Journalism in Cleveland

  • Cleveland Press news carrier receives supply of papers, 1946
  • Upper half of front page of a 1956 Cleveland newspaper showing three mastheads
  • Cleveland Press Editor Louis B. Seltzer in front of Press building, 1960

2018 marks the bicentennial anniversary of journalism in Cleveland. On July 31, 1818, the Cleveland Gazette and Commercial Register was founded marking the beginning of Cleveland's rich tradition of news reporting. After several decades of small, partisan papers, the Plain Dealer and Cleveland Press battled one another for Cleveland's readers for more than 100 years. Louis B. Seltzer, editor-in-chief of the Cleveland Press for nearly four decades, reflected on his role in the newspaper business: "The Press strives to be with the people, always at their side, always beating with their hearts, always fighting for what is good and against what is bad. The Press' address is, has been, and always will be—Greater Cleveland, Ohio, U.S.A." (The Years Were Good).

This webpage has pulled together web resources from the Cleveland Memory Project and elsewhere in celebration of photojournalists, journalists, columnists, and editorial cartoonists with particular emphasis on works since the end of World War II.

Encyclopedia of Cleveland History [Print Journalism]. This entry provides a brief survey of print journalism in Cleveland beginning with the founding of its first newspaper, Cleveland Gazette and Commercial Register, in 1818. The online edition provides helpful links to other entries in the encyclopedia such as Edward Wyllis Scripps, Cleveland Press, Plain Dealer, Louis B. Seltzer, etc.

Cleveland Press Collection. Comprised of hundreds of thousands of photographs and clippings, the Cleveland Press Collection is the "morgue" of the Cleveland Press, a newspaper that was printed in Cleveland for more than 100 years from 1878 until 1982.

Using Newspapers. This LibGuide, through Cleveland State's Michael Schwartz Library, offers helpful links to research the archives of Cleveland Newspapers. Navigate to The Annals of Cleveland link to browse through a chronological listing of the annals at CWRU’s Digital Case site. Also, scroll down the left column to search the Plain Dealer archives from 1845 to 1991 (with a Cleveland Public Library’s borrowers card or PD subscription) or Cleveland Call & Post archives from 1930-1991 (also with a Cleveland Public Library’s card).

Acknowledgements

This website is the practicum project of Kent State University MLIS student, Michael Skor. He would especially like to thank Bill Barrow and Marsha Miles for their guidance and assistance and Lauren Felder for the design of this web exhibit.