Comprehensive guide to Delaware's daily newspapers, weekly publications, and community news sources. Since 1785, when the Delaware Gazette began publication in Wilmington, Delaware's newspapers have documented the First State's history serving approximately 1 million residents across three counties—New Castle, Kent, and Sussex.
22
Total Newspapers
2
Daily Newspapers
3
Counties Served
3.4M+
Historic Pages Archived
Historical Note: Delaware's first regular newspaper, the Delaware Gazette, began publication in 1785 in Wilmington. The state has only two daily newspapers but more than a dozen weekly and community publications serving its three counties.
Daily Newspapers
The News Journal
Location: Wilmington (New Castle County)
Founded: 1866 (ancestry dates to October 1, 1866)
Circulation: 26,550 daily / 39,375 Sunday
Ownership: Gannett
Coverage: Statewide daily with significant reach across northern Delaware
Historical Significance: Wilmington's leading daily broadsheet, only statewide daily newspaper
History: Complex lineage including Daily Commercial (1866), Every Evening (absorbed Daily Commercial 1877), Evening Journal (1888, owned by Du Pont family), merged in 1933
Du Pont Ownership: Du Pont family owned The Morning News and The Evening Journal for most of 20th century
Gannett Acquisition: Purchased from Du Pont in 1979
Recent Changes: Took over six former GateHouse Media weekly newspapers in 2020 merger
Independence: Independent since 1902, bills itself as "The Capital Daily"
Coverage: Dover, Kent County, and Sussex County—downstate Delaware's dominant daily
Historical Milestone: Became first daily newspaper in Delaware outside of Wilmington on September 14, 1953
Ownership History: Bernard "Jack" Smyth purchased the Delaware State News and a competing weekly in 1953 for $40,000, transformed it into daily newspaper
Notable: One of the leading Delaware newspapers for the area for over 110 years
Dover Post (Historical)
Location: Dover
Status: Absorbed into News Journal network after 2020 Gannett-GateHouse merger
Current Format: Publishes daily online at doverpost.com
Coverage: City of Dover and Kent County news and updates
Note: No longer exists as independent publication; content now mainly generated by News Journal and USA Today
Middletown Transcript (Historical)
Location: Middletown
Format: Weekly Thursday editions
Coverage: Middletown and southern New Castle County
Status: Absorbed into News Journal after 2020 merger, no longer independent publication
Hockessin Community News (Historical)
Location: Hockessin
Format: Hyper-local weekly
Coverage: Hockessin and Pike Creek, focused on grassroots reporting
Status: Absorbed into News Journal after 2020 merger, no longer independent publication
Smyrna-Clayton Sun Times (Historical)
Coverage: Smyrna and Clayton areas
Status: Absorbed into News Journal after 2020 merger, no longer independent publication
Kent County Publications
Milford Chronicle
Location: Milford
Ownership: Independent Newsmedia
Format: Weekly, published Thursdays
Circulation: Approximately 9,000 weekly
Coverage: Milford, Harrington, Felton, and adjacent Sussex communities
Milford Beacon (Historical)
Status: Absorbed into News Journal after 2020 merger, no longer independent publication
Sussex County Publications
Cape Gazette
Location: Lewes
Founded: 1993 by publisher Dennis Forney and editor Trish Vernon
Ownership: Independently owned and operated (sold to general manager Chris Rausch in 2021)
Format: Twice-weekly community broadsheet
Publication Days: Tuesday and Friday
Circulation: 23,000+ copies each week
Coverage: Cape Region (Rehoboth Beach, Lewes, Milton, Dewey Beach)—radiating north, west, and south from Cape Henlopen where Delaware Bay meets Atlantic Ocean
Background: Founded after local weekly The Whale converted to daily with less community focus
Recognition: Member of Maryland Delaware D.C. Press Association (MDDC), regularly recognized at annual MDDC Editorial and Advertising Contests
Reputation: Widely respected for complete coverage of events and fair, impartial local reporting
Publication: One issue per semester, in conjunction with fashion events
Delaware State University
The Hornet Newspaper - Student newspaper for Delaware State University in Dover
Newspaper Ownership in Delaware
Gannett (Dominant Publisher)
Gannett is the dominant newspaper owner in Delaware, controlling the majority of publications:
Daily Newspapers: The News Journal (Wilmington)
Acquired Weekly Newspapers (2020): Dover Post, Milford Beacon, Sussex Countian/Living, Middletown Transcript, Smyrna-Clayton Sun Times, Hockessin Community News
Delmarva Now Network: Delaware Wave, Delaware Coast Press
Regional Coverage: Daily Times (covers Sussex County from Salisbury, Maryland)
Gannett-GateHouse Merger Impact
2019: GateHouse Media acquired Gannett, renamed merged company Gannett, became largest U.S. newspaper publisher
2020: News Journal took over six former GateHouse Media weekly newspapers in Delaware
Consolidation Impact: Dover Post, Milford Beacon, Sussex Countian/Living, Middletown Transcript, Smyrna-Clayton Sun Times, and Hockessin Community News no longer exist as independent publications
Content Integration: Six weeklies' content now mainly generated by News Journal and USA Today
Workforce Decline: Gannett's workforce declined from approximately 25,000 employees (November 2019) to 11,200 (end of 2022)
Independent Publishers
Independent Newsmedia Inc. USA
Delaware State News (Dover)
Milford Chronicle
Sussex County Post
Cape Gazette
Independently owned by Chris Rausch (acquired 2021)
Twice-weekly community newspaper
Morning Star Publications, Inc.
Seaford Star (weekly)
Coastal Point
Independent weekly serving beach communities
Historic Delaware Newspapers & Archives
Oldest Delaware Newspapers
Delaware Gazette - First regular Delaware newspaper, began publication 1785 in Wilmington
Wilmington Mercury - 1798 (oldest in Newspaper Archive collection)
Daily Commercial - October 1, 1866 (ancestry of The News Journal)
Every Evening - Absorbed Daily Commercial in 1877
Evening Journal - 1888, owned by Du Pont family
Digital Archives & Resources
Chronicling America (Library of Congress)
Collection: Historic American Newspapers, 1789-1963
Delaware Coverage: 111 newspapers from Delaware available for free viewing
Access: Freely available at chroniclingamerica.loc.gov
Note: Delaware uses Chronicling America as main site for searching old newspapers (no single central state repository)
Subscription Services
Newspapers.com
Collection: 32,000+ issues in 83 newspapers from 11 Delaware cities
Oldest Title: Wilmington Mercury (1798)
Largest Collection: The News Journal (2,048,000+ pages; 1871-2024)
Total Archive: 3,380,000+ pages in 84 papers from 17 cities
Access: 7-day free trial, part of Ancestry.com system, Basic or Publisher Extra subscriptions
GenealogyBank
Collection: 59,000+ paper issues in 114 papers from 15 Delaware cities
Oldest Title: Delaware Gazette (1785)
Largest Collection: Delaware State News (20,866 issues; 1945-2018)
Access: 7-day free trial, annual subscription, possible 1-month subscription
Union Newspaper Index: Searchable by year starting 1787, indicates which newspapers were published and which library may own them
University of Delaware
Digital Access: Digitized textual content of major northern Delaware daily newspaper from 1999 to present (no images)
Microfilm: Available from 1875 to present
The Review Archives: UDSpace digital repository for student newspaper
Delaware Public Archives
Collections: Family histories, bible records, church records, manuscript genealogies, newspapers
Search Tools: Delaware Public Archives Portal for collection descriptions
Digital Content: Browse via CONTENTdm, YouTube, Flickr
Industry Statistics & Trends
Current Landscape
Total Newspapers: 22 active publications
Daily Newspapers: 2 (The News Journal, Delaware State News)
Weekly/Community Publications: More than a dozen
Free vs. Paid Circulation: 14 free circulation, 8 paid circulation
Combined Circulation: 459,543
Largest by Circulation: The News Journal (26,550 daily / 39,375 Sunday)
Ownership Consolidation
Gannett Dominance: Majority of Delaware newspapers owned by Gannett
Independent Survivors: Delaware State News, Cape Gazette, Milford Chronicle, Seaford Star, Coastal Point, Sussex County Post
Consolidation Impact: Six former GateHouse Media weeklies absorbed into News Journal network (2020)
Historical Ownership Changes
1888-1979: Du Pont family owned The Morning News and The Evening Journal
1979: Gannett purchased The News Journal from Du Pont (when Gannett chain had grown to 79 newspapers)
1953: Delaware State News became first daily outside Wilmington
2019: GateHouse Media acquired Gannett in merger, renamed combined company Gannett
2020: News Journal absorbed six former GateHouse weekly newspapers
2021: Cape Gazette sold to general manager Chris Rausch after founders' retirement
Recent Changes
2016: Sussex Countian ceased publication after 129 years
2020: Six weekly newspapers consolidated into News Journal network
2019-2022: Gannett workforce declined from 25,000 to 11,200 following merger
Geographic Coverage Patterns
New Castle County (North): Dominated by The News Journal (Gannett), Newark Post, plus absorbed weeklies (Dover Post, Middletown Transcript, Hockessin Community News, Smyrna-Clayton Sun Times)
Kent County (Central): Delaware State News (Dover, independent), Milford Chronicle (independent)
Sussex County (South): Mix of independent publishers (Cape Gazette, Coastal Point, Seaford Star) and Gannett properties (Delaware Wave, Delaware Coast Press)
Delaware's first regular newspaper, the Delaware Gazette, began publication in 1785 in Wilmington. The Wilmington Mercury, dating to 1798, is the oldest Delaware newspaper in the Newspaper Archive collection. The ancestry of The News Journal, Delaware's current largest daily newspaper, dates back to October 1, 1866, when the Daily Commercial was founded. That paper was absorbed into the Every Evening in 1877, which later merged with the Evening Journal (founded 1888) in 1933 to form the lineage of today's News Journal.
Delaware has only two daily newspapers: The News Journal in Wilmington (circulation 26,550 daily / 39,375 Sunday) and the Delaware State News in Dover (circulation 10,000 daily / 14,000 Sunday). The News Journal, owned by Gannett, is the only statewide daily with significant reach across northern Delaware. Delaware State News, independent since 1902 and owned by Independent Newsmedia Inc. USA, became the first daily newspaper in Delaware outside of Wilmington when it began daily publication on September 14, 1953. It bills itself as "The Capital Daily" and serves Dover, Kent County, and Sussex County.
Gannett is the dominant newspaper owner in Delaware, controlling The News Journal (Wilmington) and multiple former weekly newspapers absorbed in the 2020 merger with GateHouse Media, including Dover Post, Milford Beacon, Sussex Countian/Living, Middletown Transcript, Smyrna-Clayton Sun Times, and Hockessin Community News. Gannett also operates Delaware Wave and Delaware Coast Press through its Delmarva Now network. Independent publishers include Independent Newsmedia Inc. USA (Delaware State News, Milford Chronicle, Sussex County Post), Cape Gazette (owned by Chris Rausch since 2021), Morning Star Publications (Seaford Star), and Coastal Point.
In 2020, following the Gannett-GateHouse Media merger, The News Journal took over six weekly newspapers previously owned by GateHouse Media: Dover Post, Milford Beacon, Sussex Countian/Living, Middletown Transcript, Smyrna-Clayton Sun Times, and Hockessin Community News. These publications no longer exist as independent newspapers; their content now consists mainly of material generated by The News Journal and USA Today. The Sussex Countian ceased publication in August 2016 after 129 years of continuous print, its fate sealed by the shrinking print industry affecting small local newspapers nationwide. However, several independent weekly newspapers continue to thrive, including Cape Gazette, Coastal Point, Milford Chronicle, and Seaford Star.
The Cape Gazette is the leading independent newspaper serving Delaware's beach communities. Founded in 1993 and independently owned since 2021 by Chris Rausch, it publishes twice weekly (Tuesday and Friday) with circulation of 23,000+ copies. The Cape Gazette covers Delaware's Cape Region radiating from Cape Henlopen, including Rehoboth Beach, Lewes, Milton, and Dewey Beach. Coastal Point is another weekly newspaper (published Friday) serving beach communities. Gannett publishes Delaware Coast Press (Rehoboth) and Delaware Wave (distributed Wednesdays) as part of its Delmarva Now network. Delaware's Cape Region is growing rapidly as a retirees' mecca due to temperate climate, low Delaware taxes, and water-oriented amenities.
Chronicling America (Library of Congress) provides free access to 111 historic Delaware newspapers from 1789-1963. Delaware uses Chronicling America as its main site for searching old newspapers, as the state does not have a single central online repository. Subscription services include Newspapers.com (3.38 million+ pages in 84 papers from 17 Delaware cities, oldest being Wilmington Mercury 1798) and GenealogyBank (59,000+ issues in 114 papers, oldest being Delaware Gazette 1785). Wilmington Public Library holds microfilm beginning in 1871 for News Journal, Morning News, Sunday Morning Star, Every Evening, and Evening Journal, plus a union newspaper index searchable by year starting 1787. University of Delaware provides digitized textual content from 1999-present and microfilm from 1875-present.
The Review is the independent student newspaper of the University of Delaware, founded in 1882. Published weekly on Tuesdays with a print circulation of 10,000 copies, The Review receives no financial support from the university and operates independently. It was named a 2004 National Newspaper Pacemaker Award Finalist and recognized as one of the ten best non-daily college newspapers by the Associated Collegiate Press. The Review is distributed at Morris Library, Perkins Student Center, Trabant University Center, academic buildings, and dining halls across campus. UDress magazine is the on-campus fashion magazine publishing one issue per semester. Delaware State University in Dover publishes The Hornet Newspaper. Archives of The Review are available through UDSpace, the University of Delaware's digital repository.
Yes, several independent newspapers continue to operate in Delaware. Delaware State News in Dover, founded in 1902 and owned by Independent Newsmedia Inc. USA, has remained independent for over 120 years. Cape Gazette in Lewes is independently owned by Chris Rausch (since 2021) and publishes twice weekly with 23,000+ circulation. Other independent publications include Milford Chronicle and Sussex County Post (both owned by Independent Newsmedia), Seaford Star (Morning Star Publications), and Coastal Point. The Newark Post continues serving New Castle County since 1910. These independent newspapers provide important alternatives to Gannett's dominant presence in Delaware's newspaper market.
The Du Pont family owned Delaware's two major newspapers, The Morning News and The Evening Journal, for most of the 20th century. The Evening Journal was founded in 1888 as a competitor to The Every Evening (which had absorbed the Daily Commercial in 1877). The two rival papers merged in 1933, remaining under Du Pont family ownership until 1979, when Gannett purchased The News Journal from the Du Ponts. At the time of acquisition, Gannett's chain had grown to 79 newspapers. The Du Pont family's long stewardship of Delaware's dominant newspapers reflected the family's significant influence on Delaware business, politics, and civic life throughout the 20th century.
New Castle County (northern Delaware) is served by The News Journal (Wilmington, Gannett), Newark Post (weekly since 1910), and absorbed former weeklies now integrated into News Journal (Dover Post, Middletown Transcript, Hockessin Community News, Smyrna-Clayton Sun Times). Kent County (central Delaware) is covered by Delaware State News (Dover, independent since 1902) and Milford Chronicle (weekly, Independent Newsmedia). Sussex County (southern Delaware) has the most diverse newspaper landscape with Cape Gazette (Lewes, independent twice-weekly), Coastal Point (weekly), Seaford Star (weekly, Morning Star Publications), Sussex County Post (Independent Newsmedia), Delaware Wave and Delaware Coast Press (both Gannett/Delmarva Now), and specialized beach resort publications serving Delaware's growing coastal communities.