New Orleans Times-Picayune
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The New Orleans Times-Picayune is the major daily newspaper serving New Orleans, Louisiana.
The paper began publishing in 1837 as the Picayune, named after the Spanish coin that it cost, a coin equivalent to 6¼¢ (1/16 dollar). It became the Times-Picayune after merging with its rival paper in 1914. S.I. Newhouse bought the Times-Picayune and the other remaining New Orleans daily, the States-Item, in 1962, and merged the papers in 1980. The paper is currently owned by Advance Publications of the Newhouse family, the organization that also publishes Parade magazine, The Oregonian in Portland, and the Cleveland Plain Dealer.
Through the years writers like William Faulkner and O. Henry have worked for the paper. It was awarded two Pulitzer Prizes in 1997.
In the wake of Hurricane Katrina, the Times-Picayune was forced to evacuate its office and setup operations temporarily in Houma, Lousiana. The August 30, 31, and September 1, 2005 editions were only distributed online.
The paper's editorial stance is moderate to conservative, reflecting the fact that the New Orleans suburbs are strongly Republican while New Orleans itself is heavily Democratic.
The paper published a strongly-worded open letter to President George W. Bush in its September 4 edition criticizing him for the federal government's response to Hurricane Katrina and calling for the firing of FEMA chief Michael D. Brown.
