The Plain Dealer

• 1. Founding And Early History

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  In January 1842, two brothers named Joseph William Gray and Admiral Nelson Gray took over a struggling publication called The Cleveland Advertiser. They changed its name to The Plain Dealer that same month. The original paper had been running since 1831 under the old title. The Gray brothers wrote an explanation for their new choice of name in 1842. They stated that democracy and modesty suggested the only fitting option was PLAIN DEALER. This phrase meant someone who interacts or does business straightforwardly and honestly. Their decision may have been inspired by a weekly paper from New York City published by William Leggett between 1836 and 1839. Winston Churchill later reportedly said about this Cleveland paper that it had the best newspaper name in the world. The masthead included the word Cleveland for much of its history before dropping it sometime between 1965 and 1970.

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• 2. Ownership And Corporate Evolution

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  Joseph William Gray owned and edited the newspaper until his death in 1862. Real estate investor Liberty Emery Holden purchased the paper in 1885 after a series of editors controlled it. When Holden died in 1913, ownership went into trust for his heirs. United Broadcasting Company bought radio stations WHK and WJAY in 1934 and 1936 respectively. These stations were part of Forest City Publishing Company which also owned The Plain Dealer. On the 1st of March 1967, the Holden trustees sold the paper to Samuel Irving Newhouse Sr.'s chain for $54.2 million. That price represented the highest amount ever paid for a U.S. newspaper at that time. Advance Publications Inc., now owned by Newhouse's heirs, continues to own the publication today. Thomas Vail became editor and publisher in 1963 as one of Holden's great-grandsons. The corporate structure remained stable under Forest City until the 1967 sale changed everything permanently.

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• 3. Circulation Decline And Restructuring

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  In August 2013, The Plain Dealer reduced home delivery from seven days to four days each week. Subscribers received Wednesday, Friday, Saturday, and Sunday editions while daily content moved online through cleveland.com. By May 2019, daily circulation had fallen to 94,838 readers compared to 171,404 on Sundays. In 2007, daily circulation stood at 334,194 before dropping precipitously over the next decade. Between 2007 and 2019, the paper lost 79% of its daily circulation and 62% of its Sunday circulation. On the 18th of December 2005, the newspaper ceased publishing its weekly Sunday Magazine which had existed since 1919. Rising expenses and a poor economy contributed to that decision. Editor Doug Clifton stated stories would be integrated into other areas instead. June 2008 brought announcements cutting four sections and an average of 32 pages per week. As of 2023, Sunday print circulation had declined further to just 37,000 copies.

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• 4. Labor Relations And Staff Elimination

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  In the early 2000s, The Plain Dealer employed almost 350 reporters and editors. By 2020 that number reached zero after a series of cuts spanning two decades. Between October and November 2006, about 64 employees accepted buyout offers reducing staff from 372 to 308. December 2008 saw another reduction eliminating 50 persons including 27 who took buyouts and 23 who were fired. In 2009, employees agreed to accept a 12% pay cut in exchange for a no-layoff agreement lasting two years. On the 31st of July 2013, nearly one third of the newsroom staff was eliminated through layoffs and voluntary resignations. Within 24 hours after those layoffs, NEOMG hired away thirteen employees who remained. This left only 97 people working in the newsroom. On the 3rd of March 2020, twenty-two more journalists faced layoffs delayed by the COVID-19 pandemic. Ten reporters asked to be laid off instead of covering Ohio counties outside Cleveland. They were dismissed on the 10th of April 2020 leaving four union journalists behind. On the 12th of May 2020, the final four union journalists were laid off and offered positions in the non-union cleveland.com newsroom.

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• 5. Awards And Editorial Recognition

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  In 2005, Connie Schultz won the Pulitzer Prize for Commentary while representing The Plain Dealer. Edward D. Kuekes received the 1953 Pulitzer Prize for Editorial Cartooning with his work titled Aftermath. Doug Clifton earned Editor & Publisher Editor of the Year Award in 2003. The newspaper has been recognized twelve times by the Ohio News Photographer's Association between 2001 and 2011 plus again in 2013. It won nine Ohio Associated Press General Excellence Awards spanning from 1994 through 2012. Susan Goldberg served as editor-in-chief from 2007 until 2010 before Debra Adams Simmons took over until 2014. George Rodrigue led the paper from 2015 until 2020 when Tim Warsinskey briefly held the role until the 1st of June 2020. Thomas Vail edited and published from 1963 to 1992 establishing a long tenure that shaped decades of coverage. Wright Bryan served as editor from 1954 to 1963 following Paul Bellamy who held the position from 1933 to 1954.

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• 6. Controversies And Ethical Debates

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  In July 2010, The Plain Dealer launched PolitiFact Ohio analyzing political issues relevant to Ohio and Cleveland. Four years later the relationship ended with all content moving to cleveland.com instead. In October 2014, NEOMG hosted a gubernatorial debate where incumbent Governor John Kasich ignored questions from Democrat Ed FitzGerald. A video camera positioned eight feet in front of candidates recorded the event but was removed days later despite legal threats sent to other sites posting copies. Editor Doug Clifton defended publishing lists of concealed weapon permit holders twice in 2005 sparking feuds with pro-carry groups. State Senator Steve Austria called it abuse of media access privilege threatening safety of permit holders. An Ohio gun rights group then published Clifton's home address and phone number publicly. In summer 2005, the newspaper withheld two stories of profound importance after Judith Miller and Matthew Cooper faced court orders revealing confidential sources regarding Valerie Plame. Clifton admitted people could call him chickenshit while stating jail was too high a price to pay for protecting sources.

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