Nebraska Newspapers - Daily & Weekly Publications Directory

15+

Daily Newspapers

150+

Weekly Publications

4,000

Historical Newspapers

170K

Omaha World-Herald Daily Circulation

Nebraska Newspaper Landscape: Nebraska features over 150 newspapers serving communities across the state. The Omaha World-Herald, Nebraska's largest newspaper, circulated daily throughout the entire state for over a century. Almost 4,000 newspapers have been published in Nebraska's history, with extensive digital archives available through the University of Nebraska-Lincoln.

Major Daily Newspapers

Omaha Metro Area

Lincoln & Lancaster County

Southeast Nebraska

Northeast Nebraska

Central Nebraska

Southwest Nebraska

Western Nebraska

Digital & Nonprofit News Organizations

College & University Newspapers

Historical Newspaper Resources

Nebraska Newspapers - University of Nebraska-Lincoln

Collaborative site developed by UNL and History Nebraska presenting extensive resources relating to Nebraska newspapers, including searchable full-text of selected newspapers published as early as 1854.

  • Almost 4,000 newspapers published in Nebraska's history
  • Full-text searchable database from 1854 onward
  • Historical essays and context about Nebraska journalism
  • Papers selected based on importance and geographic location
  • Reflects diverse cultural, social, political, and economic viewpoints

Website: nebnewspapers.unl.edu

Nebraska Press Association

Founded in 1873, the Nebraska Press Association is one of Nebraska's oldest trade organizations serving newspapers across the state.

  • Newspaper locator searchable by town, zip code, and frequency
  • View newspapers within particular zip code radius
  • Access circulation information
  • Public notices database from newspapers statewide

Website: nebpress.com

Frequently Asked Questions

The Omaha World-Herald is Nebraska's largest newspaper with a circulation of 170,455 daily and 228,344 Sunday. Founded in 1885, it served as the primary newspaper of the Omaha-Council Bluffs metropolitan area and for over a century circulated daily throughout all of Nebraska, plus portions of Iowa, Kansas, South Dakota, Missouri, Colorado, and Wyoming. The digital version at omaha.com receives approximately 19 million page views monthly by over 3.2 million unique visitors. The newspaper was locally owned from 1885 until 2020 when it was sold to Lee Enterprises by Warren Buffett's Berkshire Hathaway. At its peak in 1979, the newspaper reported daily circulation of 235,589 and Sunday circulation of 301,682.

Nebraska currently has over 150 newspapers in circulation, including approximately 15 daily newspapers and more than 135 weekly and community publications. Almost 4,000 newspapers have been published in Nebraska throughout the state's history, though not all are currently in circulation or available online. The Nebraska Press Association, founded in 1873, maintains a comprehensive directory of current newspapers searchable by town, zip code, and frequency of publication.

The Nebraska Examiner is an independent, nonprofit, and nonpartisan digital news organization that began operation on January 25, 2022. As the 26th affiliate of States Newsroom, it provides free access to news without ads, paywalls, or paid subscriptions. The publication is staffed by experienced local journalists including Cate Folsom (Omaha Press Club Hall of Famer with 40+ years at Omaha World-Herald) and Editor-in-Chief Aaron Sanderford (20+ year veteran of Omaha World-Herald and Lincoln Journal Star). Based in Lincoln, the Nebraska Examiner focuses on state government and policy issues impacting Nebraska taxpayers, funded exclusively by grants and donations. The organization makes its work available to community newspapers and other media outlets with proper attribution.

Yes, the Norfolk Daily News is one of just a handful of daily newspapers in the country owned and managed by an individual family. The Huse family has owned and managed the Norfolk Daily News since 1888, representing five generations of family ownership. William Huse and his son W.N. Huse purchased the newspaper when its circulation was 400. Bill Huse, representing the fifth generation, became publisher in 2013 and president in 2018. The newspaper, located in downtown Norfolk, publishes six days a week and serves Madison County. Radio station WJAG was also founded by the Daily News publisher, with the original slogan "The Voice of the Norfolk Daily News."

Historical Nebraska newspapers are accessible through multiple resources. The University of Nebraska-Lincoln and History Nebraska maintain Nebraska Newspapers (nebnewspapers.unl.edu), a collaborative site with searchable full-text of selected newspapers published as early as 1854. Almost 4,000 newspapers have been published in Nebraska's history. The collection includes papers chosen based on importance and geographic location to reflect diverse cultural, social, political, and economic viewpoints. The Daily Nebraskan archives are available from 1901-current. Many city libraries, including Grand Island Public Library and Lincoln City Libraries, offer free digital access to local newspaper archives. Historical issues are also available through commercial services like Newspapers.com, with extensive collections including the Star-Herald (1907-2025), North Platte papers, and Kearney Hub (1889-1928).

For more than a century, the Omaha World-Herald circulated daily throughout all of Nebraska and into neighboring states including Iowa, Kansas, South Dakota, Missouri, Colorado, and Wyoming, covering one of the largest newspaper distribution areas in the United States. However, the paper retrenched during the 2008 financial crisis, ending far-flung circulation and restricting daily delivery to an area within approximately 100 miles of Omaha in Nebraska and Iowa. This change reflected economic pressures and changing newspaper consumption patterns. Despite the reduced print distribution area, the World-Herald maintains significant digital reach with omaha.com receiving 19 million page views monthly from 3.2 million unique visitors, and the newspaper still reaches over 660,000 people weekly through combined print and digital platforms.

The Lincoln Journal Star is the result of a 1995 merger between Lincoln's two historic longtime daily newspapers. The Lincoln Star, established in 1902-1905, was Lincoln's longtime morning newspaper, while the Lincoln Journal was distributed in afternoons and evenings. The consolidation created a single newspaper serving Nebraska's capital city and home of the University of Nebraska. Today the Journal Star is one of only a handful of daily newspapers in the country that has experienced circulation growth, with current circulation of 76,374 daily and 83,674 Sunday, reaching 75.2% of readers in Lancaster County weekly. The newspaper is a division of Lee Enterprises with approximately 450 employees across various departments including editorial, advertising, circulation, and production.

The Star-Herald in Scottsbluff reduced its print schedule from six days per week to three days (Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday) on June 13, 2023. Western Nebraska's only daily newspaper also transitioned from traditional newspaper carrier delivery to U.S. Postal Service mail delivery and moved production to Rapid City, South Dakota. The Norfolk Daily News publishes six days per week. These changes reflect nationwide trends as newspapers adapt to digital consumption patterns while maintaining print presence for readers who prefer physical newspapers. Most Nebraska newspapers now emphasize digital-first strategies while continuing reduced print operations.

The Daily Nebraskan has a long and complex history dating back to 1871 when it began as the Monthly Hesperian Student. From 1871 to 1885, the paper was published by the Palladian Literary Society. In 1885 the name was shortened to The Hesperian. A competing student publication called The Nebraskan was founded in 1892 by Frank T. Riley. For seven years the University of Nebraska-Lincoln had two weekly newspapers until The Daily Nebraskan was organized on January 13, 1901, as a consolidation of The Hesperian and The Nebraskan. The official birthday is June 13, 1901. The newspaper is independent of the university's journalism program although many journalism students serve on staff. Historical archives from 1901-current are available online through Nebraska Newspapers digital collection.

The Nebraska Press Association provides the most comprehensive directory of Nebraska newspapers through their newspaper locator tool at nebpress.com/search. The locator allows searching by town, zip code, and frequency of publication. Users can view newspapers within a particular zip code radius and access circulation information. NebraskAccess (nebraskaccess.nebraska.gov) also provides a comprehensive list of newspapers and news sources throughout the state. The Nebraska Press Association, founded in 1873, represents newspapers across Nebraska and maintains up-to-date information about member publications. For historical newspapers, the University of Nebraska-Lincoln's Nebraska Newspapers site allows browsing by geographic location and time period.

Last updated on November 27, 2025