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The ''St. Louis Post-Dispatch'' is a major regional newspaper based in
St. Louis, Missouri St. Louis () is the second-largest city in Missouri, United States. It sits near the confluence of the Mississippi River, Mississippi and the Missouri Rivers. In 2020, the city proper had a population of 301,578, while the Greater St. Louis, ...
, serving the
St. Louis metropolitan area Greater St. Louis is a bi-state metropolitan area that completely surrounds and includes the independent city of St. Louis, the principal city. It includes parts of both Missouri and Illinois. The city core is on the Mississippi Riverfront on t ...
. It is the largest daily newspaper in the metropolitan area by circulation, surpassing the '' Belleville News-Democrat'', ''
Alton Telegraph ''The Telegraph'' is an American daily newspaper published seven days a week in Alton, Illinois, serving the St. Louis Metro-East region. It was owned by Civitas Media, based in Davidson, North Carolina, a subsidiary of Philadelphia-based Versa Ca ...
'', and ''
Edwardsville Intelligencer The ''Edwardsville Intelligencer'' is an American daily newspaper in Illinois based in Edwardsville. The paper is circulated in Edwardsville, Glen Carbon, and nearby rural areas. The newspaper was founded in 1862. In 1960, longtime owner and ...
''. The publication has received 19 Pulitzer Prizes. The paper is owned by Lee Enterprises of
Davenport, Iowa Davenport is a city in and the county seat of Scott County, Iowa, United States. Located along the Mississippi River on the eastern border of the state, it is the largest of the Quad Cities, a metropolitan area with a population of 384,324 and a ...
, which purchased
Pulitzer, Inc. Pulitzer, Inc. was an American media company who owned newspapers, television stations and radio stations across the United States. Founded by Joseph Pulitzer (who also funded the Pulitzer Prizes, which are not affiliated with the company), its p ...
in 2005 in a cash deal valued at $1.46 billion.


Platform

On April 10, 1907, Joseph Pulitzer wrote what became known as the paper's platform:
I know that my retirement will make no difference in its cardinal principles, that it will always fight for progress and reform, never tolerate injustice or corruption, always fight demagogues of all parties, never belong to any party, always oppose privileged classes and public plunderers, never lack sympathy with the poor, always remain devoted to the public welfare, never be satisfied with merely printing news, always be drastically independent, never be afraid to attack wrong, whether by predatory plutocracy or predatory poverty.


History


Early years

In 1878, Pulitzer purchased the bankrupt ''St. Louis Dispatch'' at a public auction and merged it with the ''St. Louis Evening Post'' to create the ''St. Louis Post and Dispatch'', whose title was soon shortened to its current form. He appointed
John A. Cockerill John is a common English name and surname: * John (given name) * John (surname) John may also refer to: New Testament Works * Gospel of John, a title often shortened to John * First Epistle of John, often shortened to 1 John * Second E ...
as the managing editor. Its first edition, 4,020 copies of four pages each, appeared on December 12, 1878. In 1882, James Overton Broadhead ran for Congress against John Glover. The ''St. Louis Post-Dispatch'', at Cockerill's direction, ran a number of articles questioning Broadhead's role in a lawsuit between a gaslight company and the city; Broadhead never responded to the charges. Broadhead's friend and law partner,
Alonzo W. Slayback Alonzo William Slayback (1838–1882), a lawyer, was an officer in the Confederate Army and a founder of the Veiled Prophet Parade and Ball in St. Louis, Missouri. He was shot and killed in self-defense by the managing editor of the ''St. Louis Po ...
, publicly defended Broadhead, asserting that the ''St. Louis Post-Dispatch'' was nothing more than a "blackmailing sheet." The next day, October 13, 1882, Cockerill re-ran an offensive "card" by John Glover that the paper had published the prior November (November 11, 1881). Incensed, Slayback barged into Cockerill's offices at the paper demanding an apology. Cockerill shot and killed Slayback; he claimed self-defense, and a pistol was allegedly found on Slayback's body. A grand jury refused to indict Cockerill for murder, but the economic consequences for the paper were severe. Therefore, in May 1883, Pulitzer sent Cockerill to New York to manage the '' New York World'' for him. The ''Post-Dispatch'' was one of the first daily newspapers to print a
comics a medium used to express ideas with images, often combined with text or other visual information. It typically the form of a sequence of panels of images. Textual devices such as speech balloons, captions, and onomatopoeia can indicate ...
section in color, on the back page of the features section, styled the "Everyday Magazine."


20th century

At one time, the ''St. Louis Post-Dispatch'' had the second-largest news bureau in Washington, D.C., of any newspaper in the Midwestern United States. After Joseph Pulitzer's retirement, generations of Pulitzers guided the newspaper, ending when great-grandson Joseph Pulitzer IV left the company in 1995. The ''Post-Dispatch'' was characterized by a liberal editorial page and columnists, including Marquis Childs. The editorial page was noted also for political cartoons by
Daniel R. Fitzpatrick Daniel Robert Fitzpatrick (March 5, 1891 – May 18, 1969) was a two-time Pulitzer Prize winner and an editorial cartoonist for the '' St. Louis Dispatch'' from 1913 to 1958. Biography Fitzpatrick was born in Superior, Wisconsin. He studied at ...
, who won the 1955 Pulitzer Prize for editorial cartoons, and
Bill Mauldin William Henry Mauldin (; October 29, 1921 – January 22, 2003) was an American editorial cartoonist who won two Pulitzer Prizes for his work. He was most famous for his World War II cartoons depicting American soldiers, as represented by the ...
, who won the Pulitzer for editorial cartoons in 1959. Several months prior to the anniversary edition, the newspaper published a 63rd-anniversary tribute to "Our Own Oddities", a lighthearted feature that ran from 1940 to 1990. On May 22, 1946, the ''Post-Dispatch'' became the first newspaper in the world to publish the secret protocols for Molotov–Ribbentrop Pact. During the presidency of
Harry S. Truman Harry S. Truman (May 8, 1884December 26, 1972) was the 33rd president of the United States, serving from 1945 to 1953. A leader of the Democratic Party, he previously served as the 34th vice president from January to April 1945 under Franklin ...
, the paper was one of his most outspoken critics. It associated him with the
Pendergast Pendergast ( ga, de Piondárgas, ''Piondárgas'') is a Norman-Irish surname derived from Prendergast. Pendergast may refer to: *Aloysius Pendergast, character in novels by Douglas Preston and Lincoln Child. *Clancy Pendergast (born 1967), Americ ...
machine in
Kansas City The Kansas City metropolitan area is a bi-state metropolitan area anchored by Kansas City, Missouri. Its 14 counties straddle the border between the U.S. states of Missouri (9 counties) and Kansas (5 counties). With and a population of more ...
, and constantly attacked his integrity. In 1950, the ''St. Louis Post-Dispatch'' sent a reporter, Dent McSkimming, to Brazil to cover the
1950 FIFA World Cup The 1950 FIFA World Cup was the fourth edition of the FIFA World Cup, the quadrennial international football championship for senior men's national teams and held in Brazil from 24 June to 16 July 1950. The planned 1942 and 1946 World Cups were ...
. The reporter paid for his own travelling expenses and was the only U.S. reporter in all of Brazil covering the event. In 1959 the ''
St. Louis Globe-Democrat The ''St. Louis Globe-Democrat'' was originally a daily print newspaper based in St. Louis, Missouri, from 1852 until 1986. When the trademark registration on the name expired, it was then used as an unrelated free historically themed paper. Orig ...
'' entered into a joint operating agreement with the ''Post-Dispatch''. The Post–Globe operation merged advertising, printing functions and shared profits. The ''Post-Dispatch'', distributed evenings, had a smaller circulation than the ''Globe-Democrat'', a morning daily. The ''Globe-Democrat'' folded in 1983, leaving the ''Post-Dispatch'' as the only daily newspaper in the region. In August 1973 a Teamsters union representing ''Globe'' and ''Post-Dispatch'' staffers went on strike, halting production for six weeks.


21st century

On January 13, 2004, the ''Post-Dispatch'' published a 125th-anniversary edition, which included some highlights of the paper's 125 years: * Coverage of Charles Lindbergh, who flew across the Atlantic despite being denied financial or written support from the ''Post-Dispatch.'' * A Pulitzer Prize-winning campaign to clean up smoke pollution in St. Louis. In the late 1930s and early 1940s, the city had the filthiest air in the United States. * Sports coverage, including nine St. Louis Cardinals championships, an NBA title by the St. Louis Hawks in 1958, and the 2000 Super Bowl victory of the St. Louis Rams. * Coverage of the city's "cultural icons" including
Kate Chopin Kate Chopin (, also ; born Katherine O'Flaherty; February 8, 1850 – August 22, 1904) was an American author of short stories and novels based in Louisiana. She is considered by scholars to have been a forerunner of American 20th-century feminis ...
, Tennessee Williams, Chuck Berry, and Miles Davis. On January 31, 2005, Michael Pulitzer announced the sale of Pulitzer, Inc. and all its assets, including the ''Post-Dispatch'' and a small share of the St. Louis Cardinals, to Lee Enterprises of
Davenport, Iowa Davenport is a city in and the county seat of Scott County, Iowa, United States. Located along the Mississippi River on the eastern border of the state, it is the largest of the Quad Cities, a metropolitan area with a population of 384,324 and a ...
, for $1.46 billion. He said no family members would serve on the board of the merged company. As of 2007, it was the fifth-largest newspaper in the midwestern United States and the 26th-largest newspaper in the U.S. On March 12, 2007, the paper eliminated 31 jobs, mostly in its circulation, classified phone rooms, production, purchasing, telephone operations and marketing departments. Several rounds of layoffs have followed. On March 23, 2009, the paper converted to a
compact Compact as used in politics may refer broadly to a pact or treaty; in more specific cases it may refer to: * Interstate compact * Blood compact, an ancient ritual of the Philippines * Compact government, a type of colonial rule utilized in British ...
style every day from the previous
broadsheet A broadsheet is the largest newspaper format and is characterized by long Vertical and horizontal, vertical pages, typically of . Other common newspaper formats include the smaller Berliner (format), Berliner and Tabloid (newspaper format), ta ...
Sunday through Friday and
tabloid Tabloid may refer to: * Tabloid journalism, a type of journalism * Tabloid (newspaper format), a newspaper with compact page size ** Chinese tabloid * Tabloid (paper size), a North American paper size * Sopwith Tabloid, a biplane aircraft * ''Ta ...
on Saturday. On May 4, 2012, the ''Post-Dispatch'' named a new editor, Gilbert Bailon. In 2015, the paper was awarded the Pulitzer Prize for breaking news photography for its coverage of protests in Ferguson, Missouri.


Circulation and cost

Circulation dropped for the daily paper from 213,472 to 191,631 and then 178,801 for the two years after 2010, ending on September 30, 2011, and September 30, 2012, respectively. The Sunday paper also decreased from 401,427 to 332,825 and then to 299,227.As of September 30, 2012 The circulation as of September 30, 2016, was 98,104 daily and 157,543 on Sunday. According to a 2017 press release from Lee Enterprises, the paper reaches more than 792,600 readers each week and stltoday.com has roughly 67 million page views a month. The paper sells for $2 daily or $4 on Sundays and Thanksgiving Day. The price may be higher outside adjacent counties and states.
Sales tax A sales tax is a tax paid to a governing body for the sales of certain goods and services. Usually laws allow the seller to collect funds for the tax from the consumer at the point of purchase. When a tax on goods or services is paid to a govern ...
is included at newsracks.


Weatherbird

On February 11, 1901, the paper introduced a front-page feature called the "Weatherbird", a cartoon bird accompanying the daily weather forecast. "Weatherbird" is the oldest continuously published cartoon in the United States. Created by
Harry B. Martin Harry B. "Dickie" Martin (26 May 1873– 15 April 1959 ) was an American cartoonist and golf writer, one of the founding members of the Professional Golfers' Association of America (PGA). Early life and cartooning Martin was born on May 26, 1 ...
, who drew it through 1903, it has since been drawn by Oscar Chopin (1903–1910);
S. Carlisle Martin Samuel Carlisle Martin (1867–1932) was an American newspaper cartoonist and illustrator. Martin was born in St. Louis on November 13, 1867, to John and Hattie Martin; John Martin was railroad agent. Martin had a twin brother (who also became a ...
(1910–1932); Amadee Wohlschlaeger (1932–1981); Albert Schweitzer, the first one to draw the Weatherbird in color (1981–1986); and Dan Martin (1986–present).


Notable people

*
Jerry Berger Gerald Allen "Jerry" Berger (June 30, 1933 – January 5, 2021) was an American press agent and journalist. He was known in the St. Louis, Missouri area for his columns in the ''St. Louis Globe-Democrat'' and the ''St. Louis Post-Dispatch''. Biog ...
, society columnist, 1980–2004 *
Bob Broeg Robert William Patrick Broeg (March 18, 1918 – October 28, 2005) was an American sportswriter. Born and raised in St. Louis, Missouri, he officially covered the St. Louis Cardinals for forty years. He graduated from Cleveland High School ( ...
, Hall of Fame baseball writer, 1946–2004 * Jacob Burck, political cartoonist, 1937–1938 * Cole Charles Campbell, editor, 1996–2000 *
Richard Dudman Richard Beebe Dudman (May 3, 1918 – August 3, 2017) was an American journalist who spent 31 years with the ''St. Louis Post-Dispatch'' during which time he covered Fidel Castro's insurgency in Cuba, the assassination of President John F. Ken ...
, national affairs correspondent and Washington bureau chief, 1950–1981 *
Daniel R. Fitzpatrick Daniel Robert Fitzpatrick (March 5, 1891 – May 18, 1969) was a two-time Pulitzer Prize winner and an editorial cartoonist for the '' St. Louis Dispatch'' from 1913 to 1958. Biography Fitzpatrick was born in Superior, Wisconsin. He studied at ...
*
Derrick Goold Derrick S. Goold (born July 21, 1975) is an American author and sportswriter best known for his work for the ''St. Louis Post-Dispatch''. Goold has been honored for feature writing and investigative reporting for his work covering baseball, hockey ...
, author and sportswriter *
Rick Hummel Richard Lowell Hummel (born February 25, 1946) is an American author and sports columnist best known for his work for the ''St. Louis Post-Dispatch''. Hummel was inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, New York in 2007 ...
, Hall of Fame baseball writer, 1971–present *
Clair Kenamore Rufus Clair Kenamore ( – November 3, 1935) was an American journalist who was a foreign correspondent and editor on the ''St. Louis Post-Dispatch'' newspaper in the early 20th century. Personal Rufus Clair Kenamore was born in 1875 or 187 ...
, foreign correspondent, telegraph editor, feature writer and Sunday magazine editor, early 20th century * Joe Mahr, Pulitzer Prize–winning investigative journalist, 2006–2009 *
Rose Marion Rose Marion Boylan, (ca. 1875–1947) known professionally as Rose Marion, was a newspaper reporter for more than forty-six years in the St. Louis, Missouri, area. Early life and education Born around 1875 in Pittsburg Hill, Illinois, she was th ...
(ca. 1875-1947), feature writer *
Harry B. Martin Harry B. "Dickie" Martin (26 May 1873– 15 April 1959 ) was an American cartoonist and golf writer, one of the founding members of the Professional Golfers' Association of America (PGA). Early life and cartooning Martin was born on May 26, 1 ...
, cartoonist and golf writer *
S. Carlisle Martin Samuel Carlisle Martin (1867–1932) was an American newspaper cartoonist and illustrator. Martin was born in St. Louis on November 13, 1867, to John and Hattie Martin; John Martin was railroad agent. Martin had a twin brother (who also became a ...
, cartoonist and illustrator * Marguerite Martyn, reporter and artist (born ca. 1880, died 1948)"Marguerite Martyn Dies; Artist, Writer," ''St. Louis Post-Dispatch,'' April 17, 1948, page 5A
*
Bill Mauldin William Henry Mauldin (; October 29, 1921 – January 22, 2003) was an American editorial cartoonist who won two Pulitzer Prizes for his work. He was most famous for his World War II cartoons depicting American soldiers, as represented by the ...
, cartoonist *
Bernie Miklasz Bernie Miklasz (born Bernard Joseph Miklasz February 15, 1959) is an American sportswriter and sports radio personality. He currently hosts the weekday afternoon show on 590 The Fan. He was the lead sports columnist at the St. Louis Post Dispatch ...
, sports columnist, 1985–2015 *
Robert Minor Robert Berkeley "Bob" Minor (15 July 1884 – 26 January 1952), alternatively known as "Fighting Bob," was a political cartoonist, a radical journalist, and, beginning in 1920, a leading member of the American Communist Party. Background Robe ...
, political cartoonist, 1907–1911 * Joseph Pulitzer, publisher * Charlie Ross, chief Washington correspondent and editor, 1918–1945 *
Neal Russo Aniello "Neal" Russo (June 12, 1920 – March 6, 1996) was an American sportswriter. Russo was one of 14 children born to Italian immigrants and grocers Thomasina and Pietro Russo in Farrell, Pennsylvania. He graduated from Farrell High School in ...
, baseball writer and copy editor, 1947–1990 *
Elaine Viets Elaine Viets is a Midwestern American newspaperwoman and mystery writer. Life and career A native of St. Louis, Missouri, Viets has a degree in journalism and became a longtime popular media figure in St. Louis. She was a regular columnist for ...
, columnist, 1975–2000 *
Rosa Kershaw Walker Rosa Kershaw Walker (, Kershaw; after first marriage, Turnbull; after second marriage, Walker; literary initials, R. K. Walker; 1840s – May 7, 1909) was an American author, journalist, and newspaper editor of the long nineteenth century. She was ...
society column, 1870s * Joe Williams, film critic, 1996–2015 * Amadee Wohlschlaeger, sports cartoonist *
William Woo William Franklin Woo (吳惠連, pinyin: Wú Huìlián, b. October 4, 1936 - d. April 12, 2006) was the first Chinese American to become editor of a major U.S. daily newspaper. Woo was born in Shanghai to Kyatang Woo and American Elizabeth Hart ...
, journalist and editor-in-chief, 1962–1996


See also

*''
St. Louis Globe-Democrat The ''St. Louis Globe-Democrat'' was originally a daily print newspaper based in St. Louis, Missouri, from 1852 until 1986. When the trademark registration on the name expired, it was then used as an unrelated free historically themed paper. Orig ...
'', a major competing St. Louis daily newspaper, located one block away on the same street, closed in 1986 * ''
St. Louis Sun The ''St. Louis Sun'' was a short-lived daily newspaper based in St. Louis, published by Ingersoll Publications. The ''Sun'' began publishing on September 25, 1989, but was never as competitive as the well-established ''St. Louis Post-Dispatch''. S ...
'', a short-lived competing daily newspaper started in 1989 * 100 Neediest Cases, an annual charitable giving campaign sponsored in part by the ''Post-Dispatch'' * '' Riverfront Times'', the St. Louis weekly newspaper * ''The Sporting News'', a sports magazine that was started in St. Louis


References


Further reading

*
Jim McWilliams Jim McWilliams (born February 10, 1937) is an American artist and graphic designer who was active as an avant-garde performer and composer during the 1960s and 1970s. Artist's books, design, and teaching McWilliams has been active as a graphic de ...
, ''Mark Twain in the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, 1874–1891'' (Troy, New York: Whitston Publishing Company, 1997). * Merrill, John C. and Harold A. Fisher. ''The world's great dailies: profiles of fifty newspapers'' (1980) pp 286–93 * Daniel W. Pfaff, ''Joseph Pulitzer II and the Post-Dispatch: A Newspaperman's Life'' (University Park: Pennsylvania State University Press, 1991). *
Julian S. Rammelkamp Julian may refer to: People * Julian (emperor) (331–363), Roman emperor from 361 to 363 * Julian (Rome), referring to the Roman gens Julia, with imperial dynasty offshoots * Saint Julian (disambiguation), several Christian saints * Julian (give ...
, ''Pulitzer's Post-Dispatch, 1878–1883'' (Princeton, New Jersey: Princeton University Press, 1967). * Charles G. Ross and Carlos F. Hurd, ''The Story of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch'' (St. Louis: Pulitzer Publishing, 1944). *''The St. Louis Post-Dispatch as Appraised by Ten Distinguished Americans'' (St. Louis, 1926). * Orrick Johns, ''Time of Our Lives: The Story of My Father and Myself'', (New York, 1937).
George Sibley Johns George Sibley Johns (1857–1941) was an American journalist, most notable as editor of the ''St. Louis Post-Dispatch''. Biography Johns was born in St. Charles, Missouri, to John Jay Johns and Jane Amanda Durfee. He was named after George Cham ...
, father of the author, was editor of the ''Post-Dispatch'' for many years, and was the last of Joseph Pulitzer's "Fighting Editors". * Dan Martin, ''The story of the First 100 Years of the ''St. Louis Post Dispatch ''Weatherbird'' (St. Louis, 2001).


External links

*
''St. Louis Post-Dispatch'' Archive (1874–present)

''St. Louis Post-Dispatch'' photographs
at the
University of Maryland Libraries The University of Maryland Libraries is the largest university library in the Washington, D.C. - Baltimore area. The university's library system includes eight libraries: six are located on the College Park campus, while the Severn Library, an of ...


Finding aids at the St. Louis Public Library

* * * {{PulitzerPrize PublicService 1951–1975
St. Louis Post-Dispatch The ''St. Louis Post-Dispatch'' is a major regional newspaper based in St. Louis, Missouri, serving the St. Louis metropolitan area. It is the largest daily newspaper in the metropolitan area by circulation, surpassing the ''Belleville News-Dem ...
Saint Louis Post-Dispatch Saint Louis Post-Dispatch Saint Louis Post-Dispatch 1878 establishments in Missouri Companies based in St. Louis Pulitzer Prize for Public Service winners Pulitzer family (newspapers)