PI01092008

The Philadelphia Inquirer is a morning daily newspaper that serves the Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, metropolitan area (Delaware Valley) of the United States. The newspaper was founded by John R. Walker and John Norvell in June 1829 as The Pennsylvania Inquirer and is the third-oldest surviving daily newspaper in the United States. Owned by the local group Philadelphia Media Holdings LLC, The Inquirer has the nineteenth largest average weekday U.S. newspaper circulation and has won eighteen Pulitzer Prizes.

The paper has risen and fallen in prominence throughout its history. The Inquirer first became a major newspaper during the American Civil War when its war coverage was popular on both sides. The papers circulation dropped after the war, then rose by the end of the 19th century. Originally supportive of the Democratic Party (Democratic Party (United States)), The Inquirers political affiliation eventually shifted toward the Whig Party (Whig Party (United States)) and then the Republican Party (Republican Party (United States)) before officially becoming politically independent in the middle of the 20th century. By the end of the 1960s, The Inquirer trailed its chief competitor, the Philadelphia Evening Bulletin (Philadelphia Bulletin), and lacked modern facilities and experienced staff. In the 1970s, new owners (Knight Ridder) and editors turned the newspaper into one of the countrys most prominent, winning 17 Pulitzers in 15 years. Its prestige has since waned because of cost-cutting and a shift of focus to more local coverage.