Democrat and Chronicle

Last updated

Democrat and Chronicle
Rochester Democrat and Chronicle front page.jpg
Type Daily newspaper
Format Broadsheet
Owner(s) Gannett
EditorMichael Kilian
Founded1833;191 years ago (1833)
(as The Balance)
LanguageEnglish
Headquarters245 East Main Street
Midtown Plaza
Rochester, New York 14604
United States
Circulation
  • 27,569 daily
  • 42,355 Sunday
(as of Q3 2022) [1] [2]
ISSN 1088-5153
Website democratandchronicle.com

The Democrat and Chronicle is a daily newspaper serving the greater Rochester, New York, area. Headquartered at 245 East Main Street in downtown Rochester, the Democrat and Chronicle operates under the ownership of Gannett. The paper's production facility is in Rockaway, New Jersey. Since the Times-Union merger in 1997, the Democrat and Chronicle is Rochester's only daily circulated newspaper.

Contents

History

Founded in 1833 as The Balance, the paper eventually became known as the Daily Democrat. [3] The Daily Democrat merged with another local paper, the Chronicle, in 1870, to become known as the Democrat and Chronicle. The paper was purchased by Gannett in 1928. [4] Prior to 1959, the newspaper was headquartered at 59-61 E. Main Street, on Rochester's Main Street Bridge. [5] [6]

From 1928 to 1985, the Democrat and Chronicle was Gannett's flagship paper. In 1959, the newspaper relocated to Gannett's headquarters in the Gannett Building at 55 Exchange Boulevard. [6] It shared the space with the Rochester Times-Union , an afternoon daily paper. Gannett moved its headquarters to Tysons Corner, Virginia, home of USA Today, in 1985. Over time, Gannett merged the Times-Union into the Democrat and Chronicle. Their staffs were merged in 1992, and the Times-Union circulation ended in 1997. [7] That same year, newspaper production was relocated from the Gannett Building to a facility in Greece, New York. [8]

The Democrat and Chronicle building at Midtown Plaza in Rochester, New York D&C Building.jpg
The Democrat and Chronicle building at Midtown Plaza in Rochester, New York

In May 2016, the Democrat and Chronicle relocated its headquarters to a new, smaller building at the Midtown Plaza site on East Main Street. At 153,350 square feet, the former headquarters in the Gannett building was considerably larger than the current headquarters, which is 42,000 square feet. The Democrat and Chronicle no longer needed the much larger space in the building, which included the area that formerly held the printing presses before 1996, which was expensive to maintain. [6]

With the move came new branding as D&C Digital, emphasizing focus on the outlet's digital marketing services and video properties. [9]

In 2010, The Democrat and Chronicle ranked number one among US newspapers in market penetration, the percentage of readers in a metro area who read in print or online. The Democrat and Chronicle held that top spot for several years, and have been among the leaders since the 1990s. [10]

In 2023, the paper announced it would relocate its printing offices from Greece, New York to Rockaway, New Jersey that April. [8] [11]

Sexual abuse scandal

The Democrat and Chronicle, along with its parent company Gannett, was sued in October 2019 by a former paperboy who accused the newspaper of enabling a former district manager to sexually abuse him in the 1980s. In late 2018, this former paperboy emailed investigative reporters and Gannett management, asking them to investigate his claims. Karen Magnuson, then Executive Editor for Gannett's Democrat & Chronicle, told reporters to put their investigative reporting of abuse claims on "pause" and brought the email to the attention of Gannett's management to conduct their own investigation.[ citation needed ] Gannett COO Michael G. Kane then sent the original claimant a letter indicating no evidence had been found and they were "closing out" the matter. Shortly after, New York passed its Child Victim Act, lifting the statute of limitations on child sex abuse claims. [12] This initial case is currently pending. Four more lawsuits were filed in early 2020. [13] Additionally, three more men filed suit against Gannett for child sex abuse in September 2020. [14] As the New York state window to file under its Childs Victim Act closed in August 2021, a ninth man sued [15] the Democrat and Chronicle, and its publisher Gannett, in Rochester NY alleging child sex abuse by the same former district manager of paper carriers. In July 2022, Gannett defense attorneys notified the court of their intent to file a motion to have the former paperboy's Child Victims Act cases taken "out of the state court system and turn them over to the New York Workers' Compensation Board" [16] stating that the 11-14-year-old paperboys should have applied for workman's compensation at the time of their injuries in the 1980s, or in 2019 upon enactment of the CVA as it is a simple online process. [17] All these cases are currently pending in New York State court.

Nearly three years after the first lawsuit filing, in July 2022, Gannett (the parent company and publisher of the Democrat & Chronicle) defense attorneys notified the court of their intent to file a motion to have the former paperboys' Child Victims Act cases taken "out of the state court system and turn them over to the New York Workers' Compensation Board" stating that the 11–14-year-old paperboys should have applied for workman's compensation at the time of their injuries in the 1980s or upon enactment of the CVA in 2019. In December 2022, presiding Judge, Deborah A. Chimes acquiesced to Gannett's demands that NY Workers Compensation Board – despite the existence of the Child Victims Act as NY State law – determine if Plaintiffs have a valid cause of action for damages or whether they are limited to benefits under the Worker’s Compensation Law. This despite the fact that the Workers Compensation Board has no mechanism to consider this question of justice and legal rights, as the Board is tasked by the state of New York solely to: "administer workers’ compensation, disability benefits and Paid Family Leave." On July 26, 2024, this demand of Gannett, received and accepted fully by Judge Deborah Chimes, was reversed, by the Fourth Judicial Department of the Appellate Division of the New York State Supreme Court. The nine plaintiff cases remain pending action by Judge Chimes and her court.

Notable contributors

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rochester, New York</span> City in New York, United States

Rochester is a city in the U.S. state of New York and the county seat of Monroe County. It is the fourth-most populous city and 10th most-populated municipality in New York, with a population of 211,328 at the 2020 census. The city forms the core of the larger Rochester metropolitan area in Western New York, with a population of just over 1 million residents. Throughout its history, Rochester has acquired several nicknames based on local industries; it has been known as "the Flour City" and "the Flower City" for its dual role in flour production and floriculture, and as the "Imaging Capital of the World" for its association with film, optics, and photography.

Gannett Co., Inc. is an American mass media holding company headquartered in New York City. It is the largest U.S. newspaper publisher as measured by total daily circulation.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">WHEC-TV</span> NBC affiliate in Rochester, New York

WHEC-TV is a television station in Rochester, New York, United States, affiliated with NBC. Owned by Hubbard Broadcasting, the station maintains studios on East Avenue in Downtown Rochester and a transmitter on Pinnacle Hill in Brighton.

<i>The Cincinnati Enquirer</i> Daily newspaper in Cincinnati, Ohio, United States

The Cincinnati Enquirer is a morning daily newspaper published by Gannett in Cincinnati, Ohio, United States. First published in 1841, the Enquirer is the last remaining daily newspaper in Greater Cincinnati and Northern Kentucky, although the daily Journal-News competes with the Enquirer in the northern suburbs. The Enquirer has the highest circulation of any print publication in the Cincinnati metropolitan area. A daily local edition for Northern Kentucky is published as The Kentucky Enquirer. The Enquirer won the 2018 Pulitzer Prize for local reporting for its project titled "Seven Days of Heroin".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rochester subway</span> Former light rail rapid transit line in the city of Rochester, New York

The Rochester Industrial and Rapid Transit Railway, more commonly known as the Rochester subway, was a light rail rapid transit line in the city of Rochester, New York that operated from 1927 to 1956. The subway was constructed in the bed of the old Erie Canal, which allowed the route to be grade-separated for its entire length. Two miles (3.2 km) of the route through downtown were constructed in a cut-and-cover tunnel that became Broad Street, and the only underground portion of the subway.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kenneth Keating</span> American politician, diplomat, and judge (1900–1975)

Kenneth Barnard Keating was an American politician, diplomat, and judge who served as a United States Senator representing New York from 1959 until 1965. A member of the Republican Party, he also served in the United States House of Representatives, representing New York's 40th and 38th congressional districts from 1947 until 1959. Additionally, he served as a judge of the New York State Court of Appeals from 1966 until 1969 and was U.S. ambassador to India from 1969 until 1972 and Israel from 1973 until 1975.

<i>The Indianapolis Star</i> Newspaper in Indianapolis, Indiana, U.S.

The Indianapolis Star is a morning daily newspaper that began publishing on June 6, 1903, in Indianapolis, Indiana, United States. It has been the only major daily paper in the city since 1999, when the Indianapolis News ceased publication. It won the Pulitzer Prize for National Reporting in 2021 and the Pulitzer Prize for Investigative Reporting twice, in 1975 and 1991. It is currently owned by Gannett.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Roman Catholic Diocese of Albany</span> Latin Catholic ecclesiastical territory in New York (state), U.S.

The Diocese of Albany is a Latin Church ecclesiastical territory in eastern New York in the United States. Its mother church is the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception in Albany.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Roman Catholic Diocese of Rochester</span> Latin Catholic ecclesiastical jurisdiction in New York, USA

The Diocese of Rochester is a Latin Church diocese of the Catholic Church in the Upstate region of New York State in the United States.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Frank Gannett</span> American publisher, founder of Gannett Company

Frank Ernest Gannett was an American publisher who founded the media corporation Gannett Company. He began his career in 1906 as half owner of the Elmira Gazette. He soon added newspapers in Ithaca, Rochester, Utica, and other cities in Upstate New York. At the time of his death, the chain included twenty-two daily newspapers, four radio stations, and three television stations, largely based in the state of New York.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">William O'Malley (Jesuit)</span> American actor and priest (1931–2023)

William J. O'Malley S.J. was an American priest, teacher, author, and actor.

Jim "The Hammer" Shapiro is an American attorney and author who was known in the Rochester and Florida areas for his aggressive television commercials, as well as for a letter of solicitation he sent to a comatose accident victim.

Sibley, Lindsay & Curr Company, known informally as Sibley's, was a Rochester, New York–based department store chain with stores located exclusively in the state of New York. Its flagship store, at 228 East Main Street in downtown Rochester, also housed its headquarters and featured an elegant executive dining room on the top floor.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">GateHouse Media</span> American media company

GateHouse Media Inc. was an American publisher of locally based print and digital media. It published 144 daily newspapers, 684 community publications, and over 569 local-market websites in 38 states. Its parent company, New Media Investment Group, acquired Gannett in 2019, with the combined company using the Gannett name and maintaining its headquarters in Virginia.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Joseph Morelle</span> American politician (born 1957)

Joseph D. Morelle is an American politician serving as the U.S. representative for New York's 25th congressional district since 2018. A Democrat, he was formerly a member of the New York State Assembly representing the 136th Assembly district, which includes eastern portions of the City of Rochester and the Monroe County suburbs of Irondequoit and Brighton. Speaker Sheldon Silver appointed him as majority leader of the New York State Assembly in January 2013 and Morelle served as acting speaker in the Speaker's absence. He was elected to the United States House of Representatives for New York's 25th congressional district in November 2018 following the death of longtime Representative Louise Slaughter.

Rochester <i>Times-Union</i>

The Times-Union was a daily evening newspaper in the greater Rochester, New York, area for 79 years. It was published as an afternoon daily counterpart to the morning Democrat and Chronicle under the ownership of Gannett when it ceased operations in 1997. In that year the paper merged with the Democrat and Chronicle, with which it had shared a staff since 1992.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rochester Police Department</span> Police department in Rochester, New York

The Rochester Police Department, also known as the RPD, is the principal law enforcement agency of the City of Rochester, New York, reporting to the city mayor. It currently has approximately 852 officers and support staff, a budget of approximately $90 million, and covers an area of 37 square miles (96 km2). The Rochester Police Department has been under a court-ordered federal consent decree from the United States Department of Justice since 1975 over its hiring practices. The decree was part of a 1975 settlement involving racial discrimination.

Settlements and bankruptcies in Catholic sex abuse cases have affected several American dioceses, whose compensation payments have totaled in the billions of dollars.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gannett Building</span> Historic commercial building in New York, United States

Gannett Building is an industrial and commercial building located in Rochester in Monroe County, New York. It is a Classical Revival style structure constructed in 1927, with four major later additions. It was built to house the consolidated offices and newspaper printing facilities for the Gannett Newspapers chain.

This is a list of media serving Rochester, New York, and its surrounding area.

References

  1. ↑ Gannett. "Form 10-K". Securities & Exchange Commission. Retrieved March 10, 2023.
  2. ↑ Benton, Joshua (March 9, 2023). "The scale of local news destruction in Gannett's markets is astonishing". Nieman Lab.
  3. ↑ "The newspaper" . Retrieved December 3, 2006.
  4. ↑ "About Gannett: Rochester Democrat and Chronicle". Gannett Co., Inc. Archived from the original on October 23, 2006. Retrieved October 26, 2006.
  5. ↑ "Explore our first home on Main Street". Democrat and Chronicle. June 1, 2016. Retrieved August 14, 2023.
  6. 1 2 3 Staff report. (October 29, 2013). "D&C announces plans for new downtown home". Democrat and Chronicle. Retrieved August 14, 2023.
  7. ↑ "Rochester Times-Union Publishes Final Edition". The New York Times . June 28, 1997. Retrieved August 14, 2023.
  8. 1 2 "D&C closing printing facility at Canal Ponds". Democrat and Chronicle. January 4, 2023. Retrieved August 14, 2023.
  9. ↑ "D&C Digital: Welcome to our new home". Democrat and Chronicle. May 21, 2016.
  10. ↑ "Ranking of newspapers' market penetration indicates the market matters as well as the content" Archived April 8, 2011, at the Wayback Machine – Poynter Institute
  11. ↑ "Democrat & Chronicle is moving its printing operations to New Jersey". WHEC. January 5, 2023. Retrieved February 27, 2023.
  12. ↑ "Former paperboys await justice after suing Gannett for allowing sexual abuse four decades ago". Poynter. December 7, 2021. Retrieved January 3, 2022.
  13. ↑ Andreatta, David. "Four more paperboys sue the Democrat and Chronicle claiming sexual abuse". CITY News. Retrieved October 13, 2020.
  14. ↑ "Two more former paperboys come forward to allege sexual abuse by supervisor: Lawsuit". ABC News. Retrieved October 13, 2020.
  15. ↑ "Archived copy". iapps.courts.state.ny.us. Archived from the original on September 3, 2021. Retrieved August 25, 2021.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  16. ↑ Will Astor (September 8, 2022). "Gannett's Legal Gambit". Rochester Beacon.
  17. ↑ https://iapps.courts.state.ny.us/nyscef/ViewDocument?docIndex=oKUHyrvdVbsaTWAtEJPBDA==.{{cite web}}: Missing or empty |title= (help)
  18. ↑ "Earl Caldwell, once a local watchdog". Archived from the original on January 21, 2013. Retrieved December 6, 2012.
  19. ↑ Pablo, Manriquez (October 19, 2011). "7 Young Latinos In Online Media To Watch In 2012". List of Influencers. The Huffington Post. Retrieved December 22, 2011.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.