BELLEVILLE NEWS-DEMOCRAT

The '''Belleville News-Democrat''' is a McClatchy newspaper with its headquarters in Belleville, Illinois, in the United States. The News-Democrat competes with the St. Louis Post-Dispatch in St. Clair County, Illinois, as well as other parts of Southwestern Illinois, and parts of St. Louis City and County in East Central Missouri.

Contents

History

Distinction

Current statistics

Counties Served

Illinois

Missouri

External Links

History

The '''Belleville News-Democrat''' was founded in 1858 as the Weekly Democrat. In the early 1860s, it merged with the Belleville News to become the Belleville News-Democrat. It was a family-owned newspaper until 1972, when it was purchased by Capital Cities/ABC Inc. When Disney acquired ABC, it briefly owned the News-Democrat until Knight Ridder acquired the newspaper in 1997. McClatchy acquired the paper in 2006 with its purchase of Knight Ridder.

Distinction

The '''Belleville News-Democrat''' has been featured on 60 Minutes, Dateline and Nightline as an example of investigative reporting. In 2003, an article in Editor & Publisher called the News-Democrat one of "Ten newspapers that do it right" under the leadership of former publisher, Gary Berkeley, and former editor, Greg Edwards. It is also the only newspaper in Illinois or Missouri to grow net paid circulation for ten years in a row.

Current statistics

The News-Democrat employs approximately 280 people, plus about 75 at its weekly ancillary papers. The newsroom staff consists of 26 reporters, 12 editors, seven copy editors, four photographers, three newsroom assistants and an editorial cartoonist.
It has bureaus in Collinsville, Illinois and Edwardsville, Illinois. It publishes separate editions in Madison County and St. Clair County, with a St. Louis edition twice a week.
The News-Democrat also publishes the following weekly papers: The Highland News Leader, the Tri-County Leader, O'Fallon Progress, Command Post (serving Scott Air Force Base), the Legal Reporter, the Penny Saver, the Democrat, the Journal Messenger and the Sparta News-Plaindealer.

Counties Served

Illinois

★ St. Clair

★ Madison

★ Bond

★ Clinton

★ Washington

★ Monroe

★ Marion

★ Randolph

★ Perry

★ Jefferson

Missouri

★ St. Louis

★ St. Louis City

External Links

★ BellevilleNewsDemocrat.com official site

★ The McClatchy Company's subsidiary profile of the ''Belleville News-Democrat''