Editing Hartford Courant

{{Short description|Daily newspaper in Connecticut, US}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=February 2025}}
{{Infobox newspaper
| name = Hartford Courant
| logo = Hartford Courant.svg
| image = File:Front page of the Hartford Courant, March 28, 2024.png
| caption = Front page of the March 28, 2024, edition
| type = Daily [[newspaper]]
| format = [[Broadsheet]]
| foundation = {{Start date and age|1764|10|29}}<br />(as the ''Connecticut Courant'')
| owners = [[Tribune Publishing]]
| editor = Helen Bennett
| headquarters = PO Box 569<br />[[Hartford, Connecticut|Hartford]], [[Connecticut|CT]] 06141
| circulation = 92,998 Daily<br />135,609 Sunday
| circulation_date = 2018
| circulation_ref = <ref>{{cite web|url= https://www.hartfordcourantmediagroup.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/7/2018/08/Hartford-Courant-Media-Group_Media-Kit-2018.pdf |title=Hartford Courant Media Kit}}</ref>
| ISSN = 1047-4153
| oclc = 8807834
| website = {{official website|https://courant.com|courant.com}}
| publishing_country = United States
}}

The '''''Hartford Courant''''' is the largest daily [[newspaper]] in the [[U.S. state]] of [[Connecticut]], and is advertised as the oldest continuously published newspaper in the [[United States]]. A morning newspaper serving most of the state north of [[New Haven]] and east of [[Waterbury, Connecticut|Waterbury]], its headquarters on Broad Street in [[Hartford, Connecticut]] was a short walk from the [[Connecticut State Capitol|state capitol]]. It reports regional news with a chain of bureaus in smaller cities and a series of local editions. It also operates ''[[CTNow]]'', a free local weekly newspaper and website.

The ''Courant'' began as a weekly called the '''''Connecticut Courant''''' on October 29, 1764, becoming daily in 1837. In 1979, it was bought by the [[Times Mirror Company]].  In 2000, Times Mirror was acquired by the [[Tribune Company]], which later combined the paper's management and facilities with those of a Tribune-owned Hartford [[WTIC-TV|television station]].  The ''Courant'' and other Tribune print properties were spun off to a new corporate parent, [[Tribune Publishing]], separate from the station, in 2014. ''[[Tribune Publishing]]'' agreed in May 2021 to be acquired by [[Alden Global Capital]], which operates its media properties through [[Digital First Media]]. The transaction was finalized on May 25, 2021.<ref name="nprsale">{{cite news |last1=Folkenflik |first1=David |title='Vulture' Fund Alden Global, Known For Slashing Newsrooms, Buys Tribune Papers |url=https://www.npr.org/2021/05/21/998730863/vulture-fund-alden-global-known-for-slashing-newsrooms-buys-tribune-papers |access-date=May 21, 2021 |publisher=NPR |date=May 21, 2021}} {{cite news |last1=Chicago Tribune Staff |title=Tribune Publishing ends discussions with Maryland hotel executive, moving forward with hedge fund Alden's bid for newspaper chain |url=https://www.chicagotribune.com/business/ct-biz-tribune-publishing-alden-sale-20210419-uqlp6yjxvbdhlkd2yjanh6thre-story.html |access-date=April 20, 2021 |publisher=Chicago Tribune |date=April 19, 2021}}. {{cite news |last1=Tracy |first1=Marc |title=Hedge Fund Reaches a Deal to Buy Tribune Publishing |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2021/02/16/business/media/alden-tribune-newspaper-sale.html |access-date=February 17, 2021 |work=[[The New York Times]] |date=February 16, 2021}}. {{cite news |last1=Feder |first1=Robert |title='Sad, sobering day' for Chicago Tribune as Alden wins takeover bid |url=https://www.robertfeder.com/2021/05/21/sad-sobering-day-chicago-tribune-alden-wins-takeover-bid/ |access-date=May 23, 2021 |date=May 21, 2021}}</ref>

==Origins and leading figures==
[[Image:PostcardHartfordCourant1898to1901.jpg|thumb|left|Courant building on State Street (about 1900)]]

According to the Library of Congress' database of U.S. newspapers, the origins of the ''Hartford Courant'' intertwines with the publication of the weekly ''Connecticut Courant''.<ref>See ''[https://www.loc.gov/item/sn84023856/ Directory of U.S. Newspapers in American Libraries]''.</ref> Founded by Thomas Green, the ''Connecticut Courant'' was first published on October 29, 1764.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://connecticuthistory.org/the-oldest-continuously-published-newspaper-today-in-history/ |title=The Oldest Continuously Published Newspaper – Today in History |website=ConnecticutHistory.org |access-date=2014-01-15}}. See also {{cite news|url=http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1G1-6212003.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140610235722/http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1G1-6212003.html |url-status=dead |archive-date=June 10, 2014 |title=Spiked: how chain management corrupted America's oldest newspaper |periodical=[[The Nation]] |first=Bruce |last=Shapiro |author-link=Bruce Shapiro |date=December 19, 1987 |access-date=January 15, 2014}}. Moreover, {{cite news|url=http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1P2-8193695.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140610234217/http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1P2-8193695.html |url-status=dead |archive-date=June 10, 2014 |title=First Colonial Newspaper Now on Exhibit in Boston |newspaper=[[The Boston Globe]] |publisher=Affiliated Publications |first=Gloria |last=Negri |date=September 26, 1990 |access-date=January 15, 2014}}</ref> In the years following 1774, the title of the paper would be changed to ''The Connecticut Courant and Hartford Weekly Intelligencer'', later simplified to ''The Connecticut Courant, and the Weekly Intelligencer'' (1778 to 1791), then reverted to the original form ''The Connecticut Courant'' from 1791 to 1914, when the publication ceased.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.loc.gov/item/sn82016133/. | title=The Connecticut Courant (Hartford, Conn.) 1778-1778 | website=[[Library of Congress]] }}</ref>

In 1837, John L. Boswell, who had become the printer proprietor of ''The Connecticut Courant'' the previous year (until 1849), also started the publication of ''The Daily Courant''.<ref>See the online [https://www.loc.gov/item/sn82006814/ Directory of U.S. Newspapers in American Libraries] of Library of the Congress. See also "[https://www.courant.com/2014/10/18/chapter-three-a-nation-torn-apart/ Chapter Three: A Nation Torn Apart]", ''Hartford Courant'', October 18, 2014.</ref> In 1840, the title would be changed to ''The Hartford Daily Courant'', to finally become ''The Hartford Courant'' in 1887. Based on the notion that the daily publication was an offshoot of the weekly ''Connecticut Courant'', the newspaper board adopted in 2018 the motto "Older than the nation" as its slogan.<ref>{{cite web |title=THC History |url=http://www.courant.com/about/thc-history,0,4107859.html |website=courant.com}}{{Dead link|date=June 2018|bot=InternetArchiveBot|fix-attempted=no}}</ref>

[[File:Picture of John L. Boswell.jpg|thumb|Picture of John L. Boswell (? - July 30, 1854), founder of the newspaper, originally called ''The Daily Courant'']]

Other newspapers claim to be the oldest in the country. ''[[The New Hampshire Gazette]]'', which started publication in 1756, trademarked the slogan of oldest paper in the nation after being revived as a small biweekly paper in 1989. Prior to 1989, the paper had all but disappeared into other publications for most of the 20th century, which makes the slogan doubtful. The ''[[New York Post]]'' also claims to be the oldest continuously published daily newspaper. However, even though the ''Post'' started daily publishing 35 years before ''The Connecticut Courant'' did, the ''Courant'' existed as a weekly paper for nearly 40 years before the ''New York Post'' was founded, making the ''Courant'' older. Also ''[[The Providence Journal]]'' claims to be the oldest continuously published daily newspaper in the United States: the ''Journal'' began daily publishing 28 years after the ''New York Post'', but some critics point at strikes at the ''Post'' in 1958 and 1978 as breaks in its continuity. Regardless, ''The Connecticut Courant'' existed as a weekly paper for nearly 70 years before ''The Providence Journal'' was founded.<ref>{{cite magazine|url=http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,870976,00.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080414213550/http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,870976,00.html |url-status=dead |archive-date=April 14, 2008 |title=Newspapers: Who's the Oldest What? |magazine=[[Time (magazine)|Time]] |publisher=[[Time Inc.]] |date=May 1, 1964 |access-date=January 15, 2014|format=subscription required}}</ref>

In 1867, [[Joseph Roswell Hawley]], a leading [[Republican Party (United States)|Republican]] politician and former [[governor of Connecticut]], bought the newspaper, which he combined with the ''Press.'' Under his editorship, the ''Courant'' became the most influential newspaper in Connecticut and one of the leading Republican papers in the country.

An eminent figure of the ''Courant'' is [[Emile Gauvreau]], who became a reporter in 1916, and the managing editor in 1919. His energetic and often sensationalistic news style upset [[Charles Hopkins Clark|Charles Clark]], the owner and editor. Clark fired Gauvreau when the journalist refused to stop a series of stories about false [[Medical degree|medical diplomas]]. Gauvreau would become later on a major figure in the [[New York City]] [[Tabloid (newspaper format)|tabloid]] wars of the [[Roaring Twenties]] as the first [[managing editor]] of the [[New York Evening Graphic]] and later managing editor of the [[New York Mirror]].<ref>Emile Gauvreau, ''My Last Million Readers'' (Dutton, 1941)</ref>

Another prominent editor of the ''Courant'' in the 20th century is [[Herbert Brucker]].<ref>Herbert Brucker, ''Journalist, eyewitness to history'' (Macmillan, 1962)</ref>

===Recent history===

The ''Courant'' was purchased in 1979 by [[Times Mirror Company|Times Mirror]], the ''[[Los Angeles Times]]''{{-'}} parent company, for $105.6 million.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Kleinfield |first=N. r |date=1979-07-11 |title=Times Mirror Is Seeking To Buy Hartford Courant |language=en-US |work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1979/07/11/archives/times-mirror-is-seeking-to-buy-hartford-courant-times-mirror-is.html |access-date=2023-01-31 |issn=0362-4331}}</ref> The first years of out-of-town ownership are described by Andrew Kreig, a former ''Courant'' reporter, in a book titled ''Spiked: How Chain Management Corrupted America's Oldest Newspaper.'' <ref name=2007data>{{cite book |author=Andrew Kreig |title=Spiked: How Chain Management Corrupted America's Oldest Newspaper |year=1987 |location=Old Saybrook, Connecticut |publisher=Peregrine Press |isbn=978-0-933614-27-7 |url-access=registration |url=https://archive.org/details/spikedhowchainma00krei }}</ref> One criticism expressed by Kreig is that the new owners were more interested in awards, and less interested in traditional ''Courant'' devotion to exhaustive coverage of local news.

The ''Courant'' won a 1992 [[Pulitzer Prize]] for inquiring into problems with the [[Hubble Space Telescope]] (a Connecticut company was involved in the construction), and it won a 1999 Pulitzer Prize in the Breaking News category for coverage of a 1998 [[Connecticut Lottery shooting|murder-suicide]] that took five lives at [[Connecticut Lottery]] headquarters. A series of articles about sexual abuse by the head of a worldwide Catholic order, published since February 1997, constituted the first denunciation of [[Marciel Maciel]] known to a wider audience.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.courant.com/news/connecticut/hc-marcial-maciel-sg,0,5607762.storygallery |title=Courant Coverage of the Rev. Marciel Maciel Degollado |work=Hartford Courant |access-date=2014-01-15 |archive-date=2013-12-26 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131226212356/http://www.courant.com/news/connecticut/hc-marcial-maciel-sg,0,5607762.storygallery |url-status=dead }} {{Self-published source|date=January 2014}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.elpais.com/articulo/sociedad/aliado/oscuro/Juan/Pablo/II/elpepisoc/20110429elpepisoc_9/Tes |title=El aliado oscuro de Juan Pablo II |work=[[El País]] |date=2011-04-29 |access-date=2014-01-15 |first=Jesús |last=Rodríguez}}</ref>

[[File:The Hartford Courant building in downtown Hartford, seen from I-84 East.jpg|thumb|The current building of the Hartford Courant Co.]]
In 2000, Times Mirror and the ''Courant'' became part of the [[Tribune Company]], one of the world's largest multimedia companies. By then the ''Courant'' had acquired the [[Valley Advocate]] group of "alternative" weeklies started by two former ''Courant'' staff members in 1973.  Tribune also owned two local television stations:  [[Fox Broadcasting Company|Fox]] affiliate [[WTIC-TV]] and [[The CW]] affiliate [[WCCT-TV]].

In 2005, The ''Courant'' became the most recent American newspaper to win the [[Society for News Design]]'s World's Best Designed Newspaper award.<ref>[http://www.medienhandbuch.de/news/die-zeit-worlds-best-designed-newspaper-2004-auszeichnung-erhalten-2328.html "'Die Zeit': World's Best Designed Newspaper 2004 Auszeichnung erhalten"]{{dead link|date=September 2017 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }} March 2, 2005 ''medienhandbuch.de'' accessed May 4, 2010</ref>  In 2006, the paper's investigation into mental health and suicides among Americans serving in the Iraq war was featured in the PBS documentary series ''[[Exposé: America's Investigative Reports]]'' in an episode entitled "Question 7."

In late June 2006, the Tribune Co. announced that ''Courant'' publisher Jack W. Davis Jr. would be replaced by Stephen D. Carver, vice president and general manager of Atlanta, Ga., TV station WATL. In March 2009, Tribune replaced Carver with Richard Graziano, who was given a dual role as Courant publisher and general manager of Tribune's two Hartford television stations.{{Citation needed|date=May 2010}} In May of the same year, Tribune announced that Jeff Levine, a newspaper executive with a background in marketing, would become "director of content" and that the editor or "print platform manager" of the ''Courant'' would report to Levine as would the news director of WTIC-TV. Shortly after that, the ''Courant's'' two highest ranking editors were let go.<ref>Staff, [http://newhavenindependent.org/archives/2009/05/check_out_the_n.php "Check Out The New 'Mr. Content'"] ''New Haven Independent'' May 17, 2009</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.hartfordadvocate.com/article.cfm?aid=13039 |title= CTNOW: Connecticut Events, Concerts, Attractions, Family Fun and More - Hartford Courant|website=www.hartfordadvocate.com |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090523221326/http://www.hartfordadvocate.com/article.cfm?aid=13039 |archive-date=May 23, 2009}}</ref>

After 2010, ''Courant'' has offered early retirement and buyout packages to reduce staff as it continues to experience declines in advertising revenue. There have also been layoffs and reduction in pages.  Newsroom staff peaked in 1994 at close to 400 staff, down to 175 staff by 2008, and 135 staff in 2009.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.courant.com/business/hc-layoffs-courant-20110707,0,4770389.story |title=Courant Trims Newsroom Jobs |first=Kenneth R. |last=Gosselin |newspaper=Hartford Courant |publisher=Tribune Publishing |date=July 7, 2011 }}{{Dead link|date=January 2020 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref>

Tribune Company brought frequent changes in the Courant's top leadership. On November 18, 2013, Tribune appointed Nancy Meyer as publisher, succeeding Rich Graziano who left to become president and general manager of WPIX-TV (PIX11) in New York City.

In 2014, the ''Courant'' purchased the ''[[ReminderNews]]'' chain of weekly newspapers.<ref>{{cite web |date=March 26, 2014 |title=Hartford (CT) Courant to Acquire ReminderNews Publications – Editor & Publisher |url=http://www.editorandpublisher.com/news/hartford-ct-courant-to-acquire-remindernews-publications/ |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160105193222/https://www.editorandpublisher.com/news/hartford-ct-courant-to-acquire-remindernews-publications/ |archive-date=January 5, 2016 |access-date=9 December 2017 |website=[[Editor & Publisher]]}}</ref> The ''Reminder'' name remained on the mastheads of all editions until November 2015, when the papers were redesigned and renamed ''Courant Community''.<ref name=":0">{{Cite web |last1=Dehnel |first1=Chris |last2=Jensen |first2=Tim |date=2024-01-05 |title=Employees 'Announce' Imminent Demise Of Courant Community Papers |url=https://patch.com/connecticut/vernon/employees-announce-imminent-demise-courant-community-papers |access-date=2024-01-10 |website=[[Patch Media]] |language=en}}</ref>

On October 10, 2014, Tribune Company announced the appointment of Rick Daniels as publisher of the Courant, succeeding Nancy Meyer, who was promoted to publisher and CEO of the Orlando Sentinel.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.courant.com/business/hc-new-courant-publisher-rick-daniels-nancy-meyer-20141010-story.html|title=Rick Daniels Named Courant Publisher; Nancy Meyer Leaving For Florida Media Group|first=KENNETH R.|last=GOSSELIN|website=Hartford Courant|publisher=Tribune Publishing|access-date=December 9, 2017}}</ref>

Andrew Julien was named the combined publisher and editor in March 2016, replacing Tom Wiley, who departed after two months.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Gosselin |first1=Ken |title=Julien Named Courant Publisher And Editor-in-Chief In Tribune Shake-Up |url=http://www.courant.com/business/hc-tribune-courant-20160302-story.html |access-date=20 September 2018 |agency=The Hartford Courant |date=March 2, 2016}}</ref>

In 2018, the Hartford Courant joined more than 300 newspapers in releasing editorials in response to President's Trump's anti-media rhetoric, a show of solidarity initiated by [[The Boston Globe]]. "The Hartford Courant joins newspapers from around the country today to reaffirm that the press is not the enemy of the American people.''"'' <ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.courant.com/opinion/editorials/hc-ed-enemy-of-the-american-people-20180810-story.html|title=Editorial: The President Wants You To Think We're The Enemy. Here's What We Really Do|date=16 August 2018 }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://money.cnn.com/2018/08/16/media/free-press-trump-editorials/index.html|title='We are not the enemy': 16 must-read editorials that capture the spirit of a free press|date=16 August 2018}}</ref>

In October 2020, the ''Courant'' announced that it would be discontinuing printing the paper in Hartford and outsourcing future printing to the ''[[Springfield Republican]]'' in Massachusetts.<ref>{{cite news |author=Kenneth R. Gosselin |title=Hartford Courant will outsource printing of newspaper |url=https://www.courant.com/business/hc-biz-courant-outsource-printing-20201019-n4ckr2bcyrev3blpig5xbsst3u-story.html |work=Hartford Courant |date=October 19, 2020 |access-date=2020-10-19 }}</ref>

In December 2020, [[Tribune Publishing]] announced that it would be closing the ''Courant'''s Broad Street newsroom by the end of the year with no current plans to open another.<ref>{{cite news |author=Katie Robertson |title=The Hartford Courant's newsroom is closing down |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2020/12/04/business/media/the-hartford-courants-newsroom-is-closing-down.html |work=[[The New York Times]] |date=December 4, 2020 |access-date=2020-12-04 }}</ref> On its website as of 2023, the ''Courant'' lists its mailing address as 100 Pearl Street in Hartford.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Hartford Courant - Contact Us |url=https://membership.courant.com/contact-us/ |access-date=2023-05-22 |website=membership.courant.com |date=10 January 2023 |language=en}}</ref>

In January 2024, it was announced ''Courant Community'' newspapers was to cease publication on Jan. 18.<ref name=":0" />

== Origins of the title ==

Journalist Denis Edward Horgan suggest that the title could derive from Dutch ''krant''.<ref>
''Flotsam: A Life in Debris'' (Higganum, Conn.: Higganum Hill Books, 2007), 62.</ref> The word, alternatively spelled ''courante'',<ref>{{cite web | url=https://etymologiebank.nl/trefwoord/krant | title=Zoekresultaten }}</ref> would be a contraction of Dutch ''courante nouvellen'', from French ''nouvelles courantes,'' indicating current news articles.<ref>Joop W. Koopmans, ''Early Modern Media and the News in Europe: Perspectives from the Dutch Angle'' (Boston: Brill, 2018), p. 140 and p. 140, n. 7 {{cite book |last1=Koopmans |first1=Joop W. |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=eJByDwAAQBAJ&q=%22courant+is+a+contraction%22&pg=PA140 |title=Early Modern Media and the News in Europe |date=17 September 2018 |publisher=BRILL |isbn=9789004379329}}</ref> However, this Gallicism was already current in the English world and more specifically in the early modern newspaper industry. A case in point is the ''New-England Courant'' (Boston), founded by James Franklin in 1721.<ref>J. A. Leo Lemay, ''The Life of Benjamin Franklin'', Vol. 1, ''Journalist, 1706-1730'' (Philadelphia: University of Pennsylvania Press, 2006 [2005]), 84</ref>

== Current news and editorial board ==

* Executive editor: Helen Bennett
* Managing editor: Kellie Love 
* Content editor: Kaitlin McCallum
* Sports editor: William Dayton

== Awards ==

=== Pulitzer Prize ===
Nancy Tracy of the ''Hartford Courant'' was a 1984 Pulitzer Prize Finalist in Feature Writing for her moving depiction of Meg Casey, a victim of premature aging.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.pulitzer.org/finalists/nancy-tracy|title=1984 Pulitzer Prize Finalist in Feature Writing|website=www.pulitzer.org|language=en|access-date=2018-09-24}}</ref>

Robert S. Capers and Eric Lipton of the Hartford Courant won the 1992 Pulitzer Prize in Explanatory Journalism for their series on how a flawed mirror built at Connecticut's Perkin-Elmer Corporation immobilized the [[Hubble Space Telescope]].<ref>{{Cite news|url=http://www.courant.com/news/connecticut/hc-xpm-1993-11-28-0000001401-story.html|title=REPAIR OF BLURRY HUBBLE TELESCOPE IS CRITICAL TIME FOR NASA, SCIENCE|last=Writer|first=ROBERT S. CAPERS; Courant Staff|work=courant.com|access-date=2018-09-24|language=en-US}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.pulitzer.org/winners/robert-s-capers-and-eric-lipton|title=1992 Pulitzer Prize in Explanatory Journalism Winner|website=www.pulitzer.org|language=en|access-date=2018-09-24}}</ref>

The Hartford Courant Staff won the 1999 Pulitzer Prize in Breaking News Reporting for its coverage of a shooting rampage in which a state lottery employee killed four supervisors then himself.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.pulitzer.org/winners/staff-42|title=Pulitzer Winner|website=www.pulitzer.org|language=en|access-date=2018-09-24}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.cnn.com/US/9803/08/lottery.killings/index.html|title=CNN - Lottery gunman's parents: 'We love you Matt -- but why?' - Mar. 8, 1998|website=www.cnn.com|access-date=2018-09-24}}</ref>

Reporters Mike McIntire and Jack Dolan of the Hartford Courant were 2001 Pulitzer Prize Finalists in Investigative Reporting for their work in revealing the mistakes of practicing doctors who have faced disciplinary action.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.pulitzer.org/finalists/mike-mcintire-and-jack-dolan|title=Finalists Mike McIntire and Jack Dolan|last=Finalists|website=www.pulitzer.org|language=en|access-date=2018-09-24}}</ref>

Photojournalist Brad Clift was a 2003 Pulitzer Prize Finalist in Feature Photography for his photo series "Heroin Town", which depicted heroin use in [[Willimantic, Connecticut|Willimantic]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.pulitzer.org/finalists/brad-clift|title=Finalist: Brad Clift of Hartford Courant|website=pulitzer.org}}</ref>

Lisa Chedekel and Matthew Kauffman of the Hartford Courant were 2007 Pulitzer Prize Finalists in Investigative Reporting for their in-depth reporting on suicide rates among American soldiers in Iraq which led to congressional and military action addressing the issues raised in the series.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.pulitzer.org/finalists/lisa-chedekel-and-matthew-kauffman|title=Finalist: Lisa Chedekel and Matthew Kauffman of Hartford Courant}}</ref>

The Hartford Courant Staff was a 2013 Pulitzer Prize Finalist for its comprehensive and compassionate coverage of the [[Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.courant.com/news/connecticut/newtown-sandy-hook-school-shooting/hc-gunman-kills-26-at-sandy-hook-school-in-newtown-20130107-story.html|title=Gunman Kills 26 At Sandy Hook School In Newtown|date=14 December 2012 }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.pulitzer.org/finalists/staff-177|title=2013 Finalist: Staff of The Hartford Courant}}</ref> The paper was given exclusive access originally to the investigative files collected by the FBI on the shooter's life, growing up.

==Politics==
The paper endorsed [[George W. Bush]] in both the [[2000 United States presidential election|2000]] and the [[2004 United States presidential election|2004 Presidential elections]].<ref>{{cite web |title=READERS ARE AGHAST AT COURANT'S ENDORSEMENT OF BUSH |url=https://www.courant.com/news/connecticut/hc-xpm-2000-10-31-0010312071-story.html |website=courant.com |date=31 October 2000 |publisher=Hartford Courant |access-date=13 August 2022}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=2004 Courant Bush Endorsement |url=https://www.courant.com/opinion/editorials/hc-2004bushendorse-1024-story.html |website=courant.com |date=24 October 2004 |publisher=Hartford Courant |access-date=13 August 2022}}</ref>

In the 2012 Presidential Election, the ''Courant'' endorsed [[Barack Obama|President Barack Obama]] for a second term over Republican [[Mitt Romney]].<ref>{{cite web |title=Obama Deserves A Second Term |url=https://www.courant.com/opinion/editorials/hc-xpm-2012-10-26-hc-ed-obama-endorsement-1028-20121026-story.html |website=courant.com |date=26 October 2012 |publisher=The Hartford Courant |access-date=9 February 2020}}</ref>

The ''Courant'' weighed in on the contentious and antagonistic 2016 Presidential Election, endorsing Democrat [[Hillary Clinton]] over Republican candidate [[Donald Trump]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.courant.com/opinion/editorials/hc-ed-courant-endorses-hillary-clinton-20161006-story.html|title=ICYMI Editorial: The Courant Endorses Hillary Clinton|date=5 November 2016 }}</ref>

In August 2018 the ''Courant'' endorsed [[Ned Lamont]] in the Democratic primary as the only "credible" choice compared to rival [[Joe Ganim]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.courant.com/opinion/editorials/hc-ed-courant-endorses-lamont-of-2010-story.html|title=Editorial: Our Nod For Democratic Nominee Goes To (The Old) Ned Lamont|date=5 August 2018 }}</ref> The ''Courant'' went on to endorse independent candidate [[Oz Griebel]] in the general election.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.courant.com/opinion/editorials/hc-ed-courant-endorses-oz-griebel-for-governor-20181022-story.html|title=Editorial: The Courant Endorses Oz Griebel For Governor|date=28 October 2018 }}</ref>

For the 2020 Presidential Election, The ''Courant'' weighed in, endorsing Democrat [[Joe Biden]] over Republican candidate [[Donald Trump]]. The Courant took a stronger stance in its 2020 endorsement against Trump than it did in 2016, arguing that a vote for Trump was a vote for racism.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.courant.com/opinion/editorials/hc-ed-presidential-endorsement-2020-20201018-rqapfry7zvejdesonlcwzpwu7a-story.html|title=Courant Presidential Endorsement: You probably think you can vote for Donald Trump but not support racism; here's why you're wrong|date=18 October 2020 }}</ref>

==Controversies==

===Sleepy's===
In August 2009, the ''Courant'' attracted controversy over its firing of George Gombossy, a 40-year veteran of the paper and its consumer advocate at the time. Gombossy charged that the ''Courant'' had [[Spike (journalism)|spiked]] an article he had written about an ongoing investigation by the [[Connecticut Attorney General|Connecticut attorney general]] accusing [[Sleepy's]] (a major advertiser in the paper) of selling used and bedbug-infested mattresses as new.<ref>[http://thelaurelct.com/2009/08/07/hartford-courant-losing-its-watchdog/ Hartford Courant losing its watchdog] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090813200110/http://thelaurelct.com/2009/08/07/hartford-courant-losing-its-watchdog/ |date=2009-08-13 }}, The Laurel newspaperman's blog, retrieved August 17, 2009.</ref><ref>[http://consumerist.com/5338201/hartford-courant-consumer-columnist-fired-for-pissing-off-advertiser Hartford Courant Consumer Columnist Fired For Pissing Off Advertiser] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091008224315/http://consumerist.com/5338201/hartford-courant-consumer-columnist-fired-for-pissing-off-advertiser |date=2009-10-08 }}, Consumerist blog, retrieved August 17, 2009.</ref><ref>[https://www.nytimes.com/2009/08/18/business/media/18courant.html Hartford Courant lays off consumer columnist], The New York Times, retrieved August 24, 2009</ref>

Gombossy's lawsuit against the ''Courant'' was thrown out by a [[Connecticut Superior Court]] judge in July 2010.  In his decision, Judge Marshall K. Berger Jr. remarked that newspaper owners and editors have a "paramount" right to "control [the] content of their papers," further observing that in his role at the ''Courant'', Gombossy had "no constitutional right to publish anything."<ref>[https://www.courant.com/2010/07/02/judge-dismisses-former-columnists-lawsuit-against-the-courant-2/ Judge Dismisses Former Columnist's Lawsuit Against The ''Courant''], The Hartford Courant, retrieved July 6, 2010.</ref>

However, Gombossy's attorneys filed a second complaint, and Judge Berger reinstated the complaint.  The case headed to trial in the fall of 2011. "In late 2011 the suit was resolved," according to Gombossy's CTWatchdog website.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://ctwatchdog.com/about-2 | title=About CTWatchdog - National Consumer News &#124; Educating and helping U.S. Consumers &#124; Disclose Fraudulent Advertising &#124; Providing News on Lowest Prescription Prices &#124; | date=21 May 2021 }}</ref>

===Plagiarism===
In September 2009 the ''Courant's'' publisher, Richard Graziano, publicly apologized as the newspaper accepted a plagiarism charge.  Competitors had accused the ''Courant'' of taking its content without permission and refusing to give proper credit.<ref>{{cite web|author=Richard J. Graziano|year=2009|title=Courant Apologizes For Plagiarism|publisher=Courant.com|access-date=2009-09-03|url=http://www.courant.com/news/opinion/hc-courant-apology-plagiarism-090309,0,1524843.story|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090905173545/http://www.courant.com/news/opinion/hc-courant-apology-plagiarism-090309%2C0%2C1524843.story|archive-date=2009-09-05}}</ref><ref>[https://www.editorandpublisher.com/news/hartford-courant-admits-plagiarism-offers-apology/ Hartford Courant Admits Plagiarism, Offers Apology] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190730145341/https://www.editorandpublisher.com/news/hartford-courant-admits-plagiarism-offers-apology/ |date=2019-07-30 }} Editor and Publisher.</ref>

===Website blockage in the European Union===
In 2018, the ''Hartford Courant'' began [[geo-blocking|banning users of the internet]] in the [[European Union]] from accessing its website because of its absence of [[General Data Protection Regulation|data protection]] compliance.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Hern |first1=Alex |last2=Belam |first2=Martin |title=LA Times among US-based news sites blocking EU users due to GDPR |url=https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2018/may/25/gdpr-us-based-news-websites-eu-internet-users-la-times |access-date=24 September 2021 |work=The Guardian |date=25 May 2018 |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last1=Duraj |first1=Maciej |title=How the Internet Is Being Restricted & Handicapped Based on Geographic Data |url=https://maciejduraj-75226.medium.com/how-the-internet-is-being-restricted-handicapped-based-on-geographic-data-232eea088f74 |access-date=24 September 2021 |work=Medium |date=4 June 2020 |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |author1=PennRobotics |title=It's been three years. Stop saying your European visitors are important to you |url=https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=27854663 |website=Hacker News |access-date=24 September 2021 |date=16 July 2021}}</ref>

==References==
{{Reflist|30em}}

==Further reading==
* McNulty, J. Bard. ''Older than the Nation: The Story of the'' Hartford Courant (1964).
* Smith, J. Eugene. ''100 Years of Hartford's'' Courant'': From Colonial Times through the Civil War'' (1949).

==External links==
*[https://www.cjr.org/tools/owners/ ''Columbia Journalism Review's'' "Who Owns What" page about media companies.]
*https://twitter.com/hartfordcourant
*[https://www.youtube.com/user/hartfordcourantnews/featured hartfordcourantnews on YouTube]

{{Tronc, Inc.}}
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Hartford Courant, The}}
[[Category:Newspapers published in Connecticut]]
[[Category:Mass media in Hartford, Connecticut]]
[[Category:Tribune Publishing]]
[[Category:Companies based in Hartford, Connecticut]]
[[Category:Publications established in 1764]]
[[Category:1764 establishments in Connecticut]]
[[Category:Works involved in plagiarism controversies]]
[[Category:Pulitzer Prize–winning newspapers]]
[[Category:Newspapers of colonial America]]