The Des Moines Register

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The Des Moines Register
Des Moines Register front page.jpg
TypeDaily newspaper
FormatBroadsheet
Owner(s)Gannett Company
PublisherDavid Chivers
EditorCarol Hunter
Founded1849 (as The Iowa Star)
Headquarters400 Locust Street, Suite 500
Des Moines, Iowa 50309
 United States
Circulation59,365 Daily
105,371 Sunday (2017)[1]
Websitewww.desmoinesregister.com

The Des Moines Register is the daily morning newspaper of Des Moines, Iowa. A separate edition of the Register is sold throughout much of Iowa.

History[edit]

Early period[edit]

The first newspaper in Des Moines was the Iowa Star. In July 1849, Barlow Granger began the paper in an abandoned log cabin by the junction of the Des Moines and Raccoon River.[2]

In 1854, The Star became the Iowa Statesman which was also a Democratic paper. In 1857, The Statesman became the Iowa State Journal, which published 3 times per week.[2]

In 1870, The Iowa Statesman became the Iowa State Leader as a Democratic newspaper, which competed with pro-Republican Iowa Daily State Register for the next 32 years.[2]

In 1902, George Roberts bought the Register and Leader and merged them into a morning newspaper. In 1903, Des Moines banker Gardner Cowles, Sr. purchased the Register and Leader. The name finally became The Des Moines Register in 1915.[2] (Cowles also acquired the Des Moines Tribune in 1908. The Tribune, which merged with the rival Des Moines News in 1924 and the Des Moines Capital in 1927, served as the evening paper for the Des Moines area until it ended publication on September 25, 1982.)

Under the ownership of the Cowles family, the Register became Iowa's largest and most influential newspaper, eventually adopting the slogan "The Newspaper Iowa Depends Upon." Newspapers were distributed to all four corners of the state by train and later by truck as Iowa's highway system was improving.

Nationwide development[edit]

In 1906, the newspaper's first front-page editorial cartoon, illustrated by Jay Norwood Darling, was published;[2] the tradition of front-page editorial cartoons continued until December 4, 2008 when 25-year veteran cartoonist Brian Duffy was let go in a round of staff cuts.[citation needed]

The Register employed reporters in cities and towns throughout Iowa, and it covered national and international news stories from an Iowa perspective, even setting up its own news bureau in Washington, D.C. in 1933. During the 1960s, circulation of the Register peaked at nearly 250,000 for the daily edition and 500,000 for the Sunday edition–more than the population of Des Moines at the time. In 1935, the Register & Tribune Company founded radio station KRNT-AM, named after the newspapers' nickname, "the R 'n T." In 1955, the company, renamed Cowles Communications some years earlier, founded Des Moines' third television station, KRNT-TV, which was renamed KCCI after the radio station was sold in 1974. Cowles eventually acquired other newspapers, radio stations and television stations, but almost all of them were sold to other companies by 1985.[citation needed]

In 1943, the Register became the first newspaper to sponsor a statewide opinion poll when it introduced the Iowa Poll, modeled after Iowan George Gallup's national Gallup poll. Sports coverage was increased under sports editor Garner "Sec" Taylor – for whom Sec Taylor Field at Principal Park is named – in the 1920s. For many years the Register printed its sports sections on peach-colored paper, but that tradition ended for the daily paper in 1981 and for the Sunday Register's "Big Peach" in 1999. Another Register tradition – the sponsorship of RAGBRAI – began in 1973 when writer John Karras challenged columnist Donald Kaul to do a border-to-border bicycle ride across Iowa. The liberal-leaning editorial page has brought Donald Kaul back for Sunday opinion columns. Other local columns have faded and given way to Gannett-distributed material.[citation needed]

In 1985, faced with declining circulation and revenues, the Cowles family sold off its various properties to different owners, with the Register going to Gannett.[2] At the time of sale, only The New York Times had won more Pulitzer Prizes for national reporting.[citation needed]

In 1990, the Register began to reduce its coverage of news outside of the Des Moines area by closing most of its Iowa news bureaus and ending carrier distribution to outlying counties, although an "Iowa Edition" of the Register is still distributed throughout most of the state. Many of the Register's news stories and editorials focus on Des Moines and its suburbs.[citation needed]

The Register opened a new printing and distribution facility on the south side of Des Moines in 2000. The news & advertising offices remained in downtown Des Moines. After 95 years in the Des Moines Register Building at 715 Locust Street, the Register announced in 2012 that they would move to a new location in 2013, settling for Capital Square three blocks to the east.[3] On June 15, 2013, the Register moved to its new location from 715 Locust Street to 400 Locust Street.[2] In 2014, the old building has been sold for $1.6 million and will be redeveloped into a combination of apartments and retail space.[4]

2013–present[edit]

Des Moines Register in 2016

In 2018, China increased the supplement in the Des Moines Register, that criticized the pushback to the trade war. President Trump attacked China as the interfering in American elections.[5] In early October, vice president Pence also quoted the same example by this newspaper in Iowa.[6]

Editorial philosophy[edit]

In the three decades before the Cowles family acquired the Register in 1903, the Register was a "voice of pragmatic conservatism."[7] However, Gardner Cowles Sr., who served as a Republican in the Iowa General Assembly and was a delegate to the 1916 Republican National Convention,[8] was an advocate of progressive Republicanism.[7] The new owners presented a variety of viewpoints, including Darling cartoons that frequently made fun of progressive politicians.[9]

During the Cowles family's ownership, the Register's editorial page philosophy was generally more liberal in its outlook than editorial pages of other Iowa newspapers, but there were notable exceptions. Gardner Cowles Sr. served in the administration of President Herbert Hoover.[8] The publishers strongly supported Republican Wendell Willkie's 1940 presidential campaign against Democrat Franklin D. Roosevelt.[10] The newspaper also supported Republican Dwight Eisenhower's campaigns for the Republican nomination and general election in 1952, and again in 1956.[10] Although the Register endorsed presidential candidates Lyndon B. Johnson in 1964,[11] Hubert Humphrey in 1968,[12] and Jimmy Carter in 1976,[13] it endorsed Richard Nixon in 1960[11] and 1972.[14]

The paper was a severe critic of George W. Bush's warrantless wiretapping strategy, claiming that in doing so, "President Bush has declared war on the American people."

In December 2007, two weeks before the 2008 Iowa caucuses, the Register endorsed Hillary Clinton (in the Democratic caucuses) and John McCain (in the Republican caucuses).[15] In October 2008, the Register endorsed Barack Obama for president in the general election.[16]

In 2011, 24 days before the 2012 Iowa caucuses, the newspaper endorsed former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney in the 2012 Republican Iowa Caucuses. The Register endorsed Romney over Obama 10 days before the general election on October 27, 2012—the first time it had supported a Republican for president since 1972.[17]

On July 24, 2015, the newspaper announced that it had been denied press credentials to cover a Donald Trump presidential campaign family picnic in Oskaloosa, Iowa, due to an editorial the previous week which called on Trump to drop out of the race.[18][19]

On January 23, 2016, the Register endorsed Republican Senator Marco Rubio for the GOP nomination, and Hillary Clinton as the Democratic candidate.

On October 13, 2018, the Register endorsed all Democratic candidates standing for the House of Representatives in the 2018 midterm elections saying that Republicans have "failed to govern."[20]

Register and Tribune Syndicate[edit]

Main article: Register and Tribune Syndicate

In 1922, Gardner Cowles' son John launched the Register and Tribune Syndicate. At its peak, the syndicate offered other newspapers some 60 to 75 features, including editorial cartoonist Herblock and commentaries by David Horowitz, Stanley Karnow, and others. The cartoons and comic strips included Spider-Man. Will Eisner's The Spirit was part of a 16-page Sunday supplement known colloquially as "The Spirit Section". This was a tabloid-sized newsprint comic book sold as part of eventually 20 Sunday newspapers with a combined circulation of as many as five million copies. The most successful comics feature was The Family Circus, eventually distributed to more than 1,000 newspapers. In 1986, the Register and Tribune Syndicate was sold to Hearst and the King Features Syndicate for $4.3 million.[21]

Columnists and notable journalists[edit]

Current Register columnists include Rekha Basu, Kathie Obradovich, Daniel P. Finney, and Kyle Munson. Former columnist Rob Borsellino, who authored the book So I'm Talkin' to This Guy... (ISBN 1-888223-66-9), died of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis on May 27, 2006.

Steve Deace started his career as a sports reporter at the Register.[22]

Awards[edit]

The Register has won 16 Pulitzer Prizes:[23]

Register photographer Robert Modersohn was one of four finalists for the 1976 Pulitzer Prize for Feature Photography for a selection of photographs the jury described as unusual.

Register writer Clark Kauffman was one of three finalists for the 2005 Pulitzer Prize for Investigative Reporting for his exposure of glaring injustice in the handling of traffic tickets by public officials in Iowa.

Editorial writer Andie Dominick was a finalist for the 2014 Pulitzer Prize for Editorial Writing for her series of editorials on Iowa's job licensing laws.[24]

Iowa Sports Hall of Fame[edit]

The Register sponsors the Iowa Sports Hall of Fame.

References[edit]

  1. ^ "Kirk Blunck's family sues, says architect was murdered. Is Teachout sale near? Register circulation plummets". November 1, 2017.
  2. ^ a b c d e f g "Timeline: History of the Des Moines Register". Des Moines Register. 2015-09-10. Archived from the original on 2018-10-27.
  3. ^ Eller, Donnelle (September 17, 2012). "Des Moines Register signs lease for new space in Capital Square". Des Moines Register. Archived from the original on 16 Jun 2013..
  4. ^ Aschbrenner, Joel (November 27, 2014). "Des Moines Register building sold". Des Moines Register. Archived from the original on 2015-05-20.
  5. ^ "China Rejects Trump's Charges of Meddling in U.S. Elections". New York Times. 2018-09-28. Retrieved 2018-10-28.
  6. ^ "Pence accuses China of trying to undermine Trump". Politico. 2018-10-04.
  7. ^ a b William B. Friedricks, "Covering Iowa: The History of the Des Moines Register and Tribune Company, 1849-1985," pp. 40-44 (Blackwell Pub. 2000), ISBN 0-8138-2620-9.
  8. ^ a b Herbert Strentz, "Gardner Cowles, Sr.," at Cowles Family Publishing Legacy, Drake University (accessed 2009-03-08).
  9. ^ Editorial Cartoons of J.N. 'Ding' Darling (Iowa Digital Library: University of Iowa Libraries) - Cartoons referencing or depicting progressivism or progressives (accessed 2009-03-09).
  10. ^ a b Herbert Strentz, "Gardner (Mike) Cowles, Jr.," at Cowles Family Publishing Legacy, Drake University (accessed 2009-03-08).
  11. ^ a b "How Iowa Dailies See Candidates", Des Moines Register, October 25, 1964 at 6-F.
  12. ^ Editorial, "Difficult Choice for President", Des Moines Register, October 27, 1968 at 12-T.
  13. ^ Editorial, "The Presidential Ticket", Des Moines Register, October 24, 1976, at B1.
  14. ^ Editorial, "The Choice for President", Des Moines Register, 1972-10-29 at 10-C.
  15. ^ "'Des Moines Register' backs McCain, Clinton," USA Today, 2007-12-17 (accessed 2009-03-08).
  16. ^ Register editorial board endorses Obama for President, Des Moines Register, 2008-10-25 (accessed 2009-03-08).
  17. ^ "'Des Moines Register' Endorses Romney With Eye Toward Economy". npr.
  18. ^ Noble, Jason (July 24, 2015). "Trump barring Des Moines Register from campaign event". Des Moines Register. Retrieved 2015-09-27.
  19. ^ "Editorial: Trump should pull the plug on his bloviating side show". Des Moines Register. July 21, 2015. Retrieved 2015-09-27.
  20. ^ "The Register's endorsements for Congress: GOP has failed to govern; give Democrats a chance". Des Moines Register. Retrieved 16 October 2018.
  21. ^ Strentz, Herb. "John Cowles," Cowles Family Publishing Legacy: Drake University, Cowles Library. Accessed Jan. 3, 2018.
  22. ^ Calmes, Jackie (3 November 2015). "Steve Deace and the Power of Conservative Media". The New York Times Magazine. Retrieved 5 November 2018.
  23. ^ "Des Moines Register Pulitzer Prizes and awards". Des Moines Register. 2012-05-18. Archived from the original on 2013-01-22.
  24. ^ Register's Andie Dominick named Pulitzer finalist, The Des Moines Register

Further reading[edit]

  • Friedricks, William B. Covering Iowa: The History of the Des Moines Register and Tribune Company, 1849-1985 (1991)

External links[edit]

Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=The_Des_Moines_Register&oldid=879376078"