Copley Press was a privately held

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, spor ...

business, founded in

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, but later based in

La Jolla, California La Jolla ( , ) is a hilly, seaside neighborhood within the city of San Diego, California, United States, occupying of curving coastline along the Pacific Ocean. The population reported in the 2010 census was 46,781. La Jolla is surrounded on ...

. Its flagship paper was ''

The San Diego Union-Tribune ''The San Diego Union-Tribune'' is a metropolitan daily newspaper published in San Diego, California, that has run since 1868. Its name derives from a 1992 merger between the two major daily newspapers at the time, ''The San Diego Union'' and ...

''.

History

Founder

Ira Clifton Copley Ira Clifton Copley (October 25, 1864 – November 1, 1947) was an American publisher, politician, and utility tycoon. Born in rural Knox County, Illinois, Copley's family moved to Aurora when Copley was 2 so he could be treated for scarlet feve ...

launched Copley Press c. 1905, eventually amassing over two dozen papers. After selling the Western Utility Corporation, Copley purchased twenty-four newspapers in

Southern California Southern California (commonly shortened to SoCal) is a geographic and cultural region that generally comprises the southern portion of the U.S. state of California. It includes the Los Angeles metropolitan area, the second most populous urban ...

for $7.5 million. He managed these publishing holdings as Copley Press, Inc. and was its first president, serving until 1942. Copley Press purchased Springfield's ''Illinois State Journal'' in 1927. In 1942, Copley bought the ''Journals Democratic-oriented competitor, the ''Illinois State Register'', promising that the ''Register'' could keep its independent editorial voice. The two papers were merged in 1974 into '' The State Journal-Register''. In 1928, Copley bought the ''San Diego Union'' and ''San Diego Tribune'', which eventually became the company's flagship publications. Later that year, Senator

George W. Norris George William Norris (July 11, 1861September 2, 1944) was an American politician from the state of Nebraska in the Midwestern United States. He served five terms in the United States House of Representatives as a Republican, from 1903 until ...

accused Copley Press of receiving money from public utility companies, but Copley successfully defended his position before the

Federal Trade Commission The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) is an independent agency of the United States government whose principal mission is the enforcement of civil (non-criminal) antitrust law and the promotion of consumer protection. The FTC shares jurisdiction o ...

in 1929. The two papers operated separate editions until 1992, when they were merged as ''

''. Copley News Service — a wire service that distributed news, political cartoons, and opinion columns — was founded in 1955.

Dissolution

Copley Press began selling off properties in the 2000s. Hollinger International bought the Company's Chicago-area publications ('' The Herald News'', ''

The Beacon News Tribune Publishing Company (briefly Tronc, Inc.) is an American newspaper print and online media publishing company. The company, which was acquired by Alden Global Capital in May 2021, has a portfolio that includes the '' Chicago Tribune'', ...

'', '' The Courier News'', and '' The News Sun'', along with several smaller papers) in 2000. The remaining Illinois papers ('' The State Journal-Register'', the '' Peoria Journal Star'', ''

The Repository ''The Repository'' is an American daily local newspaper serving the Canton, Ohio area. It is currently owned by Gannett. History Historically, the newspaper had strong Republican connections, most notably with President William McKinley, who wa ...

'', and some smaller papers) were sold to GateHouse Media in 2007. In 2006, the ''

Daily Breeze The ''Daily Breeze'' is a 57,000-circulation daily newspaper published in Hermosa Beach, California, United States. It serves the South Bay cities of Los Angeles County. Its slogan is "LAX to LA Harbor". Early history The paper was founded ...

'' was sold to Hearst. In December 2007, the ''Union-Tribune'' reported that Copley Press was selling La Casa del Zorro, a resort it owned in

Borrego Springs Borrego Springs (''Borrego'', Spanish for "Sheep") is a census-designated place (CDP) in San Diego County, California. The population was 3,429 at the 2010 census, up from 2,535 at the 2000 census, made up of both seasonal and year-round resid ...

. Copley News Service itself was sold to

Creators Syndicate Creators Syndicate (also known as Creators) is an American independent distributor of comic strips and syndicated columns to daily newspapers, websites, and other digital outlets. When founded in 1987, Creators Syndicate became one of the few suc ...

for an undisclosed price and renamed Creators News Service, on 1 July 2008. In late July 2008, the company began seeking buyers for the ''Union-Tribune'', as well as several other businesses like ''Enlace'', a free Spanish-language tabloid, and SignOnSanDiego.com, the online arm of the U-T."Sale of U-T explored by Copley Press," San Diego Union-Tribune, July 25, 2008; by David Hasemyer
The announcement did not make clear what, if anything, would be left with the Copley Press name.

Platinum Equity Platinum Equity, LLC is an American private equity investment firm founded by Tom Gores in 1995. The firm focuses on leveraged buyout investments of established companies in the U.S., Europe and Asia. History Platinum Equity was founded in 199 ...

agreed in March 2009 to purchase the ''Union-Tribune'' for an unspecified sum.Hsu, Tiffany and Tony Perry.
Platinum Equity to Acquire San Diego Union-Tribune
" ''

Los Angeles Times The ''Los Angeles Times'' (abbreviated as ''LA Times'') is a daily newspaper that started publishing in Los Angeles in 1881. Based in the LA-adjacent suburb of El Segundo since 2018, it is the sixth-largest newspaper by circulation in the ...

'', 19 March 2009. Copley Press currently is working with Evercore Partners, the same company that helped sell off other business units, to determine a price for the remaining assets. Declining advertising revenue was cited as the reason for the company's dissolution.

Pulitzer Prizes

Copley News Service and The San Diego ''Union-Tribune'', with notable work by Marcus Stern and Jerry Kammer, won the 2006 National Reporting prize for their disclosure that former Congressman Randy Cunningham received bribes, which ultimately led to his criminal conviction and imprisonment. Additionally, the San Diego ''Evening Tribune'', predecessor of the ''Union-Tribune'', won Pulitzer Prizes in 1987 and 1979.

Allegations of collaboration with CIA and FBI

In the late 1970s, the American media reported that the Copley Press was used as a front by the

Central Intelligence Agency The Central Intelligence Agency (CIA ), known informally as the Agency and historically as the Company, is a civilian foreign intelligence service of the federal government of the United States, officially tasked with gathering, processing, ...

. Reporters Joe Trento and Dave Roman claimed that

James S. Copley James Strohn Copley (August 12, 1916 – October 6, 1973) was an American journalist and newspaper publisher. He published the ''San Diego Union'' and the ''San Diego Evening Tribune'', both later merged into ''The San Diego Union-Tribune'' ...

, who served as publisher until 1973, had cooperated with the CIA since its founding in 1947. They also reported that a subsidiary division, Copley News Service, was used in Latin America by the CIA as a front. Trento and Roman also said that reporters at the Copley-owned San Diego ''Union and Evening News'' spied on antiwar protesters for the FBI. They alleged that, at the height of these operations, at least two dozen Copley employees were simultaneously working for the CIA. James S. Copley was also accused of involvement in the CIA-funded

Inter-American Press Association The Inter American Press Association (IAPA; Spanish: ''Sociedad Interamericana de Prensa'', SIP) is a press advocacy group representing major media organizations in North America, South America and the Caribbean. It is made up of more than 1,30 ...

Publishers

— founder, president until 1942 * A. W. Shipton — 1942–1947 *

— 1947–1973 *

Helen K. Copley Helen may refer to: People * Helen of Troy, in Greek mythology, the most beautiful woman in the world * Helen (actress) (born 1938), Indian actress * Helen (given name), a given name (including a list of people with the name) Places * Helen, G ...

— 1973–2001 *

David C. Copley David C. Copley (January 31, 1952 – November 20, 2012) was an American publishing heir, on the board of the Copley Press for over thirty years, becoming president and owner, as well as publisher of the ''San Diego Union-Tribune''. He was ...

— 2001 to 2009

Former properties

* ''

Alhambra Post-Advocate The Alhambra (, ; ar, الْحَمْرَاء, Al-Ḥamrāʾ, , ) is a palace and fortress complex located in Granada, Andalusia, Spain. It is one of the most famous monuments of Islamic architecture and one of the best-preserved palaces of the ...

'' * ''

Aurora Beacon News An aurora (plural: auroras or aurorae), also commonly known as the polar lights, is a natural light display in Earth's sky, predominantly seen in high-latitude regions (around the Arctic and Antarctic). Auroras display dynamic patterns of bri ...

'' (Illinois) * ''

Burbank Daily Review Burbank may refer to: Places Australia * Burbank, Queensland, a suburb in Brisbane United States * Burbank, California, a city in Los Angeles County * Burbank, Santa Clara County, California, a census-designated place * Burbank, Illinois, ...

'' * Copley News Service * ''

'' (Torrance, California) * ''

Daily Journal (Wheaton, Illinois) The ''Daily Journal'' was a daily newspaper in Wheaton, Illinois that published for almost 60 years, from 1933 until 1992. In its final two decades, it was published by Copley Newspapers and had a final circulation of 7,650. Its origins were in ...

'' (Wheaton, Illinois) * ''

Elgin Courier-News Elgin may refer to: Places Canada * Elgin County, Ontario * Elgin Settlement, a 19th-century community for freed slaves located in present-day North Buxton and South Buxton, Chatham-Kent, Ontario * Elgin, a village in Rideau Lakes, Ontari ...

'' (Illinois) * ''

Glendale News-Press The ''Glendale News Press'' is a weekly newspaper published by Outlook Newspapers Group in Glendale, California. It covers local news, community events, and sports in Glendale and La Crescenta-Montrose. History The paper was founded as a wee ...

'' * ''

Joliet Herald-News Joliet or Jolliet may refer to: People * Louis Jolliet (1645–1700), French-Canadian explorer of North America * Oscar Joliet (1878–1969), Belgian scholar-priest and Catholic Auxiliary bishop of Ghent Places in the United States * Joliet, Il ...

'' (Illinois) * '' KCOP-TV'' (Los Angeles) * '' Lake County News-Sun'' (Gurnee, Illinois) * ''

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'' (Naperville, Illinois) * '' Peoria Journal Star'' * ''

San Pedro News-Pilot San Pedro ( ; Spanish: "St. Peter") is a neighborhood within the City of Los Angeles, California. Formerly a separate city, it consolidated with Los Angeles in 1909. The Port of Los Angeles, a major international seaport, is partially located wi ...

'' (

Port of Los Angeles The Port of Los Angeles is a seaport managed by the Los Angeles Harbor Department, a unit of the City of Los Angeles. It occupies of land and water with of waterfront and adjoins the separate Port of Long Beach. Promoted as "America's Port", ...

area) * ''

'' (Stark County, Ohio) * ''

The Sacramento Union ''The Sacramento Union'' was a daily newspaper founded in 1851 in Sacramento, California. It was the oldest daily newspaper west of the Mississippi River before it closed its doors after 143 years in January 1994, no longer able to compete with ...

'' * ''

The Santa Monica Evening Outlook ''The'' () is a grammatical article in English, denoting persons or things already mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in English. ''The'' is the m ...

'' * '' The State Journal-Register'' (Springfield, Illinois) * ''

Venice Evening Vanguard Venice ( ; it, Venezia ; vec, Venesia or ) is a city in northeastern Italy and the capital of the Veneto region. It is built on a group of 118 small islands that are separated by canals and linked by over 400 bridges. The isla ...

References

{{Authority control Copley Press publications Newspaper companies of the United States Pulitzer Prize for National Reporting winners