists, or "Moonie (nickname), Moonies". It was officially founded on 1 May 1954 unde ...
, launched '' The News World'' (that was later renamed the ''New York City Tribune'' and folded in 1991). At the time of its creation, one media financial analyst said the ''Sun's'' chances of survival were "pretty grim", while another media commentator characterized it as "the unlikeliest of propositions". It was underfunded from the start, with ten investors putting up a total of approximately $15 million—not enough for long-term running. Beyond Conrad Black, who pulled out in 2003, these included hedge fund managers
Michael Steinhardt Michael H. Steinhardt (born December 7, 1940) is an American billionaire hedge fund manager, philanthropist, and former antiquities collector. In 1967, he founded a hedge fund, Steinhardt Partners which he ran until he closed it in 1995. After a ...
and Bruce Kovner, private equity fund manager
Thomas J. Tisch Thomas may refer to: People * List of people with given name Thomas * Thomas (name) * Thomas (surname) * Saint Thomas (disambiguation) * Thomas Aquinas (1225–1274) Italian Dominican friar, philosopher, and Doctor of the Church * Thomas the Ap ...
, and financier and think tank figure
Roger Hertog Roger Hertog (born July 5,1941) is an American businessman, financier, and conservative philanthropist. Born and raised in The Bronx borough of New York City, New York, Hertog pursued a career in business, becoming president of Sanford Bernste ...
. ''The Sun''s physical plant, in the Cary Building at Church Street and Chambers Street in Lower Manhattan, was antiquated, with malfunctioning telephones and computers, a trouble-prone elevator and fire alarm system, and dubious bathroom plumbing. Nevertheless, Lipsky had hopes of breaking even within the first year of operation. The Audit Bureau of Circulations confirmed that in its first six months of publication ''The Sun'' had an average circulation of just under 18,000. By 2005 the paper reported an estimated circulation of 45,000. In December 2005, ''The Sun'' withdrew from the Audit Bureau of Circulations to join th
Certified Audit of Circulations
whose other New York clients are the free papers ''
The Village Voice ''The Village Voice'' is an American news and culture paper, known for being the country's first alternative newspaper, alternative newsweekly. Founded in 1955 by Dan Wolf (publisher), Dan Wolf, Ed Fancher, John Wilcock, and Norman Mailer, th ...
'' and '' AM New York Metro'', and began an aggressive campaign of free distribution in select neighborhoods. While ''The Sun'' claimed "150,000 of New York City's Most Influential Readers Every Day", ''The Sun''s own audit indicated that it was selling approximately 14,000 copies a day—while giving away between 66,000 and 85,000 a day. (The New York '' Daily News'' sold about 700,000 copies a day during that period.) It offered free subscriptions for a full year to residents in advertiser-desired zip codes; this and other uses of controlled circulation made it more attractive to advertisers, but further diminished its chances of ever becoming profitable. Similarly, ''The Sun''s online edition was accessible for free since August 2006. ''The Sun'' acquired the web address www.LatestPolitics.com in 2007. In a letter to readers published on the front page of the September 4, 2008, edition, Lipsky announced that the paper had suffered substantial losses and would "cease publication at the end of September unless we succeed in our efforts to find additional financial backing."Perez-Pena, Richard (September 4, 2008)
New York Sun May Close if Millions Aren't Found
. ''
The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid ...
''. Retrieved on September 4, 2008.
In particular, the paper's existing backers would not put forward more money unless new backers with capital were found. The chance that funding had of materializing was negated by the onset of the
financial crisis of 2007–2008 Finance is the study and discipline of money, currency and capital assets. It is related to, but not synonymous with economics, the study of production, distribution, and consumption of money, assets, goods and services (the discipline of ...
, and ''The Sun'' ceased publication on September 30, 2008. It had approximately 110 employees at that time, and also made use of many freelance writers. Mayor of New York
Michael Bloomberg Michael Rubens Bloomberg (born February 14, 1942) is an American businessman, politician, philanthropist, and author. He is the majority owner, co-founder and CEO of Bloomberg L.P. He was Mayor of New York City from 2002 to 2013, and was a c ...
commented that "The Sun shone brightly, though too briefly," and that its writers were "smart, thoughtful, provocative".


Online version 2009–2021

Despite the closure of the newspaper, ''The New York Sun'' website renewed activity on April 28, 2009, prompting some observers to consider the possible implications. Michael Calderone of ''
Politico ''Politico'' (stylized in all caps), known originally as ''The Politico'', is an American, German-owned political journalism newspaper company based in Arlington County, Virginia, that covers politics and policy in the United States and intern ...
'' quoted Lipsky as saying not to read too much into the initial items since "...a business plan for the site is still in formation," and "... these are just some very, very early bulbs of spring (or late winter)." Since that time, the web site has continued to publish editorials at irregular intervals, op-ed commentaries and frequent contributions from economist and noted television commentator Lawrence Kudlow. In addition, commentaries on the arts have been published.


Online relaunch (since 2021)

On 2 November 2, 2021, ''The New York Sun'' was acquired by Dovid Efune, former CEO and editor-in-chief of the ''
Algemeiner Journal The ''Algemeiner Journal'', known informally as ''The Algemeiner'', is a newspaper based in New York City that covers American and international Jewish and Israel-related news. History In 1972, Gershon Jacobson founded the Yiddish-languag ...
''. Efune confirmed Seth Lipsky in the position of editor-in-chief. Following Efune's acquisition, ''The New York Sun'' resumed full-time online reporting since 2022, focusing on a digital-first strategy.


Related publication


''CityArts''

In March 2009, a group of former contributors to ''The Sun''s arts section, including Lance Esplund,
Brice Brown Brice Brown (born October 10, 1972) is an American artist who lives and works in New York City. Career Brown received his Bachelor's degree, BA from Dartmouth College and his MFA from Pratt Institute. His work has been reviewed in the ''Artforum ...
, Jay Nordlinger, Joel Lobenthal, and Marion Maneker, spearheaded a new paper, ''CityArts'', published by
Manhattan Media Manhattan Media is an American media company based in New York City that publishes a variety of community and political newspapers and lifestyle magazines. The company is owned by Isis Ventures Partners . Overview In 2001, the company acquired '' ...
. ''CityArts'' began as a monthly arts supplement in other Manhattan Media papers (including ''
New York Press ''New York Press'' was a free alternative weekly in New York City, which was published from 1988 to 2011. The ''Press'' strove to create a rivalry with the ''Village Voice''. ''Press'' editors claimed to have tried to hire away writer Nat Hent ...
'', ''West Side Spirit'', and ''Our Town''), but soon changed to a stand-alone, twice-monthly free publication. A notice from 2009 claimed a distribution of 50,000 print copies. The paper's contents were published online at cityarts.info. Due to low advertising revenue, ''CityArts'' reverted to a supplement in late 2012.


Controversies

Allegations were published in the paper's January 9, 2008 issue, written by
contributing editor A contributing editor is a newspaper, magazine or online job title that varies in its responsibilities. Often, but not always, a contributing editor is a "high-end" freelancer, consultant, or expert who has proven ability and has readership d ...
Daniel Johnson about then-candidate
Barack Obama Barack Hussein Obama II ( ; born August 4, 1961) is an American politician who served as the 44th president of the United States from 2009 to 2017. A member of the Democratic Party (United States), Democratic Party, Obama was the first Af ...
and Kenya's candidate (and subsequent Prime Minister)
Raila Odinga Raila Amolo Odinga (born 7 January 1945) is a Kenyan politician, former Member of Parliament (MP) for Langata and businessman who served as the Prime Minister of Kenya from 2008 to 2013. He is assumed to be the Leader of Opposition in Kenya s ...
, based on what was later described as "a patently fallacious story ... or at the very least to shirk their responsibility to the truth." ''The Sun'' was listed as a three-time victim of plagiarism when ''
The News-Sentinel ''The News-Sentinel'' was a daily newspaper based in Fort Wayne, Indiana. The afternoon ''News-Sentinel'' was politically independent. The papers suspended publication in November 2020, after the beginning of COVID-19 pandemic. Early history '' ...
'' announced March 1, 2008, that "20 of 38 guest columns ... contributed ... since 2000" by Bush White House staffer
Timothy Goeglein Timothy Goeglein (pronounced Ghegline) (born January 6, 1964) was special assistant to U.S. President George W. Bush and Deputy Director of the White House Office of Public Liaison from 2001 to 2008. In January 2009, Goeglein became the Vice Presid ...
were subsequently discovered to have been plagiarized; three were attributed to original articles in ''The Sun''. Goeglein resigned.


See also

* *


References


External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:New York Sun, The 2002 establishments in New York City 2008 disestablishments in New York (state) Daily newspapers published in New York City Defunct newspapers published in New York City Newspapers established in 2002 Publications disestablished in 2008