At 620 Eighth Avenue stands one of the most important and characteristic institutions of New York, the headquarters of the New York Times newspaper. The newspaper is synonymous with the city's progressive, liberal and open-minded spirit. It is also one of the most authoritative news sources in the world, with an overall readership of 50.5 million people. Its print version, about 1.4 million copies, has the largest metropolitan circulation and the third largest national circulation in America, after USA Today and the Wall Street Journal. Its print and digital forms combined make it the second most read national newspaper, after the Wall Street Journal. Its circulation puts it between 35th and 40th place internationally, depending on the year. The news staff alone consists of almost 1,200 people.
The newspaper was founded as the New York Daily Times in 1851 by politician - from what was then the conservative Whig Party - Henry Jarvis Raymond and banker George Jones. Their holding company was - and still is - called the New York Times Company. The newspaper's mission was printed in its inaugural edition: We shall be conservative in all cases where we think conservatism essential to the public good; and we shall be radical in everything which may seem to us to require radical treatment and radical reform. We do not believe that everything in society is either exactly right or exactly wrong; what is good we desire to preserve and improve; what is evil, to exterminate, or reform. This edition was sold for only a penny, an amount that would be equal to roughly 30 cents today. The newspaper's first headquarters was located on Nassau Street in Manhattan's financial district and it was published only Monday through Saturday.
Several years later it had already changed its name to the New York Times and was coming out seven days a week, trying hard to compete with the city's two leading newspapers: the New York Herald and the New York Tribune. It had also moved into a prestigious building constructed especially and solely for the newspaper close to the Civic Center near New York City Hall. This building was assailed by protesters during the Draft Riots in 1863 and Henry Raymond fired one of the guns himself to scare off the rioters.
In the 1870s the New York Times gained notoriety after publishing material exposing the corrupt machinations of local political boss, William Magear Tweed, who later died in jail. By the end of the century the newspaper had declared itself politically independent and at times even supported more liberal presidential candidates, thinking that their policies were better for the overall good of the nation. Although in the short-term these moves cost the newspaper parts of the conservative, upper-class readership, in the long run it gained a broader appeal.
In 1896 the New York Times was purchased by Jewish publisher by the name of Adolph Ochs, who created the slogan, "All the news that's fit to print," a motto that can still be seen on the front of the newspaper today. Ochs expanded the company, bringing in prominent reporters and acquiring the latest technology. In 1904 the newspaper received the first on-the-spot wireless telegraph transmission - it came from the Battle of Port Arthur, in which the Japanese fleet defeated the Russian fleet. That same year the New York Times moved into its most historic building at 1475 Broadway and 43rd Street, right in front of Longacre Square. Several years later the square became known as Times Squares, in honor of its most famous resident. It is from the roof of that building, known today as One Times Square, that on every New Year's Eve a lighted ball is lowered down to the square.
In 1910 the newspaper made its first national air delivery, to Philadelphia, and in 1919 it made its first transatlantic delivery, to London. After World War II, in 1946, the newspaper created an international edition. The International New York Times changed its name to the International Herald Tribune when in 1967 its mother company embarked on a joint project with the Washington Post and the New York Herald Tribune. But in 2013 the international edition changed back to its original name.
In 1935 Adolph Ochs died and the newspaper's ownership passed to his son-in-law Arthur Hays Sulzberger, who had also come from a Jewish American family. The Sulzberger family has been at the helm ever since. Today the New York Times' Chairman and Publisher is Arthur Ochs Sulzberger, Jr. Many observers have noted that even though the newspaper has always been independent and objective, there is one geopolitical situation in which it has proven less objective: the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. In most cases the newspaper has manifested a pro-Israel stance.
In 1964 the New York Times was taken to court by the Alabama State Police for what it claimed was defamation of its activities during the civil rights demonstration. The case went all the way to the Supreme Court, which in the end found the newspaper innocent. In 1971 the newspapers published excerpts of the leaked Pentagon Papers, which proved that President Nixon, as well as his predecessors, were lying to the public about America's role in the Vietnam War. Nixon tried to stop the publishing of the material by contesting that the newspaper had been putting national security interests in peril. The case again went to the US Supreme Court, which in the end ruled that the newspaper was not giving away secrets to the enemy, but was just reporting on misinformation that the government was presenting to the people, as well as to Congress. These two cases were major victories for freedom of the press and the New York Times gained the reputation as America's leading champion of the First Amendment.
The newspaper presents itself in three sections: news, opinion and features. The news section includes International, National, Washington, Business, Technology, Science, Health, Sports, the Metro Section, Education, Weather and Obituaries. The opinion pages contain editorials, op-eds and letters to the editor. The feature section includes arts, movies, theater, travel, New York City guide, Dining and Wine, Home and Garden, Fashion and Style, Crossword, the New York Times Book Review, the New York Times Style Magazine, the New York Times Magazine and the Sunday Review. There is not a category in human interest that the newspaper does not cover. Published in broadsheet format, it appeals to readers from all walks of life, be they experts or not.
The 320-meter-high, 53-story New York Times Building on Eighth Avenue was designed by Italian architect Renzo Piano. It was constructed between 2003 and 2007 at a cost of $850 million and today is the fifth highest building in the city. It has a steel frame, a cruciform plan and a glass curtain wall, which becomes more transparent as the building rises. It is also known for its environmentally sustainable features such as automatic shading, dimmable lighting and under-floor air distribution systems. The New York Times occupies most of the building's 143,000-square-meter floor area, while a couple of floors are reserved for a few smaller publications. The New York Times Company is also, as would be expected, the major owner - with a 58-percent stake. The other 42 percent belong to the Forest City Ratner Real Estate Developer.