Merced Sun-Star
Encyclopedia
The Merced Sun-Star is a daily broadsheet
newspaper
printed in Merced, California
, in the United States
. It has an estimated circulation of 20,000 copies. The newspaper is published every day except for Sundays.
, which purchased it in 2004 along with five non-dailes in Atwater
, Chowchilla
, Livingston
, Los Banos
, and Oakhurst
.
The Sun-Stars executive editor is Mike Tharp.
The paper is the county's only daily newspaper.
The newspaper won its second APME award (this one in the First Amendment category) in 2009 after it exposed a series of racist emails sent by an Atwater city councilman. News story about the award.
Broadsheet
Broadsheet is the largest of the various newspaper formats and is characterized by long vertical pages . The term derives from types of popular prints usually just of a single sheet, sold on the streets and containing various types of material, from ballads to political satire. The first broadsheet...
newspaper
Newspaper
A newspaper is a scheduled publication containing news of current events, informative articles, diverse features and advertising. It usually is printed on relatively inexpensive, low-grade paper such as newsprint. By 2007, there were 6580 daily newspapers in the world selling 395 million copies a...
printed in Merced, California
Merced, California
Merced is a city in, and the county seat of, Merced County, California in the San Joaquin Valley of Northern California. As of the 2010 census, the city had a population of 78,958. Incorporated in 1889, Merced is a charter city that operates under a council-manager government...
, in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. It has an estimated circulation of 20,000 copies. The newspaper is published every day except for Sundays.
History
The Merced Sun-Star evolved from the San Joaquin Valley Argus, a weekly newspaper based in the nearby city of Snelling which began publishing the paper in 1869. The Argus merged with the Merced Journal in 1890 to become the Merced County Sun. In 1925 another consolidation created the Merced Sun-Star.http://www.ucmerced.edu/news_articles/09242002_merced_sun_star_professorship.asp The newspaper was acquired by the McClatchy Company Newspapers. Currently, the Sun-Star has more than 120 employees that prepare both a print newspaper and an online version.Ownership
The Merced Sun-Star is owned by The McClatchy CompanyThe McClatchy Company
The McClatchy Company is a publicly traded American publishing company based in Sacramento, California. It operates 30 daily newspapers in 15 states and has an average weekday circulation of 2.2 million and Sunday circulation of 2.8 million...
, which purchased it in 2004 along with five non-dailes in Atwater
Atwater, California
Atwater is a city on U.S. Route 99 in Merced County, California, United States. Atwater is west-northwest of Merced, at an elevation of 151 feet . The population as of the 2010 census was 28,168.-Geography:...
, Chowchilla
Chowchilla, California
Chowchilla is a city in Madera County, California, United States. Chowchilla is located northwest of Madera, at an elevation of 240 feet . It is a principal city of the Madera–Chowchilla Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 18,720 at the 2010 census, up from 11,127 at the 2000...
, Livingston
Livingston, California
Livingston is a city in Merced County, California. Livingston is located west-northwest of Atwater, at an elevation of 131 feet . According to the 2010 census, the city population was 13,058, up from 10,473 at the 2000 census. Livingston's total area is , including undeveloped farmland annexed in...
, Los Banos
Los Banos, California
Los Banos is a city in Merced County, California, near the junction of State Route 152 and Interstate 5. Los Banos is located southwest of Merced, at an elevation of 118 feet . The population was 35,972 at the 2010 census, up from 25,869 at the 2000 census...
, and Oakhurst
Oakhurst, California
Oakhurst is a census-designated place in Madera County, California, south of the entrance to Yosemite National Park, in the foothills of the Sierra Nevada mountain range. Oakhurst is located on the Fresno River south-southwest of Yosemite Forks, at an elevation of 2274 feet...
.
The Sun-Stars executive editor is Mike Tharp.
The paper is the county's only daily newspaper.
Awards
The newspaper has become known for its investigative journalism. A series of articles exposing wrongdoing by the local district attorney ended in the DA's resignation and garnered the newspaper a national Associated Press Managing Editors Association public service award. http://www.mercedsunstar.com/reports/da/story/12574784p-13284188c.html The stories also won a California First Amendment Coalition Beacon Award, among other distinctions.http://www.mercedsunstar.com/reports/story/12965345p-13618037c.htmlThe newspaper won its second APME award (this one in the First Amendment category) in 2009 after it exposed a series of racist emails sent by an Atwater city councilman. News story about the award.