''The City Sun'' was a weekly

newspaper A newspaper is a periodical publication containing written 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 politics, business, sports ...

that was published in

Brooklyn Brooklyn () is a borough of New York City, coextensive with Kings County, in the U.S. state of New York. Kings County is the most populous county in the State of New York, and the second-most densely populated county in the United States, beh ...

from 1984 through 1996. Its primary focus was on issues of interest to

African American African Americans (also referred to as Black Americans and Afro-Americans) are an ethnic group consisting of Americans with partial or total ancestry from sub-Saharan Africa. The term "African American" generally denotes descendants of ensl ...

s in

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...

. ''The City Sun'' was founded by African-American journalists Andrew W. Cooper and Utrice C. Leid. Cooper served as

publisher Publishing is the activity of making information, literature, music, software and other content available to the public for sale or for free. Traditionally, the term refers to the creation and distribution of printed works, such as books, newsp ...

and Leid as

managing editor A managing editor (ME) is a senior member of a publication's management team. Typically, the managing editor reports directly to the editor-in-chief and oversees all aspects of the publication. United States In the United States, a managing edito ...

. Film critic

Armond White Armond White (born ) is an American film and music critic who writes for '' National Review'' and '' Out''. He was previously the editor of '' CityArts'' (2011–2014), the lead film critic for the alternative weekly ''New York Press'' (1997–2 ...

was the arts editor. ''The City Sun'', whose motto was "Speaking Truth to Power", was rare among black-owned newspapers in its critical attitude toward African-American politicians. It could be unsparing in its criticism of prominent African Americans. In a front-page editorial in 1993, the newspaper advised

David Dinkins David Norman Dinkins (July 10, 1927 – November 23, 2020) was an American politician, lawyer, and author who served as the 106th mayor of New York City from 1990 to 1993. He was the first African American to hold the office. Before enter ...

, New York's first African American mayor, that he was "beginning to look like a wimp". In 1989 ''The City Sun'', together with the ''

Amsterdam News The ''Amsterdam News'' (also known as ''New York Amsterdam News'') is a weekly Black-owned newspaper serving New York City. It is one of the oldest newspapers geared toward African Americans in the United States and has published columns by s ...

'', another black-owned newspaper in New York, published the name of the "Central Park jogger", Trisha Meili, who had been raped and beaten almost to death. Leid explained her decision to name the jogger by referring to an incident involving Tawana Brawley, a minor who said she had been raped, and the double standard practiced by the mainstream media:

The same media
hat A hat is a head covering which is worn for various reasons, including protection against weather conditions, ceremonial reasons such as university graduation, religious reasons, safety, or as a fashion accessory. Hats which incorporate mecha ...
had no difficulty identifying the underage Wappinger-Falls teenager rawleyby name ndinvading the sanctity of her home to show her face ... have been careful to avoid identifying the Central Park woman.

Cooper was recognized as Journalist of the Year by the

National Association of Black Journalists The National Association of Black Journalists (NABJ) is an organization of African-American journalists, students, and media professionals. Founded in 1975 in Washington, D.C., by 44 journalists, the NABJ's stated purpose is to provide quality p ...

in 1987 for his work at ''The City Sun''. In 1996, financial difficulties led Cooper to shut down ''The City Sun''. According 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 ...

'', ''The City Sun'' had a circulation of 18,500 in 1987. In 1996, when ''The City Sun'' ceased operations, ''The Times'' wrote that the newspaper's circulation could not be determined.

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