The News American (Baltimore, Md.)

The News American was a Baltimore, Maryland daily newspaper whose lineage historians trace to Alexander Martin's American and Daily Advertiser (1799), but during its existence it often made institutional claims that it was a direct descendant of Maryland's first newspaper, William Goddard's Maryland Journal and the Baltimore Advertiser (1773). In addition, during the News American's long existence the newspaper and its predecessors experienced a number of consolidations as a result of business mergers resulting in new ownership and title changes. In the 20th century, one of the most influential owners in the history of the News American was William Randolph Hearst, Sr. During the majority of the years that Hearst owned the News American (1923-1986), the newspaper remained the largest newspaper in Baltimore based on circulation, but by the end of the 20th century, multiple challenges combined to undermine the economic sustainability of the News American . As a result on May 27, 1986 the newspaper was closed.

The News American was a Baltimore, Maryland daily newspaper that according to institutionalized folklore was published under a variety of titles for 214 years. The News American claimed to trace its lineage back to Baltimore's first newspaper, the Maryland Journal and the Baltimore Advertiser, begun by William Goddard on August 20, 1773. Under the leadership of William Goddard's sister, Mary Katherine Goddard, the newspaper became the first to print the Declaration of Independence with the names of its signatories. In A. Rachel Minick's, A History of Printing in Maryland 1791-1800, which is the definitive academic study about the history of early Maryland printing, the author found that in the 1790's Goddard's newspaper passed through several proprietors and ultimately ceased publication on June 29, 1797. On May 14, 1799, Alexander Martin, a former partner of William Pechin, who once wrote for the old Maryland Journal, begun a new publication called the American and Daily Advertiser, which is likely the true originator of the News American newspaper. In 1814 a descendant of the American and Daily Advertiser, called the American & Commercial Advertiser, became the first publication in the nation to print Francis Scott Key's ''The Defence of Fort McHenry,'' which later became better known as The Star Spangled Banner .

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