The Miami Herald is a daily newspaper owned by Knight Ridder. It primarily serves the Miami-Dade, Broward and Monroe counties in the U.S. state of Florida. As of 2004, The Herald has a daily readership of about one million readers with a daily circulation of about 300,000 (almost 450,000 on Sundays), mostly in South Florida, the Caribbean, and Latin America.

Overview

The newspaper employs 2,024 people in Miami and across several bureaus. These include Bogota, Managua, Tallahassee, Washington, Vero Beach, Key West, and Hollywood (Florida). Its newsroom staff of about 450 includes 144 reporters, 69 editors, 69 copyeditors, 29 photographers, 23 graphic artists, 12 columnists, six critics, 48 editorial specialists, and 18 news assistants.

The newspaper has been awarded 18 Pulitzer Prizes. Well-known columnists are Pulitzer-winning political commentator Leonard Pitts, Jr., humorist Dave Barry (who writes special articles of local interest specificially for the paper in addition to his nationally syndicated weekly article), and novelist Carl Hiaasen. Other columnists include Liz Balmaseda, Fred Grimm, Edwin Pope, Robert L. Steinback, and Ana Veciana-Suarez. Alberto Ibargüen is the chairman and Tom Fiedler is the executive editor.

The newspaper averages 88 pages daily and 212 pages Sunday. The Herald's coverage of Latin American and Hispanic affairs is widely considered among the best of U.S. newspapers.

History

The first edition was published September 15, 1903, as The Miami Evening Record. The newspaper was renamed The Miami Herald on December 1, 1910. It is South Florida’s oldest newspaper.

The Herald came close to receivership but recovered in the 1930s.

On October 15, 1937, John S. Knight, son of a noted Ohio newspaperman, bought The Herald from Frank B. Shutts. Knight became editor and publisher and made his brother, James L. Knight, the business manager. The Herald had 383 employees.

Lee Hills arrived as city editor in September 1942. He later became The Herald's publisher and eventually chairman of Knight-Ridder Inc., a position he held until 1981.

An international edition for readers in the Caribbean and Latin America began 1946.

The Herald won its first Pulitzer Prize in 1950, for its reporting on Miami's organized crime. Its circulation was 176,000 daily and 204,000 on Sundays.

On August 19, 1960, construction began on the present Herald building on Biscayne Bay. Also on that day, Alvah H. Chapman, started work as James Knight’s assistant. Chapman was later promoted to Knight-Ridder chairman and chief executive officer. The Herald moved into its new building at One Herald Plaza without missing an edition on March 23-24, 1963.

An international edition for readers in Mexico started in 2002.

As of 2004, The Herald is the country's 24th-largest newspaper, with a Sunday circulation of 447,326, according to the Audit Bureau of Circulations.

The Herald was once Knight-Ridder's flagship paper, but that position is now held by the San Jose Mercury News.

Community Involvement

The Miami Herald sponsors several community involvement projects. The Silver Knight Awards have been held every spring since 1959. The awards are given in several categories to high school seniors who are nominated by faculty committees in their schools. Typical nominees will not only have excelled in their classroom studies but also served to better their community in some way. 18,000 students have been recognized since the program was started.

The wish book program lets people from the community who are suffering from hardships of varying types ask for help from the readers. Examples of types of wishes could be: asking for donations to buy medical equipment for a sick child, help with renovations to make a home wheelchair accessible, monetary donation to an impoverished family dealing with cancer treatments, or help to an elderly resident who would like to learn how to use a computer. Readers may make donations to specific causes or donate generally.

The Miami Herald also sponsors spelling bees in Miami-Dade County and Broward County; and area athletic awards.

Pulitzer Prizes

• 2004—Commentary, Leonard Pitts, Jr., "for his fresh, vibrant columns that spoke, with both passion and compassion, to ordinary people on often divisive issues."
• 2001—Breaking news reporting, "for its coverage of the seizure of Elián González by federal agents."
• 1999—Investigative reporting, staff, "for its detailed reporting that revealed pervasive voter fraud in a city mayoral election that was subsequently overturned."
• 1996—Editorial cartooning, Jim Morin
• 1993—Meritorious public service, staff; Commentary, Liz Balmaseda, "for coverage that not only helped readers cope with Hurricane Andrew's devastation but also showed how lax zoning, inspection and building codes had contributed to the destruction."
• 1991—Local spot news , staff
• 1988—Commentary, Dave Barry, "for his consistently effective use of humor as a device for presenting fresh insights into serious concerns."
• 1988—Feature photography, Michel duCille, "for photographs portraying the decay and subsequent rehabilitation of a housing project overrun by the drug crack."

• 1987—National reporting, staff, "for its exclusive reporting and persistent coverage of the U.S.-Iran-Contra connection."
• 1986—Spot news photography , Michel duCille and Carol Guzy;
• 1986—General reporting , Edna Buchanan
• 1983—Editorial writing, the editorial board, " for its campaign against the detention of illegal Haitian immigrants by federal officials."
• 1981—International reporting, Shirley Christian, "for her dispatches from Central America."
• 1980—Feature writing, Madeleine Blais, "for 'Zepp's Last Stand.'"
• 1976—General reporting , Gene Miller
• 1967—Special reporting , Gene Miller
• 1951—Meritorious public service, staff, "for [its] crime reporting during the year."

External links

• Official website
• Detailed information about the Herald
• Audit Bureau of Circulations ranking