USA Today

• 1. Founding And Early Launch

  ›

  Al Neuharth convened a task force known as Project NN in Cocoa Beach, Florida on the 29th of February 1980. This meeting marked the conception of USA Today before its official launch. Gannett printed the first prototypes on the 11th of June 1981 and mailed them to newsmakers for feedback. The board approved the national newspaper on the 5th of December 1981. Neuharth took on the roles of president and publisher while remaining chief executive officer of Gannett. The paper officially began publishing on the 14th of September 1982 with a newsstand price of 25 cents. Initial distribution focused on the Baltimore and Washington, D.C. metropolitan areas. Sales reached an estimated 362,879 copies by the end of that same year. This figure was double what Gannett had projected for the initial rollout.

• 2. Design Innovation And Style

  ›

  The front news section pages were initially rendered in four-color while other pages used spot color formats. Staff graphics designers George Rorick, Sam Ward, Suzy Parker, John Sherlock and Web Brya developed the overall style under Neuharth's direction. Critics derided the approach as a McPaper or television you can wrap fish in. They argued it opted for concise nuggets of information rather than in-depth stories. On the 2nd of July 1984 the newspaper switched from predominantly black-and-white to full-color photography across all four sections. The sports section became a main selling point due to its complete set of results available early enough to include late games. By the fourth quarter of 1985 circulation hit 1.4 million copies daily. Total readership reached 5.5 million by 1987 according to Simmons Market Research Bureau statistics. The paper accumulated a total deficit of $233 million after taxes during its first four years of operation before turning a profit in May 1987.

• 3. Digital Transformation And Restructuring

  ›

  USA Today launched its website on the 17th of April 1995 to provide real-time news coverage. Gannett announced layoffs of 130 staffers on the 27th of August 2010 during a newsroom reorganization. The paper shifted focus away from print toward digital platforms including USAToday.com and mobile applications. A major redesign occurred on the 14th of September 2012 to commemorate the 30th anniversary of the first edition. Brand design firm Wolff Olins developed the new look which added technology stories and expanded travel coverage within the Life section. The globe logo used since inception was replaced with a circle featuring colors corresponding to each section. Fantasy Interactive created an in-house content management system called Presto for the website overhaul. More than one-third of USA Today readership browsed only using mobile phones near the end of 2012. Larry Kramer became president and publisher in May 2012 to develop a strategy for increasing revenue from digital operations. David Callaway joined as editor-in-chief in July 2012 after previously working at Bloomberg News and the Boston Herald.

• 4. Editorial Policies And Political Stance

  ›

  Beginning with the 1984 United States presidential election USA Today did not endorse candidates for President or any other office. This policy remained until the board broke it on the 29th of September 2016 when they published an op-ed piece condemning Donald Trump. The editorial board described him as unfit for presidency due to inflammatory campaign rhetoric and lack of financial transparency. They advised voters to resist his candidacy while suggesting tactical voting against Republican seats in swing states. In February 2018 the paper published an op-ed by Jerome Corsi who promoted false conspiracy theories about Barack Obama's citizenship. Critics noted that almost every sentence in a subsequent October 2018 editorial by President Trump contained misleading statements or falsehoods according to Washington Post fact-checkers. The newspaper endorsed Joe Biden in 2020 for the first time since its founding. Dace Potas published an article titled Trump is president again and Democrats can blame Biden's ego following the 2024 election. Boston University Library rated USA Today as moderate based on their editorial endorsements during the 2012 presidential election.

• 5. Expansion Of Related Media Services

  ›

  USA Weekend launched in 1953 as Family Weekly before Gannett purchased it in 1985. It distributed to approximately 800 newspapers nationwide at its peak focusing on social issues entertainment health food and travel. Gannett announced the end of USA Weekend after the 26th of December 28, 2014 edition citing operational costs and reduced advertising revenue. A news magazine series called USA Today: The Television Show premiered on the 12th of September 1988 but suffered poor reviews and low ratings. Henry Siegel owner of LBS Communications called the show a calamity among the most disastrous debuts in syndication history. The program aired at 2:05 a.m. in New York City where WCBS-TV canceled it in February 1989. Final editions aired on the 7th of January 1990 resulting in a $13 million loss for GTG believed to be the costliest failure in syndication history. VRtually There debuted on the 20th of October 2016 as a weekly virtual reality news program carried on the mobile app. The last story uploaded was the 1st of August 2017 less than a year after creation.