{{Short description|Daily newspaper in Missouri, United States}} {{Use American English|date=February 2026}} {{Use mdy dates|date=December 2019}} {{Infobox newspaper | name = St. Louis Post-Dispatch | image = St. Louis Post Dispatch cover 11.25.2014.jpg | image_size = 225px | caption = The November 25, 2014 front page<br />of the ''St. Louis Post-Dispatch'' | type = [[Daily newspaper]] | format = [[Compact (newspaper)|Compact]] (March 23, 2009) | owners = [[Lee Enterprises]] | editor = Gilbert Bailon | publisher = Ian Caso<ref>{{cite web|url= https://lee.net/news/ian-caso-named-publisher-of-the-st-louis-post-dispatch/article_20390cd8-5409-11ea-9b53-774298de7f8a.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230605173636/https://lee.net/news/ian-caso-named-publisher-of-the-st-louis-post-dispatch/article_20390cd8-5409-11ea-9b53-774298de7f8a.html |archive-date=June 5, 2023 |title=Ian Caso named publisher of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch |date=February 20, 2020 }}</ref> | founded = {{start date and age|December 12, 1878}} | founder = [[Joseph Pulitzer]] | headquarters = 901 North 10th Street<br/>[[St. Louis]], [[Missouri]] 63101<br /> | circulation = 31,329 Average print circulation<ref>{{cite news |last1=Christensen |first1=Dan |title=The long goodbye of Florida’s newspapers – read all about it |url=https://www.floridabulldog.org/2024/12/long-goodbye-floridas-newspapers-read-all-about-it/|access-date=30 November 2025 |publisher=Florida Bulldog |date=18 December 2024}}</ref> <br /> 52,887 Digital Subscribers <ref>{{cite news |last1=Christensen |first1=Dan |title=The long goodbye of Florida’s newspapers – read all about it |url=https://www.floridabulldog.org/2024/12/long-goodbye-floridas-newspapers-read-all-about-it/ |access-date=30 November 2025 |publisher=Florida Bulldog |date=18 December 2024 |archive-date=December 29, 2025 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20251229134138/https://www.floridabulldog.org/2024/12/long-goodbye-floridas-newspapers-read-all-about-it/ |url-status=live }}</ref> | website = {{official URL}} | ISSN = 1930-9600 | oclc = 1764810 }}

The '''''St. Louis Post-Dispatch''''' is a regional newspaper serving the [[Greater St. Louis|St. Louis metropolitan area]]. Based in [[St. Louis|St. Louis, Missouri]], it is the largest daily newspaper in the metropolitan area by circulation, surpassing the ''[[Belleville News-Democrat]]'', ''[[The Telegraph (Alton, Illinois)|Alton Telegraph]]'', and ''[[Edwardsville Intelligencer]]''. The publication has received 19 [[Pulitzer Prize]]s.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.stltoday.com/news/archives/pulitzer-prizes-won-by-the-post-dispatch/collection_ddcf45a9-6e37-54af-b27c-09aa8f34ffa2.html|title=Pulitzer prizes won by the Post-Dispatch|work=stltoday.com|access-date=2019-04-15|language=en|archive-date=April 15, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190415201357/https://www.stltoday.com/news/archives/pulitzer-prizes-won-by-the-post-dispatch/collection_ddcf45a9-6e37-54af-b27c-09aa8f34ffa2.html|url-status=live}}</ref>

The paper is owned by [[Lee Enterprises]] of [[Davenport, Iowa]], which purchased [[Pulitzer, Inc.]] in 2005 in a cash deal valued at $1.46&nbsp;billion.

==Platform== On April 10, 1907, [[Joseph Pulitzer]] wrote what became known as the paper's [[Party platform|platform]]:

<blockquote>I know that my retirement will make no difference in its cardinal principles, that it will always fight for progress and reform, never tolerate injustice or corruption, always fight demagogues of all parties, never belong to any party, always oppose privileged classes and public plunderers, never lack sympathy with the poor, always remain devoted to the public welfare, never be satisfied with merely printing news, always be drastically independent, never be afraid to attack wrong, whether by predatory plutocracy or predatory poverty.<ref>''St. Louis Post-Dispatch'' Platform from the newspaper's website.</ref></blockquote>

==History== ===Early years=== In 1878, Pulitzer purchased the bankrupt ''St. Louis Dispatch'' at a public auction<ref>{{cite web|last1=Jolley|first1=Laura R.|title=Joseph Pulitzer|url=http://shs.umsystem.edu/historicmissourians/name/p/pulitzer/|website=Missouri Biographies for Students|access-date=October 29, 2015|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151017045715/http://shs.umsystem.edu/historicmissourians/name/p/pulitzer/|archive-date=October 17, 2015}}</ref> and merged it with the ''St. Louis Evening Post'' to create the ''St. Louis Post and Dispatch'', whose title was soon shortened to its current form. He appointed John A. Cockerill as the managing editor. Its first edition, 4,020 copies of four pages each, appeared on December 12, 1878. [[File:St. Louis Post- Dispatch ad - "Fighting for freedom," Independence day pageant; (IA fightingforfreed00stev) (page 12 crop).jpg|thumb|377x377px|St. Louis Post- Dispatch ad in 1918]] In 1882, [[James Overton Broadhead]] ran for Congress against John Glover. The ''St. Louis Post-Dispatch'', at Cockerill's direction, ran a number of articles questioning Broadhead's role in a lawsuit between a gaslight company and the city; Broadhead never responded to the charges.<ref>Shepley, Carol Ferring. <u>Movers and Shakers, Scalawags and Suffragettes: Tales from Bellefontaine Cemetery</u>. Missouri History Museum: St. Louis, 2008.</ref> Broadhead's friend and law partner, [[Alonzo W. Slayback]], publicly defended Broadhead, asserting that the ''Post-Dispatch'' was nothing more than a "blackmailing sheet". The next day, October 13, 1882, Cockerill re-ran an offensive "card" by John Glover that the paper had published the prior year (November 11, 1881). Incensed, Slayback barged into Cockerill's offices at the paper demanding an apology. Cockerill shot and killed Slayback; he claimed self-defense, and a pistol was allegedly found on Slayback's body. A grand jury refused to indict Cockerill for murder, but the economic consequences for the paper were severe. In May 1883, Pulitzer sent Cockerill to New York to manage the ''[[New York World]]'' for him.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.usgennet.org/usa/mo/county/stlouis/slayback.htm |title=Col. Alonzo W. Slayback |access-date=2013-07-29 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120315055555/http://www.usgennet.org/usa/mo/county/stlouis/slayback.htm |archive-date=2012-03-15 }}</ref>

The ''Post-Dispatch'' was one of the first daily newspapers to print a [[comics]] section in color, on the back page of the features section, styled the "Everyday Magazine."{{Citation needed|date=February 2011}}

===20th century=== At one time, the ''St. Louis Post-Dispatch'' had the second-largest [[news bureau]] in Washington, D.C., of any newspaper in the [[Midwestern United States]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.inthesetimes.com/article/4201/washington_reporters_mass_exodus/|title=Washington Reporters' Mass Exodus|last=Tady|first=Megan|date=February 3, 2009|access-date=February 7, 2009|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090206074947/http://inthesetimes.com/article/4201/washington_reporters_mass_exodus|archive-date=February 6, 2009}}</ref>

After Joseph Pulitzer's retirement, generations of Pulitzers guided the newspaper, ending when great-grandson Joseph Pulitzer IV left the company in 1995.

The ''Post-Dispatch'' was characterized by a [[Modern liberalism in the United States|liberal]] [[editorial page]] and columnists, including [[Marquis Childs]]. The editorial page was noted also for [[political cartoon]]s by [[Daniel R. Fitzpatrick]], who won the 1955 Pulitzer Prize for editorial cartoons,<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.pulitzer.org/winners/daniel-r-fitzpatrick|title=Daniel R. Fitzpatrick of ''St. Louis Post-Dispatch''|website=www.pulitzer.org|language=en|access-date=2018-07-01|archive-date=July 2, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180702011355/http://www.pulitzer.org/winners/daniel-r-fitzpatrick|url-status=live}}</ref> and [[Bill Mauldin]], who won the Pulitzer for editorial cartoons in 1959.

On May 22, 1946, the ''Post-Dispatch'' became the first newspaper in the world to publish the secret protocols for the 1939 [[Molotov–Ribbentrop Pact]].<ref>{{cite news|first=Richard L.|last=Stokes|title=Secret Soviet-Nazi Pacts on Eastern Europe Aired: Purported Texts on Agreed Spheres of Influence Produced at Nuernberg but Not Admitted at Trial|newspaper=St. Louis Post-Dispatch|url=https://www.newspapers.com/newspage/138237790/|page=1|date=22 May 1946|access-date=24 May 2019|archive-date=July 18, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220718083554/https://www.newspapers.com/newspage/138237790/|url-status=live}}</ref>

During the presidency of [[Harry S. Truman]], the paper was one of his most outspoken critics. It associated him with the [[Tom Pendergast|Pendergast]] machine in [[Kansas City, Missouri|Kansas City]], and constantly attacked his [[integrity]].

In 1950, the ''Post-Dispatch'' sent a reporter, Dent McSkimming, to [[Second Brazilian Republic|Brazil]] to cover the [[1950 FIFA World Cup]]. The reporter paid for his own travelling expenses and was the only U.S. reporter in all of Brazil covering the event.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.aarp.org/entertainment/arts-leisure/info-06-2010/walter_bahr_profile.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180611230708/https://www.aarp.org/entertainment/arts-leisure/info-06-2010/walter_bahr_profile.html|url-status=dead|archive-date=11 June 2018|title=Walter Bahr reflects on the day the US beat England and stunned the soccer world|date=10 June 2010|first=John|last=Hanc|publisher=AARP|access-date=11 June 2018}}</ref>

In 1959 the ''[[St. Louis Globe-Democrat]]'' entered into a joint operating agreement with the ''Post-Dispatch''. The Post–Globe operation merged advertising, printing functions and shared profits. The ''Post-Dispatch'', distributed evenings, had a smaller circulation than the ''Globe-Democrat'', a morning daily. The ''Globe-Democrat'' folded in 1983, leaving the ''Post-Dispatch'' as the only daily newspaper in the region.<ref>{{cite news|title=St. Louis Globe-Democrat announces it will close this year|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1983/11/08/us/st-louis-globe-democrat-announces-it-will-close-this-year.html|access-date=25 June 2017|work=The New York Times|date=7 November 1983|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170628052711/http://www.nytimes.com/1983/11/08/us/st-louis-globe-democrat-announces-it-will-close-this-year.html|archive-date=28 June 2017}}</ref>

In August 1973 a [[Teamsters]] union local representing ''Globe-Democrat'' and ''Post-Dispatch'' staffers went on strike, halting production for six weeks.<ref>{{cite news|title=Post-Dispatch in St. Louis Publishes After 6 Weeks|work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1973/10/07/archives/postdispatch-in-st-louis-publishes-after-6-weeks.html|access-date=25 June 2017|agency=Associated Press|date=6 October 1973|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170629204042/http://www.nytimes.com/1973/10/07/archives/postdispatch-in-st-louis-publishes-after-6-weeks.html|archive-date=29 June 2017}}</ref>

===21st century=== [[File:St. Louis Post-Dispatch headquarters.JPG|thumb|Former ''St. Louis Post-Dispatch'' headquarters]]{{More citations needed section|date=July 2024}} In September 2003, the ''Post-Dispatch'' accepted submissions for a 63rd anniversary special of ''[[Our Own Oddities]]'', a lighthearted feature that ran from 1940 to 1991.<ref>"Are We as Odd as We Used to Be?" ''St. Louis Post-Dispatch'', September 3, 2003.</ref> The best submissions, including a duck-shaped cucumber and a woman born on [[Attack on Pearl Harbor|December 7, 1941]], with the initials W.A.R., were illustrated by ''Post-Dispatch'' artist Dan Martin and featured in the October 6, 2003, edition.<ref>Jeff Daniel, "It's Odd That You Should Mention It," ''St. Louis Post-Dispatch'', October 6, 2003.</ref>

On January 13, 2004, the ''Post-Dispatch'' published a 125th-anniversary edition, which included some highlights of the paper's 125&nbsp;years:

* Coverage of [[Charles Lindbergh]], who flew across the Atlantic despite being denied financial or written support from the ''Post-Dispatch.'' * A Pulitzer Prize-winning campaign to clean up [[air pollution|smoke pollution]] in St. Louis. In the late 1930s and early 1940s, the city had [[1939 St. Louis smog|the filthiest air in the United States]]. * Sports coverage, including nine [[St. Louis Cardinals]] championships, an NBA title by the [[St. Louis Hawks]] in 1958, and the 2000 Super Bowl victory of the [[St. Louis Rams]]. * Coverage of the city's "cultural icons" including [[Kate Chopin]], [[Tennessee Williams]], [[Chuck Berry]], and [[Miles Davis]].

On January 31, 2005, Michael Pulitzer announced the sale of Pulitzer, Inc. and all its assets, including the ''Post-Dispatch'' and a small share of the St. Louis Cardinals, to [[Lee Enterprises]] of [[Davenport, Iowa]], for $1.46 billion. He said no family members would serve on the board of the merged company.

{{As of|2007|post=,}} the ''Post-Dispatch'' was the fifth-largest newspaper in the [[midwestern United States]] and the 26th-largest newspaper in the U.S.<ref>{{cite web |date=2007 |title=Top 100 Newspapers in the United States |url=https://www.infoplease.com/culture-entertainment/journalism-literature/top-100-newspapers-united-states |access-date=2022-12-14 |website=www.infoplease.com |language=en |archive-date=August 6, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200806201759/https://www.infoplease.com/culture-entertainment/journalism-literature/top-100-newspapers-united-states |url-status=live }}</ref>

On March 12, 2007, the paper eliminated 31 jobs, mostly in its circulation, classified phone rooms, production, purchasing, telephone operations and marketing departments.<ref>"St. Louis Post Dispatch to cut 31 Jobs", ''St. Louis Business Journal'', March 12, 2007.</ref> Several rounds of layoffs have followed.

On March 23, 2009, the paper converted to a [[compact (newspaper)|compact]] style every day from the previous [[broadsheet]] Sunday through Friday and [[Tabloid (newspaper format)|tabloid]] on Saturday.

On May 4, 2012, the ''Post-Dispatch'' named a new editor, Gilbert Bailon.<ref>{{Cite web |last= |first= |date=2012-05-04 |title=Robbins steps down as editor of St. Louis Post-Dispatch; Bailon takes role |url=https://www.stltoday.com/news/local/metro/robbins-steps-down-as-editor-of-st-louis-post-dispatch-bailon-takes-role/article_065990de-961c-11e1-8dc1-0019bb30f31a.html |access-date=2024-10-16 |website=St. Louis Post-Dispatch |language=en |archive-date=December 7, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20241207015156/https://www.stltoday.com/news/local/metro/robbins-steps-down-as-editor-of-st-louis-post-dispatch-bailon-takes-role/article_065990de-961c-11e1-8dc1-0019bb30f31a.html |url-status=live }}</ref>

In 2015, the paper was awarded the Pulitzer Prize for breaking news photography for its coverage of the [[Ferguson Uprising]] in [[Ferguson, Missouri]].<ref>{{Cite news |date=2015-04-20 |title=Pulitzer prizes 2015: the winning photographs, from Ferguson to Liberia |url=https://www.theguardian.com/books/gallery/2015/apr/20/pulitzer-prizes-winning-photographs-ferguson-liberia |access-date=2024-10-16 |work=The Guardian |language=en-GB |issn=0261-3077}}</ref>

In September 2024, six newsroom employees were laid off.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Kirn |first=Jacob |date=September 26, 2024 |title=St. Louis Post-Dispatch lays off 6 in newsroom |url=https://www.bizjournals.com/stlouis/news/2024/09/26/post-dispatch-lays-off-6-in-newsroom.html |access-date=September 27, 2024 |work=St. Louis Business Journal |archive-date=September 26, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240926162439/https://www.bizjournals.com/stlouis/news/2024/09/26/post-dispatch-lays-off-6-in-newsroom.html |url-status=live }}</ref> The following month the paper announced it will shutter its St. Louis press facility and outsource to a printer in Columbia, Missouri. In total, 72 employees will lose their jobs.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Achkar |first=Alan |date=2024-10-15 |title=Post-Dispatch to outsource printing operations to Columbia, Missouri |url=https://www.stltoday.com/news/local/column/editors-desk/post-dispatch-to-outsource-printing-operations-to-columbia-mo/article_0cb9071e-8a7b-11ef-bbde-bf5e7091bede.html |access-date=2024-10-16 |website=St. Louis Post-Dispatch |language=en |archive-date=October 31, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20241031181418/https://www.stltoday.com/news/local/column/editors-desk/post-dispatch-to-outsource-printing-operations-to-columbia-mo/article_0cb9071e-8a7b-11ef-bbde-bf5e7091bede.html |url-status=live }}</ref>

In November 2025, the ''Post-Dispatch'' moved to a six day printing schedule, eliminating its printed Monday edition.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Rogen |first=Jessica |date=2025-10-03 |title=St. Louis Post-Dispatch ends Monday paper as subscriptions plummet |url=https://www.stlpr.org/economy-business/2025-10-03/st-louis-post-dispatch-ends-monday-paper-subscriptions-plummet |access-date=2025-11-02 |website=STLPR |language=en |archive-date=October 11, 2025 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20251011073521/https://www.stlpr.org/economy-business/2025-10-03/st-louis-post-dispatch-ends-monday-paper-subscriptions-plummet |url-status=live }}</ref> Later in December, billionaire investor [[Hoffmann Family of Companies|David Hoffmann]] became majority shareholder of Lee Enterprises.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2025-12-30 |title=Lee Enterprises stabilizes finances with $50M investment led by billionaire David Hoffmann |url=https://apnews.com/article/lee-enterprises-newspapers-david-hoffmann-investor-35d45cfd344532c3f01ef2a565785fa1 |access-date=2026-03-21 |website=AP News |language=en |archive-date=March 10, 2026 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20260310125708/https://apnews.com/article/lee-enterprises-newspapers-david-hoffmann-investor-35d45cfd344532c3f01ef2a565785fa1 |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Fenske |first=Sarah |date=2026-01-06 |title=Hoffmann’s takeover of Post-Dispatch parent co. means change—but how much? |url=https://www.stlmag.com/news/hoffmann-takeover-lee-enterprises/ |access-date=2026-03-21 |website=St. Louis Magazine |language=en-US |archive-date=March 6, 2026 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20260306022208/https://www.stlmag.com/news/hoffmann-takeover-lee-enterprises/ |url-status=live }}</ref>

In a February 2026 ''[[St. Louis Business Journal]]'' event, majority stockholder [[Hoffmann Family of Companies|David Hoffmann]] announced intention to move company headquarters to [[Davenport, Iowa]], and remarked that the newspaper was "a little too left" in news reporting and editorials.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Barr |first=Diana |last2=Kirn |first2=Jacob |date=2026-02-05 |title=New Lee Chairman Hoffmann says Post-Dispatch 'a little too left,' vows to move it to the middle |url=https://www.bizjournals.com/stlouis/news/2026/02/05/david-hoffmann-takes-control-lee-enterprises.html |access-date=2026-02-06 |website=St. Louis Business Journal |language=en-US}}</ref> Hoffmann purchased a majority share of Lee Enterprises after reportedly being unhappy with the ''Post-Dispatch''<nowiki/>'s coverage of how Hoffmann's controversial $100 million investment plan to revitalize [[Augusta, Missouri]], which included helicopter tours and a new golf course, collapsed and resulted in numerous lawsuits.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Grone |first=Jack |date=2026-03-06 |title=Post-Dispatch journalists left wondering what changes David Hoffmann has in store |url=https://gatewayjr.org/post-dispatch-journalists-left-wondering-what-changes-david-hoffmann-has-in-store/ |access-date=2026-03-12 |website=Gateway Journalism Review |language=en-US}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Krull |first=Ryan |date=2024-10-17 |title=Hoffmann has an eye on the Post-Dispatch after big spend in Augusta |url=https://www.stlmag.com/news/hoffmann-has-an-eye-on-the-post-dispatch-after-big-spend-in-/ |access-date=2026-03-12 |website=St. Louis Magazine |language=en-US |archive-date=April 17, 2026 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20260417002816/https://www.stlmag.com/news/hoffmann-has-an-eye-on-the-post-dispatch-after-big-spend-in-/ |url-status=live }}</ref>

In March 2026, the ''Post-Dispatch'' started publishing AI-generated content under the direction of the new leadership.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Grone |first=Jack |date=2026-03-06 |title=Post-Dispatch moves print deadlines earlier, launches AI-generated content |url=https://gatewayjr.org/post-dispatch-moves-print-deadlines-forward-launches-ai-generated-content/ |access-date=2026-03-12 |website=Gateway Journalism Review |language=en-US |archive-date=March 9, 2026 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20260309183250/https://gatewayjr.org/post-dispatch-moves-print-deadlines-forward-launches-ai-generated-content/ |url-status=live }}</ref>

=== Endorsements for U.S. president === {| class="wikitable" |+ !Year !endorsement for president (*lost) !party |- |1972 |[[George McGovern|George McGovern*]] |[[Democratic Party (United States)|Democratic]] |- |1976 |[[Jimmy Carter]] |[[Democratic Party (United States)|Democratic]] |- |1980 |[[Jimmy Carter]]* |[[Democratic Party (United States)|Democratic]] |- |1984 |[[Walter Mondale]]* |[[Democratic Party (United States)|Democratic]] |- |1988 |[[Michael Dukakis]]* |[[Democratic Party (United States)|Democratic]] |- |1992 |[[Bill Clinton]] |[[Democratic Party (United States)|Democratic]] |- |1996 |[[Bill Clinton]] |[[Democratic Party (United States)|Democratic]] |- |2000 |[[Al Gore]] |[[Democratic Party (United States)|Democratic]] |- |2004 |[[John Kerry]]* |[[Democratic Party (United States)|Democratic]] |- |2008 |[[Barack Obama]] |[[Democratic Party (United States)|Democratic]] |- |2012 |[[Barack Obama]] |[[Democratic Party (United States)|Democratic]] |- |2016 |[[Hillary Clinton]]* |[[Democratic Party (United States)|Democratic]] |- |2020 |[[Joe Biden]] |[[Democratic Party (United States)|Democratic]] |}

==Circulation== Circulation dropped for the daily paper from 213,472 to 191,631 and then 178,801 for the two years after 2010, ending on September 30, 2011, and September 30, 2012, respectively. The Sunday paper also decreased from 401,427 to 332,825 and then to 299,227.<ref name="2012 Circ">As of September&nbsp;30, 2012 {{cite web |title=2012 Top Media Outlets: Newspapers, Blogs, Consumer Magazines, Social Networks, and Websites |publisher=BurrellesLuce |url=http://www.burrellesluce.com/resources/top_media_outlets |date=January 2013 |access-date=March 21, 2013 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130322234837/http://www.burrellesluce.com/resources/top_media_outlets |archive-date=March 22, 2013 }}</ref> The circulation as of September 30, 2016, was 98,104 daily and 157,543 on Sunday.<ref name=Sep2016>{{cite web|url=https://www.bizjournals.com/stlouis/news/2020/01/29/post-dispatch-parent-makes-140m-acquisition.html|title=Post-Dispatch parent makes $140M acquisition|work=[[St. Louis Business Journal]]|date=January 29, 2020|url-status=live|access-date=April 20, 2021|archive-date=June 20, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210620071808/https://www.bizjournals.com/stlouis/news/2020/01/29/post-dispatch-parent-makes-140m-acquisition.html}}</ref>

According to a 2017 press release from Lee Enterprises, the paper reaches more than 792,600 readers each week and stltoday.com has roughly 67 million page views a month.<ref>{{Cite news|url=http://lee.net/news/st-louis-post-dispatch-named-lee-s-enterprise-of-the/article_8568c096-dc3b-11e7-99c4-438f190028f8.html|title=St. Louis Post-Dispatch named Lee's 2017 Enterprise of the Year|work=Lee Enterprises|access-date=2018-07-01|language=en|archive-date=November 5, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181105205422/http://lee.net/news/st-louis-post-dispatch-named-lee-s-enterprise-of-the/article_8568c096-dc3b-11e7-99c4-438f190028f8.html|url-status=live}}</ref>

==Weatherbird== [[File:Post-Dispatch_Weatherbiird,_first_appearance.png|thumb|right|120px|First appearance of the Weatherbird, February 11, 1901]] {{main|Weatherbird}} On February 11, 1901, the paper introduced a front-page feature called the "Weatherbird", a cartoon bird accompanying the daily weather forecast. "Weatherbird" is the oldest continuously published cartoon in the United States. Created by [[Harry B. Martin]], who drew it through 1903, it has since been drawn by [[Oscar Chopin]] (1903–1910); [[S. Carlisle Martin]] (1910–1932); [[Amadee Wohlschlaeger]] (1932–1981); [[Albert_Schweitzer_(artist)|Albert Schweitzer]], the first one to draw the Weatherbird in color (1981–1986); and [[Dan_Martin_(cartoonist)|Dan Martin]] (1986–present).<ref name=Library>{{cite web |url=https://www.stlouis-mo.gov/news-media/newsgram/a-tribute-to-amadee.cfm |title=St. Louis Public Library UPDATE: A Tribute to Amadee |date=September 4, 2014 |publisher=St. Louis Public Library, City of St. Louis |access-date=September 8, 2016 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160915124257/https://www.stlouis-mo.gov/news-media/newsgram/a-tribute-to-amadee.cfm |archive-date=September 15, 2016 }}</ref>

== Notable people == *[[Jerry Berger]], society columnist, 1980–2004 * [[Bob Broeg]], Hall of Fame baseball writer, 1946–2004 * [[Jacob Burck]], political cartoonist, 1937–1938 * Cole Charles Campbell, editor, 1996–2000<ref>Johnston, David Cay (January 8, 2007), [https://www.nytimes.com/2007/01/08/business/media/08campbell.html ""] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170609042357/http://www.nytimes.com/2007/01/08/business/media/08campbell.html |date=2017-06-09 }}. ''The New York Times''</ref> * [[Oscar Chopin]], cartoonist, 1903–1910 * [[Richard Dudman]], national affairs correspondent and Washington bureau chief, 1950–1981 *[[Daniel R. Fitzpatrick]] *[[Derrick Goold]], author and sportswriter * [[Rick Hummel]], Hall of Fame baseball writer, 1971–2023 * [[Clair Kenamore]], foreign correspondent, telegraph editor, feature writer and Sunday magazine editor, early 20th century * [[Joe Mahr]], Pulitzer Prize–winning investigative journalist, 2006–2009 * [[Rose Marion]] ({{circa}} 1875–1947), feature writer * [[Dan Martin (cartoonist)|Dan Martin]], [[Weatherbird]] cartoonist *[[Harry B. Martin]], cartoonist and golf writer *[[S. Carlisle Martin]], cartoonist and illustrator * [[Marguerite Martyn]], reporter and artist ({{circa}} 1880–1948)<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://stltoday.newspapers.com/image/138139192/|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20161221233055/https://stltoday.newspapers.com/image/138139192/?terms=Marguerite%2BMartyn|url-status=dead|title=St. Louis Post-Dispatch 17 Apr 1948, page Page 5|archivedate=December 21, 2016|website=Newspapers.com}}</ref> *[[Bill Mauldin]], cartoonist * [[Bernie Miklasz]], sports columnist, 1985–2015 * [[Robert Minor]], political cartoonist, 1907–1911 * [[Joseph Pulitzer]], publisher * [[Charlie Ross (journalist)|Charlie Ross]], chief Washington correspondent and editor, 1918–1945 * [[Neal Russo]], baseball writer, 1947–1990 * [[Albert Schweitzer (artist)|Albert Schweitzer]], cartoonist * [[Elaine Viets]], columnist, 1975–2000 * [[Rosa Kershaw Walker]] society column, 1870s * [[Joe Williams (film critic)|Joe Williams]], film critic, 1996–2015 *[[Amadee Wohlschlaeger]], sports and Weatherbird cartoonist * [[William Woo]], journalist and editor-in-chief, 1962–1996

==See also== {{Portal|United States|Journalism}} *''[[St. Louis Globe-Democrat]]'', a major competing St. Louis daily newspaper, located one block away on the same street, closed in 1986 * ''[[St. Louis Sun]]'', a short-lived competing daily newspaper started in 1989 * [[100 Neediest Cases]], an annual charitable giving campaign sponsored in part by the ''Post-Dispatch'' * ''[[Riverfront Times]]'', a former St. Louis weekly newspaper * [[Sporting News|''The Sporting News'']], a sports magazine that was started in St. Louis {{Clear}}

==References== {{reflist|30em}}

==Further reading== *[[Jim McWilliams]], ''Mark Twain in the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, 1874–1891'' (Troy, New York: Whitston Publishing Company, 1997). * Merrill, John C. and Harold A. Fisher. ''The world's great dailies: profiles of fifty newspapers'' (1980) pp 286–93 *[[Daniel W. Pfaff]], ''Joseph Pulitzer II and the Post-Dispatch: A Newspaperman's Life'' (University Park: Pennsylvania State University Press, 1991). *[[Julian S. Rammelkamp]], ''Pulitzer's Post-Dispatch, 1878–1883'' (Princeton, New Jersey: Princeton University Press, 1967). *[[Charlie Ross (journalist)|Charles G. Ross]] and [[Carlos F. Hurd]], ''The Story of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch'' (St. Louis: Pulitzer Publishing, 1944). *''The St. Louis Post-Dispatch as Appraised by Ten Distinguished Americans'' (St. Louis, 1926). *[[Orrick Johns]], ''Time of Our Lives: The Story of My Father and Myself'', (New York, 1937). [[George Sibley Johns]], father of the author, was editor of the ''Post-Dispatch'' for many years, and was the last of Joseph Pulitzer's "Fighting Editors". *[[Dan Martin (journalist)|Dan Martin]], ''The story of the First 100 Years of the ''St. Louis Post Dispatch ''Weatherbird'' (St. Louis, 2001).

==External links== * {{official website}} * [https://stltoday.newspapers.com ''St. Louis Post-Dispatch'' Archive (1874–present)] * [https://archives.lib.umd.edu/repositories/2/resources/505 ''St. Louis Post-Dispatch'' photographs] at the [[University of Maryland Libraries]]

=== Finding aids at the St. Louis Public Library === * {{Cite archive |access-date= Oct 2021 |collection-url= http://rbsc.slpl.org/MA_Post_Dispatch.pdf |collection= St. Louis Post-Dispatch |institution= St. Louis Public Library (SLPL) |location= Manuscript stacks, row 12 |first1= Frank |last1= Absher |date= Dec 2014 |series= 1878-2014 |type= Manuscripts, publications, pamphlets, advertising, marketing, ephemera }} * {{Cite archive |access-date= Oct 2021 |collection-url= http://rbsc.slpl.org/MA_P_D_Notebook.pdf |collection= Post-Dispatch Notebook |institution= SLPL |location= Manuscript stacks, row 13 |first1= Jim |last1= Short |date= May 2014 |series= 1950-1957 }} * {{Cite archive |access-date= Oct 2021 |collection-url= http://rbsc.slpl.org/MA_P_D_TV_Magazine.pdf |collection= St. Louis Post-Dispatch TV Magazine |institution= SLPL |location= Manuscript stacks, row 12 |first1= Vivian |last1= Kuchner |date= June 2014 |series= 1956-1981 }}

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