The Philadelphia Inquirer
The Philadelphia Inquirer, often referred to simply as The Inquirer, is a daily newspaper headquartered in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Founded on June 1, 1829, The Philadelphia Inquirer is the third-longest continuously operating daily newspaper in the nation.[2]
Type
- John R. Walker
- John Norvell
Elizabeth H. Hughes
Gabriel Escobar
- Charlotte Sutton
- Patrick Kerkstra
- Richard G. Jones
- Michael Huang
- Kate Dailey
- Danese Kenon
- Brian Leighton
- James Neff
- Ross Maghielse
- Molly Eichel
- Ariella Cohen
June 1, 1829 (as The Pennsylvania Inquirer)
100 S. Independence Mall West Suite 600
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S.
United States
The newspaper has the largest circulation of any newspaper in both Pennsylvania and the Delaware Valley metropolitan region, which includes Philadelphia and its surrounding communities in southeastern Pennsylvania, South Jersey, northern Delaware, and the northern Eastern Shore of Maryland. As of 2020, the newspaper has the 17th-largest circulation of any newspaper in the United States[3] As of 2020, The Inquirer has won 20 Pulitzer Prizes.[4]
Several decades after its 1829 founding, The Inquirer began emerging as one of the nation's major newspapers during the American Civil War. Its circulation dropped after the Civil War's conclusion, but it rose again by the end of the 19th century. Originally supportive of the Democratic Party, The Inquirer's political orientation eventually shifted toward the Whig Party and then the Republican Party before stating, in the mid-20th century, that it was politically independent.
By the end of the 1960s, The Inquirer trailed its chief competitor, The Philadelphia Evening Bulletin in circulation, and was lacking modern facilities and experienced staff. In the 1970s, however, following its acquisition by Knight Ridder and the hiring of new editors, it once again emerged as one of the nation's most prominent and influential newspapers.
The Philadelphia Inquirer is owned by The Philadelphia Inquirer, LLC, which also publishes Philadelphia Daily News, the city's daily tabloid, and the news portal philly.com. As of 2023, the newspaper's publisher and chief executive officer is Elizabeth H. Hughes, and its editor is Gabriel Escobar.[5]
The members of board of directors as of February 2021:[67]
Production[edit]
The Philadelphia Inquirer is headquartered at 100 S. Independence Mall west in the Market East section of Center City Philadelphia, where its tabloid sister publication, the Philadelphia Daily News is also headquartered.[42]
In September 1994, The Inquirer and WPHL-TV began co-producing a 10 p.m. newscast, Inquirer News Tonight, which lasted a year before WPHL-TV took complete control over the program and renamed it WB17 News at Ten.[75]
Since 1995, The Inquirer has been available on the Internet, most recently at Inquirer.com, which, along with the Philadelphia Daily News, is part of The Philadelphia Inquirer LLC. [26]: 17, 21 [5]
In 2004, The Inquirer formed a partnership with Philadelphia's NBC station, WCAU, giving the paper access to WCAU's weather forecasts while also contributing to news segments throughout the day.[76][77]
In 2020, The Inquirer closed its Schuylkill Printing Plant in Upper Merion Township, laying off about 500 employees. As of 2021, printing of The Inquirer and the Philadelphia Daily News has been outsourced to a printing plant in Cherry Hill, New Jersey, which is owned by Gannett.[78]
As of January 2024, The Inquirer's publisher is Elizabeth H. Hughes,[79] and its editor and senior vice president is Gabriel Escobar.[80] Managing editors are Charlotte Sutton, Patrick Kerkstra, Richard G. Jones, Michael Huang, Kate Dailey and Danese Kenon. Deputy managing editors are Brian Leighton, James Neff, Ross Maghielse, Molly Eichel and Ariella Cohen.[81]
The Inquirer provides coverage of Philadelphia and its surrounding suburban communities in northern Delaware, South Jersey, and southeastern Pennsylvania.