The ''Omaha Daily Bee'' was a leading

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 ...

newspaper that was active in the late 19th and early 20th century. The paper's editorial slant frequently pitted it against the ''Omaha Herald'', the '' Omaha Republican'' and other local papers. After a 1927 merger, it was published as the ''Bee-News'' until folding in 1937.

History

It was founded as a pioneer newspaper in

Omaha, Nebraska Omaha ( ) is the largest city in the U.S. state of Nebraska and the county seat of Douglas County. Omaha is in the Midwestern United States on the Missouri River, about north of the mouth of the Platte River. The nation's 39th-largest cit ...

on May 8, 1871, by

Edward Rosewater Edward Rosewater, born Edward Rosenwasser, (January 21, 1841 – August 30, 1906) was a Republican Party politician and newspaper editor in Omaha, Nebraska. Rosewater had a reputation for being "aggressive and controversial", and was influentia ...

a Jewish immigrant from Bohemia who supported abolition and fought in the Union Army. The ''Bee'' was Nebraska's first regional newspaper,Larsen & Cotrell (1997) p 194. and was regarded nationally for its advocacy and success."Omaha monopoly"
''

Time Time is the continued sequence of existence and events that occurs in an apparently irreversible succession from the past, through the present, into the future. It is a component quantity of various measurements used to sequence events, to ...

.'' October 11, 1937. Retrieved 4/29/08. By 1875 the ''Bee'' had a circulation of 2,520 and by 1882 those circulation numbers increased to 6,100 daily copies. And while it was primarily a local paper the ''Bee'' also carried national and regional news in a simple eight column design. The paper's slogan was "Industry, Frugality and Service." in 1888 Rosewater built the Bee Building to accommodate its presses, which were claimed to be the largest in the country. After his father carried the paper to national fame before his death in 1906, the paper began to slip under his son Victor Rosewater's control. The ''Bee'' was criticized for sensationalizing alleged attacks by black men in 1919 with headlines such as ""Frenzied thousands join the orgy of blood and fire" which escalated inter-racial hatreds that resulted in the

Omaha Race Riot of 1919 The Omaha Race Riot occurred in Omaha, Nebraska, Omaha, Nebraska, September 28–29, 1919. The race riot resulted in the lynching of Will Brown, a black civilian; the death of two white rioters; the injuries of many Omaha Police Department off ...

. It involved three deaths and thousands of dollars in property damages.For front pages in 1919 se
"""Frenzied thousands join the orgy of blood and fire"
The newspaper was sold to millionaire Nelson B. Updike, a local grain dealer, in 1920. In 1927, Updike purchased the ''Omaha Daily News'' and merged his papers to form the ''Bee-News''. In June 1928 the ''Bee-News'' was sold to

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 October 1937, Hearst sold the paper to the ''

Omaha World-Herald The ''Omaha World-Herald'' is a daily newspaper in the midwestern United States, the primary newspaper of the Omaha-Council Bluffs metropolitan area. It was locally owned from its founding in 1885 until 2020, when it was sold to the newspaper ch ...

'' for $750,000, which promptly discontinued its publication. According to a 1954 ''World-Herald'' report, "Edward Rosewater actually did not have journalism in mind when he launched the first edition of the Bee on June 19, 1871, to influence the public in favor of the ratification of a legislative bill originated by him, creating the Board of Education." ''Bee'' and ''Bee-News'' alumni include

Don Hollenbeck Don Hollenbeck (March 30, 1905June 22, 1954) was a CBS newscaster, commentator, and associate of Edward R. Murrow and Fred W. Friendly. He died from fuel gas inhalation as it was discovered that his stove and oven had been turned on but not lit ...

, who later worked for

CBS News CBS News is the news division of the American television and radio service CBS. CBS News television programs include the ''CBS Evening News'', ''CBS Mornings'', news magazine programs '' CBS News Sunday Morning'', '' 60 Minutes'', and '' 48 H ...

References

External links

* . An oral history account of the paper from the Nebraska State Historical Society.
"Browse Issues: Omaha Daily Bee"
Archived issues of the ''Omaha Daily Bee'' are made available for viewing by the Nebraska Newspapers project out of the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. {{Hearst Defunct newspapers published in Nebraska Newspapers published in Omaha, Nebraska History of Downtown Omaha, Nebraska Publications established in 1871 Publications disestablished in 1937 Defunct companies based in Nebraska Jews and Judaism in Omaha, Nebraska Czech-American history Czech-American culture in Omaha, Nebraska 1871 establishments in Nebraska 1937 disestablishments in Nebraska