Outlet profile

The Detroit News

U.S. center-right

Owned byUSA TODAY Co. (formerly Gannett), which completed its acquisition from MediaNews Group (owned by Alden Global Capital) on January 31, 2026

FundingDigital and print subscriptions and advertising revenue, operating under the USA TODAY Co. national newspaper chain

On the administrationmixed

Background

The Detroit News was founded on August 23, 1873 by James E. Scripps, who launched The Evening News as a low-cost paper aimed at working-class readers and filled it with inexpensive advertising. The paper passed through the Scripps and then the Booth family before Gannett acquired it in 1986. In 1989, Gannett merged the News's business operations with those of the Knight Ridder–owned Detroit Free Press under a Joint Operating Agreement (JOA) allowed by the federal Newspaper Preservation Act. In 2005, Gannett reshuffled its Detroit holdings—selling the News to MediaNews Group for roughly $25 million while buying the Free Press from Knight Ridder. MediaNews Group itself fell under the control of hedge fund Alden Global Capital, a chain known for steep newsroom cost cuts. The JOA expired on December 28, 2025, and USA TODAY Co. closed its acquisition of the News on January 31, 2026, reuniting both Detroit dailies under one corporate parent while keeping them editorially separate. Politically, the paper has maintained a right-of-center editorial line for most of its history—Media Bias/Fact Check rates it Right-Center with high factual reliability, while AllSides rates it Center—and it never endorsed a Democratic presidential candidate until recently breaking with the Republican nominee: in 2016 it backed Libertarian Gary Johnson over Trump, and in 2024 it withheld any presidential endorsement rather than support either candidate.

Sources

Profile compiled 2026-08-18; refreshed when ownership, funding, or the administration changes.

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