Detroit Free Press history

The newspaper went through a series of name changes, first dropping “Michigan Intelligencer” from the masthead to become the Democratic Free Press in 1832.

The first issues were 14 by 20 inches (360 mm × 510 mm) in size, with five columns of type. It was renamed to Detroit Daily Free Press in 1835, becoming the region's first daily newspaper.

Horace Greeley, who crusaded for women’s rights and against slavery, founded the independent New York Tribune (1841). Another independent, though less flamboyant, paper, The New York Times, appeared 10 years later.

After some waffling back and forth among other titles, Daily Free Press, Free Press and Democratic Free Press, a variety of owners, and a variety of weekly and daily editions, the Detroit Free Press became the permanent name in 1848.

The first daily newspaper in Michigan, the Free Press championed statehood for the then territory and was one of the first American newspapers to publish a Sunday edition, beginning in 1853.

Storey left for the Chicago Times in 1861, taking much of the staff with him.

Rudimentary newspapers appeared in many European countries in the 17th century, and broadsheets with social news were published in Japan in the Tokugawa period (1603–1867).

During his time as editor and owner, the Evening News (now Detroit News) started publication in 1873, beginning a circulation battle that exists today, and hand-set type was replaced by the linotype, revolutionizing the printing industry.

In 1881, the Free Press became the first American newspaper to be published in Europe when William E. Quinby introduced a London edition.

In 1896 Alfred Harmsworth (Lord Northcliffe) launched the London Daily Mail as a national paper.

The Free Press won its first Pulitzer Prize in 1932, and has won 10, more than all other Michigan newspapers combined.

In 1940, the Knight Newspapers (later Knight Ridder) purchased the Free Press.

The Village Voice in New York City began publishing in 1955.

During this time, and up until his death in 1959, Edgar A. Guest published his homey poems in the Free Press and was syndicated in 300 newspapers.

During the next 20 years, the Free Press competed in the southeastern Michigan market with The Detroit News and the Detroit Times, until the Times was purchased and closed by The Detroit News on November 7, 1960.

A morning "Blue Streak Edition" was available at news stands beginning around 1965, meaning the Free Press actually printed two editions per day.

The Free Press was delivered and sold as a night paper, with home deliveries made after 7:00pm until around 1966.

In 1989, the paper entered into a one hundred-year joint operating agreement with its rival, combining business operations while maintaining separate editorial staffs.

On July 13, 1995, Newspaper Guild-represented employees of the Free Press and News and the pressmen, printers and Teamsters working for the "Detroit Newspapers" distribution arm went on strike.

In 1998, the Free Press vacated its former headquarters in downtown Detroit and moved to offices into The Detroit News' building and began to operate from its new offices in that building on June 26 of that year.

On August 3, 2005, Knight Ridder sold the Free Press to the Gannett Company, which had previously owned and operated The Detroit News.

The Free Press resumed publication of its own Sunday edition, May 7, 2006, without any content from The News.

On December 16, 2008, Detroit Media Partnership (DMP) announced a plan to limit weekday home delivery for both dailies to Thursday and Friday only.

The Free Press entered a news partnership with CBS owned-and-operated station WWJ-TV channel 62 in March 2009 to produce a morning news show called First Forecast Mornings.

In February 2014, the DMP announced its offices along with those of the Free Press and The Detroit News would occupy six floors in both the old and new sections of the former Federal Reserve building at 160 West Fort Street.

In June 2015, Gannett split itself into two companies.

The Gannett board finalized the purchase agreement on November 19, 2019.