Al Neuharth, the founder of USA Today newspaper and the Newseum has died. He was 89.
Neuharth died Friday after sustaining injuries in a fall at his home in Cocoa Beach, Florida.
Neuharth launched USA Today, America's most widely read newspaper, in 1982 as head of the Gannett newspaper group.
He wanted to create a bright, breezy, fun newspaper that would catch people's attention.
With its blue masthead, shorter-than-usual stories and use of color graphics, USA Today was unlike any other newspaper before it. The paper's style was widely criticized and later widely imitated.
Later, he also established the Freedom Forum, a foundation dedicated to free press and free speech that holds journalism conferences, offers fellowships and provides training. With it came the Newseum, an interactive museum in Washington, DC to show visitors how news is covered.
Neuharth died Friday after sustaining injuries in a fall at his home in Cocoa Beach, Florida.
Neuharth launched USA Today, America's most widely read newspaper, in 1982 as head of the Gannett newspaper group.
He wanted to create a bright, breezy, fun newspaper that would catch people's attention.
With its blue masthead, shorter-than-usual stories and use of color graphics, USA Today was unlike any other newspaper before it. The paper's style was widely criticized and later widely imitated.
Later, he also established the Freedom Forum, a foundation dedicated to free press and free speech that holds journalism conferences, offers fellowships and provides training. With it came the Newseum, an interactive museum in Washington, DC to show visitors how news is covered.