''The Mercury'' is a daily
newspaper
A newspaper is a Periodical literature, periodical publication containing written News, 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 poli ...
published in
Pottstown, Pennsylvania
Pottstown is a Borough (Pennsylvania), borough in Montgomery County, Pennsylvania, United States. Pottstown was laid out in 1752–53 and named Pottsgrove in honor of its founder, John Potts (Pennsylvanian), John Potts. The old name was abando ...
, 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 won in the
Spot News Photography category.
In 1990, staff Tom Hylton won in the
Editorial Writing 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 type of written prose commonly found in newspapers, magazines, and online publications. They usually represent a writer's strong and focused opinion on an issue of relevance to a targeted a ...
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 in Cheshire, England, on the River Dee, Wales, River Dee, close to the England–Wales border. With a built-up area population of 92,760 in 2021, it is the most populous settlement in the borough of Cheshire West an ...
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
*
Journal Register Company
{{DEFAULTSORT:Mercury (Pennsylvania), The
Daily newspapers published in Pennsylvania
Montgomery County, Pennsylvania
21st Century Media publications
1931 establishments in Pennsylvania
Pottstown, Pennsylvania
Newspapers established in 1931