Regular readers of this site know that I am not a fan of Donald Trump but the front page coverage of Trump in the New York Daily News has been nothing short of disgusting. Their latest cover published Friday accuses the Billionaire bloviator of being the anti-Christ (see above).

Front pages are for news not opinion, but the NY Daily News is so hard up for circulation in print and online that they feel the need to go way past what is considered reasonable from journalistic standards.

Audit numbers through 9/15 shows the paper’s circulation and online audience has nosedived:

In the 12 months ended in March, total circulation has fallen by a staggering 40.7 percent, to 312,736, according to the Alliance for Audited Media.

 

Daily print circulation is off 40.2 percent under [former Editor-in-Chief Colin] Myler, from 400,131 in March 2012 to a mere 239,183 as of March 31 — likely the steepest circulation dive in the tabloid’s 96-year history.

 

Digital circulation, which had been growing for a time under Myler’s watch, accomplished the near-impossible — it fell 66 percent in the year ended March 31, to 73,553.

 

But if they want to keep what remains of their journalistic integrity they shouldn’t be trying to stabilize their audience by ripping Trump, and other Republicans on their front cover.    This is not the first time “New York’s Hometown Paper” has crossed the line in attacking Trump.  For example when Sarah Palin endorsed Trump:

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Before the New Hampshire primary, the ripped Trump’s supporters:

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After New Hampshire they called Trump a clown and his supporters “mindless zombies:”

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The NY Daily News has been  campaigning against Trump since he announced his campaign last June. And while I agree with them that some of the things “The Donald” has said and done have been over-the-line inappropriate, for a newspaper to sell it’s “news” package by calling a candidate and his supporters zombies, stupid, the anti-Christ, etc. is nothing short of journalistic malfeasance.

And it’s not just Trump. The Paper has gone after Ted Cruz:

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The NRA is another favorite target, with this cover they called the group’s CEO Wayne LaPierre, a terrorist.

 

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Or sometimes they go after all Republicans in one swoop:
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A front page of a newspaper is the equivalent of the package of any consumer product, such as soap and/or televisions–it tells the consumer what to find inside. With these front covers the NY Daily News is signaling that the last thing people will be finding inside its pages is news.

The NY Daily News should be changing its name to something more truthful, such as the NY Daily Opinion, or Slanders R’ Us. If a news organization is so hard up for circulation that it needs to compete with the National Enquirer for over the top headlines, then it’s a message the paper isn’t serving its audience and should be mercifully put out of its misery.