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{{Infobox newspaper
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| | political
▲| foundation = {{launch date and age|1982|9|15}}
▲| political = [[Centre-left politics|Left-leaning]]<ref>{{cite web |title=New Sources on the Political Spectrum |url=https://guides.lib.umich.edu/c.php?g=637508&p=4462444 |publisher=[[University of Michigan Library]]}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.allsides.com/media-bias/media-bias-chart|title=AllSides Media Bias Chart|date=February 21, 2019|website=AllSides|access-date=April 7, 2023}}</ref>
▲| language = English
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142,212 digital-only
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'''''USA Today''''' (often stylized in [[all caps]]<!-- While USA Today enjoys its ALLCAPS stylization, WikiPedia is not bound by this convention. Accordingly, we present it as "USA Today" --><ref name="
With an average print circulation of 159,233 {{as of|2022|post=,|lc=y}}<ref>{{Cite web |date=June 24, 2022 |title=Top 25 US newspaper circulations in 2022: WSJ and NYT rank highest |url=https://pressgazette.co.uk/us-newspaper-circulations-2022/ |access-date=June 28, 2022 |website=Press Gazette |language=en-US}}</ref> a digital-only subscriber base of 504,000 {{as of|2019|lc=y|post=,}}<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.usatoday.com/story/money/2019/02/20/gannett-fourth-quarter-earnings-beat-expectations/2916215002/ | title=Gannett 4Q print revenue declines but digital subscriptions spike | website=USA
==History==
''USA Today'' was first conceived on February 29, 1980, when a company task force known as "Project NN" met with the then-chairman of [[Gannett]], [[Al Neuharth]], in [[Cocoa Beach, Florida]]. Early regional prototypes of ''USA Today'' included ''East Bay Today'', an [[Oakland, California]]-based publication published in the late 1970s to serve as the morning edition of the ''[[Oakland Tribune]]'', an afternoon newspaper
Gannett announced the launch of the paper on April 20, 1982. ''USA Today'' began publishing on September
▲''USA Today'' was first conceived on February 29, 1980, when a company task force known as "Project NN" met with then-chairman of [[Gannett]], [[Al Neuharth]], in [[Cocoa Beach, Florida]]. Early regional prototypes of ''USA Today'' included ''East Bay Today'', an [[Oakland, California]]-based publication published in the late 1970s to serve as the morning edition of the ''[[Oakland Tribune]]'', an afternoon newspaper which Gannett owned at the time.<ref>{{cite news | url=https://www.chicagotribune.com/news/ct-xpm-1991-09-29-9103140104-story.html | title=Paper Pursues Life After Debt | first=James | last=Warren | work=[[Chicago Tribune]] | date=September 29, 1991| url-access=subscription}}</ref> On June 11, 1981, Gannett printed the first prototypes of the proposed publication. The two proposed design layouts were mailed to newsmakers and prominent leaders in journalism for review and feedback.<ref name="garcia-usatoday1"/><ref name=timeline>{{cite news | title=USA TODAY Media Kit :: Press Room :: Press Kit :: Timeline | url=https://static.usatoday.com/about/timeline/ | newspaper=USA Today | publisher=Gannett}}</ref> Gannett's board of directors approved the launch of the national newspaper, titled ''USA Today'', on December 5, 1981. At launch, Neuharth was appointed president and publisher of the newspaper, adding those responsibilities to his existing position as Gannett's [[chief executive officer]].<ref name=timeline/><ref name="marking30">{{cite web|title=USA Today Is Turning 30, in Danger of 'Marking 30'|url=http://www.editorandpublisher.com/columns/usa-today-is-turning-30-in-danger-of-marking-30/|author=John K. Hartman|website=[[Editor and Publisher]]|date=September 12, 2012|access-date=October 24, 2016|archive-date=October 25, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161025050132/http://www.editorandpublisher.com/columns/usa-today-is-turning-30-in-danger-of-marking-30/|url-status=dead}}</ref>
▲Gannett announced the launch of the paper on April 20, 1982. ''USA Today'' began publishing on September 15, 1982, initially in the [[Baltimore]] and [[Washington, D.C.]] metropolitan areas,<ref>{{cite web|date=September 16, 2020|title=HISTORY's Moments in Media: 38 Years of USA Today: What's Next for History's Most Successful National Newspaper?|url=https://www.mediavillage.com/article/historys-moments-in-media-38-years-of-usa-today-whats-next-for-historys-most-successful-national-newspaper/print/|access-date=September 10, 2021|website=www.mediavillage.com}}</ref> for a newsstand price of 25¢ (equivalent to {{Inflation|US|25|1982|fmt=c}}¢ in 2020). After selling out the first issue, Gannett gradually expanded the national distribution of the paper, reaching an estimated circulation of 362,879 copies by the end of 1982, double the amount of sales that Gannett projected.{{citation needed|date=June 2021}}
[[File:USA Today Logo.svg|upright=0.8|thumb|left|Original logo, used from 1982 to 2012]]
The design uniquely incorporated color graphics and photographs. Initially, only its front news section pages were rendered in four-color, while the remaining pages were printed in a [[spot color]] format. The paper's overall style and elevated use of
Gannett invested in an expensive network of printing factories and distribution during the rollout of ''USA Today'', meaning that the paper could be printed and distributed quickly. One of the results of this was ''USA Today'' having the luxury of a later time cutoff for journalists to submit stories, such that the paper was able to include sports scores from games that finished late in the next morning's paper. The sports section of ''USA Today'', with its complete set of results, was well-regarded and generally seen as one of the main selling points of the paper.<ref name="farhi2024">{{cite newspaper |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/style/media/2024/07/09/usa-today-history-terence-samuel/ |title=USA Today transformed the media world for good. What's its legacy now?
|first= Paul |last=Farhi |date=July 9, 2024 |newspaper=The Washington Post |access-date=July 9, 2024}} </ref>
On July 2, 1984, the newspaper switched from predominantly black-and-white to full-color photography and graphics in all four sections. The following week, on July 10, ''USA Today'' launched an international edition intended for U.S. readers abroad, followed four months later on October 8 with the rollout of the first transmission via satellite of its international version to [[Singapore]]. On April 8, 1985, the paper published its first special bonus section, a 12-page section called "Baseball '85", which previewed the [[1985 Major League Baseball season]].<ref name=timeline/>
By the fourth quarter of 1985, ''USA Today'' had become the second-largest newspaper in the United States, reaching a daily circulation of 1.4 million copies. Total daily readership of the paper by 1987 (according to Simmons Market Research Bureau statistics) had reached 5.5 million, the largest of any daily newspaper in the U.S. On May 6, 1986, ''USA Today'' began production of its international edition in [[Switzerland]]. ''USA Today'' operated at a loss for most of its first four years of operation, accumulating a total deficit of $233 million after taxes
On January 29, 1988, ''USA Today'' published the largest edition in its history, a 78-page weekend edition featuring a section previewing [[Super Bowl XXII]]; the edition included 44.38 pages of advertising and sold 2,114,055 copies, setting a single-day record for an American newspaper (and surpassed seven months later on September 2, when its [[Labor Day]] weekend edition sold 2,257,734 copies). On April 15, ''USA Today'' launched a third international printing site, based in [[Hong Kong]]. The international edition set circulation and advertising records during August 1988, with coverage of the [[1988 Summer Olympics]], selling more than 60,000 copies and 100 pages of advertising.<ref name=timeline/>
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By July 1991, Simmons Market Research Bureau estimated that ''USA Today'' had a total daily readership of nearly 6.6 million, an all-time high and the largest readership of any daily newspaper in the United States. On September 1, 1991, ''USA Today'' launched a fourth printsite for its international edition in London for the [[United Kingdom]] and the [[British Isles]].<ref name=timeline/> The international edition's schedule was changed as of April 1, 1994, to Monday through Friday, rather than from Tuesday through Saturday, in order to accommodate business travelers; on February 1, 1995, ''USA Today'' opened its first editorial bureau outside the United States at its Hong Kong publishing facility; additional editorial bureaus were launched in London and [[Moscow]] in 1996.<ref name=timeline/>
On April 17, 1995, ''USA Today'' launched its website to provide real-time news coverage; in June 2002, the site expanded to include a section providing travel information and booking tools. On August 28, 1995, a fifth international publishing site was launched in [[Frankfurt, Germany]], to print and distribute the international edition throughout most of Europe.<ref name=timeline/>
On October 4, 1999, ''USA Today'' began running advertisements on its front page for the first time.<ref name=timeline/> In 2017, some pages of USA Today's website features [[Auto-Play]] functionality for video or audio-aided stories.
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In 2001, two interactive units were launched: on June 19, ''USA Today'' and Gannett Newspapers launched the USA Today Careers Network (now Careers.com), a website featuring localized employment listings, then on July 18, the USA Today News Center was launched as an interactive television news service developed through a joint venture with the On Command Corporation that was distributed to hotels around the United States. On September 12 of that year, the newspaper set an all-time single day circulation record, selling 3,638,600 copies for its edition covering the [[September 11 attacks]]. That November, ''USA Today'' migrated its operations from Gannett's previous corporate headquarters in [[Arlington, Virginia]], to the company's new headquarters in nearby [[McLean, Virginia|McLean]].<ref name=timeline/>
In 2004, [[Jack Kelley (journalist)|Jack Kelley]], a senior foreign correspondent for USA Today, was found to have fabricated foreign news reports over the past decade. Kelley resigned.<ref>{{Cite web|url= https://www.nytimes.com/2004/03/20/us/usa-today-finds-top-writer-lied.html|title= USA
On December 12, 2005, Gannett announced that it would combine the separate newsroom operations of the online and print entities of ''USA Today'', with USAToday.com's vice president and editor-in-chief Kinsey Wilson promoted to co-executive editor, alongside existing executive editor John Hillkirk.<ref name=timeline/>
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===2012 redesign===
[[File:Miguel Vazquez from USA Today shows off their beautiful Metro App (6857362418).jpg|thumb|Miguel Vazquez from ''USA Today'' shows off the publication's Metro App, 2012.]]
On September 14, 2012, ''USA Today'' underwent the first major redesign in its history, in commemoration for the 30th anniversary of the paper's first edition.<ref>{{cite news |title=Wolff Olins creates new USA Today branding | url=https://www.designweek.co.uk/issues/may-2012/wolff-olins-creates-new-usa-today-branding/ | first=Emily | last=Gosling | newspaper=DesignWeek | date=September 17, 2012}}</ref> Developed in conjunction with brand design firm [[Wolff Olins]], the print edition of ''USA Today'' added a page covering technology stories
The paper's website was also extensively overhauled using a new, in-house [[content management system]] known as Presto and a design created by Fantasy Interactive, that incorporates flipboard-style navigation to switch between individual stories (which obscure most of the main and section pages), clickable video advertising and a [[responsive design]] layout. The site was designed and developed to be more interactive, faster, provide "high impact" advertising units (known as Gravity), and provide the ability for Gannett to syndicate ''USA Today'' content to the websites of its local properties, and vice versa. To accomplish this goal, [[Gannett Digital]] migrated its newspaper and television station websites to the Presto platform. Developers built a separate platform to provide optimizations for [[mobile device|mobile]] and [[touchscreen]] devices. The Gravity ad won Digiday's Best Publishing Innovation in Advertising in 2016, thanks to an 80% full-watch user engagement rate on desktop, and 96% on mobile.<ref>{{cite news |title=The Atlantic is Publisher of the Year at the Digiday Publishing Awards |url=https://digiday.com/announcement/atlantic-publisher-year-digiday-publishing-awards/ |access-date=June 21, 2021 |publisher=Digiday |date=March 24, 2016}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last1=Rudy |first1=Melissa |title=Gannett Ramps Up Its Viewability Data as New 'Gravity' Ad Units Soar |url=https://www.adweek.com/performance-marketing/gannett-teams-moat-viewability-data-160048/ |access-date=June 21, 2021 |publisher=Adweek |date=September 11, 2014}}</ref>
Following the relaunch, the editorial team behind ''USA Today'' Investigations ramped up its "longread" article plans, following the success of the series ''Ghost Factories''. With differing platform requirements, ''USA Today's'' mobile website did not offer any specialized support for these multi-chapter stories. Nearing the end of 2012, more than one-third of ''USA Today''{{'s}} readership was browsing only using their mobile phones, and the majority of these users were accessing the mobile website (as opposed to the iOS and Android applications) with the newer, less-obtrusive advertising strategy. Gannet Digital designed, developed, and released the longread mobile experience to coincide with the launch of [[Brad Heath]]'s series ''Locked Up'', which won the [[Investigative Reporters and Editors]] Tom Renner Award in October 2013.<ref>{{cite web |title=IRE Past Award Winners |url=https://www.ire.org/awards/past-award-winners/ |website=Investigative Reporters and Editors |access-date=June 21, 2021}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |title=USA
Gannett Digital's focus on its mobile content experience paid off in 2012 with multiple awards; including the Eppy for Best Mobile Application, the Mobile Excellence award for Best User Experience, the MOBI award for Editorial Content, and Mobile Publisher of the Year.<ref>{{cite news|last=Kats|first=Rima|title=Starbucks is 2012 Mobile Marketer of the Year|publisher=Marketing Dive|url=https://www.marketingdive.com/ex/mobilemarketer/cms/resources/mobilegends-awards/14499.html|access-date=June 21, 2021}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=2012 Eppy Award Winners |url=https://www.eppyawards.com/stories/2012-eppy-award-winners,19 |website=Eppy Awards |date=May 29, 2012 |access-date=June 21, 2021}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=2012 Mobile Excellence Awards |url=https://mediaxawards.com/2012-mobile-excellence-awards/ |website=MediaX Awards |access-date=June 21, 2021 |archive-date=June 24, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210624202237/https://mediaxawards.com/2012-mobile-excellence-awards/ |url-status=dead }}</ref>
The ''USA Today'' site design was launched on desktop, mobile and TV throughout 2013 and 2014, although archive content accessible through [[search engines]] remains available through the pre-relaunch design.<ref name="poynter-gannettpresto">{{cite news| title=Case Study: Gannett's monumental task – A content management system for all |url=https://www.poynter.org/reporting-editing/2014/case-study-gannetts-monumental-task-a-content-management-system-for-all/ | publisher=[[Poynter Institute]] | date=July 7, 2014}}</ref><ref name="garcia-usatoday6">{{cite web | title=It's a new website rethink for USA
===Mid-2010s expansion and restructuring===
On October 6, 2013, Gannett test launched a condensed daily edition of ''USA Today'' (part of what was internally known within Gannett as the "Butterfly" initiative) for distribution as an insert in four of its newspapers – ''[[The Indianapolis Star]]'', the ''[[Rochester Democrat & Chronicle]]'', the [[Fort Myers, Florida|Fort Myers]]-based ''[[The News-Press]]'' and the [[Appleton, Wisconsin]]-based ''[[The Post-Crescent]]''. The launch of the syndicated insert caused ''USA Today'' to restructure its operations to allow seven-day-a-week production to accommodate the packaging of its national and international news content and enterprise stories (comprising about 10 pages for the weekday and Saturday editions, and up to 22 pages for the Sunday edition) into the pilot insert. Gannett later announced on December 11, that it would formally launch the condensed daily edition of ''USA Today'' in 31 additional local newspapers nationwide through April 2014 (with the [[Palm Springs, California]]-based ''[[The Desert Sun]]'' and the [[Lafayette, Louisiana]]-based ''Advertiser'' being the first newspapers outside of the pilot program participants to add the supplement on December 15), citing "positive feedback" to the feature from readers and advertisers of the initial four papers. Gannett was given permission from the [[Alliance for Audited Media]] to count the circulation figures from the syndicated local insert with the total circulation count for the flagship national edition of ''USA Today''.<ref name="Gannett">{{cite news | title=Gannett to distribute USA
On January 4, 2014, ''USA Today'' acquired the consumer product review website [[Reviewed (website
On December 3, 2015, Gannett formally launched the USA Today Network, a national digital newsgathering service providing shared content between ''USA Today'' and the company's 92 local newspapers throughout the United States as well as pooling advertising services on both a hyperlocal and national
In the late 2010s, as the print run declined, Gannett pulled back from the extensive and expensive distribution network, opting to have shorter deadlines, and printing the remaining copies from fewer facilities while potentially trucking them longer distances to still be available in the morning.<ref name="farhi2024" />
In May 2021, ''USA Today'' introduced a [[paywall]] for some of its online stories.<ref>{{cite web|date=April 27, 2021|title=No longer a holdout for free, USA Today launches a paywall and digital-only subscription plan|url=https://www.poynter.org/business-work/2021/no-longer-a-holdout-for-free-usa-today-launches-a-paywall-and-digital-only-subscription-plan/|access-date=May 27, 2021|website=Poynter|language=en-US}}</ref>
On June 16, 2022, it was reported that ''USA Today'' removed 23 articles written by journalist Gabriela Miranda after an inquiry related to one of her articles triggered an internal investigation and found that Miranda had fabricated sources on articles pertaining to the [[Texas Heartbeat Act]], Ukrainian women's issues due to the [[2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine|Russian invasion]], and an article on sunscreen. Miranda resigned.<ref>{{Cite news |last1=Mullin |first1=Benjamin |last2=Robertson |first2=Katie |date=June 16, 2022 |title=USA Today to Remove 23 Articles After Investigation Into Fabricated Sources |language=en-US |work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2022/06/16/business/media/usa-today-fabricated-sources.html |access-date=June 17, 2022 |issn=0362-4331}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=June 16, 2022 |title=USA Today removes 23 stories over 'fabricated' quotes |url=https://www.mercurynews.com/2022/06/16/usa-today-removes-23-stories-over-fabricated-quotes |access-date=June 17, 2022 |website=The Mercury News |language=en-US}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=June 16, 2022 |title=USA Today removes 23 stories after probe finds reporter apparently 'fabricated' quotes |url=https://www.ctvnews.ca/world/usa-today-removes-23-stories-after-probe-finds-reporter-apparently-fabricated-quotes-1.5950148 |access-date=June 17, 2022 |website=CTVNews |language=en}}</ref> ==Layout and format==
[[File:USA Today cover page.jpg|thumb|Cover page used for February 5, 2009]]
''USA Today'' is known for news in compact, easy-to-read-and-comprehend stories. In the main edition circulated in the United States and [[Canada]], each edition consists of four sections: News (the "front page" section), Money, Sports, and Life. Since March 1998, the Friday edition of Life has been split into two sections: the regular Life focusing on entertainment (subtitled ''Weekend''; section E), which features television reviews and [[TV listings|listings]], a [[DVD]] column, [[Film criticism|film reviews]] and trends, and a travel supplement called ''Destinations & Diversions'' (section D). The international edition of the paper features two sections: News and Money in one
Atypical of most daily newspapers, the paper does not print on Saturdays and Sundays; the Friday edition serves as the weekend edition. ''USA Today'' has published special Saturday and Sunday editions in the past: the first issue released during the standard calendar weekend was published on January 19, 1991, when it released a Saturday "Extra" edition updating coverage of the [[Gulf War]] from the previous day; the paper published special seven-day-a-week editions for the first time on July 19, 1996, when it published special editions for exclusive distribution in the host city of [[Atlanta]] and surrounding areas for the two-week duration of the [[1996 Summer Olympics]].<ref name=timeline/> ''USA Today'' prints each complete story on the front page of the respective section, with the exception of the cover story. The cover story is a longer story that requires a jump (readers must turn to another page in the paper to complete the story, usually the next page of that section). On certain days, the news or sports section, will take up two paper sections, and there will be a second cover story within the second section.
Each section is differentiated by a certain color in a box on the top-left corner of the first page; the principal section colors are blue for News (section A), green for Money (section B), red for Sports (section C), and purple for Life (section D); in the paper's early years, the Life and Money sections were also assigned blue nameplates and spot
In many ways, ''USA Today'' breaks the traditional newspaper layout. Some examples of its divergence from tradition include using the left-hand quarter of each section as "reefers" (front-page paragraphs ''referring'' to stories on inside pages<ref>{{cite web |title=Reefer, noun 3 |url=http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/reefer|website=Dictionary.com}}</ref>), sometimes using sentence-length [[blurb]]s to describe stories inside. The lead reefer is the cover page feature "Newsline", which shows summarized descriptions of headline stories featured in all four main sections and any special sections. As a national newspaper, ''USA Today'' cannot focus on the weather for any one city. Therefore, the entire back page of the News section is used for weather maps of the [[contiguous United States|continental United States]], [[Puerto Rico]] and the [[United States Virgin Islands|U.S. Virgin Islands]],
Book coverage, including reviews and a national sales chart which debuted on October 28, 1994, is seen on Thursdays in Life, with the full [[Nielsen ratings|A.C. Nielsen
[[File:USA Today building.jpg|thumb|left|''USA Today'' is headquartered in [[Tysons Corner, Virginia]]<!-- Despite the McLean, VA address, the HQ is in Tysons Corner -->.]]
One of the staples of the News section is "Across the USA", a state-by-state roundup of headlines. The summaries consist of paragraph-length [[Associated Press]] reports highlighting one story in each state, the [[Washington, D.C.|District of Columbia]], and one [[Territories of the United States|U.S. territory]]. Similarly, the "For the Record" page of the Sports section (which features sports scores for the previous four days of league play plus individual non-league events, seasonal league statistics and wagering lines for that day's games) previously featured a rundown of winning numbers from the previous deadline date for [[Lotteries in the United States|all participating state lotteries]] and individual multi-state lotteries.
Some traditions have been retained. The [[news style|lead story]] still appears on the upper-right side of the front page. Commentary and political cartoons occupy the last few pages of the News section. Stock and mutual fund data are presented in the Money section. But ''USA Today'' is sufficiently different in aesthetics to be recognized on sight, even in a mix of other newspapers, such as at a [[newsstand]]. The overall design and layout of ''USA Today''
On most of the sections' front pages, in the lower left-hand corner, are "USA Today Snapshots" graphs, which offer statistics on lifestyle interests according to the section (for example, a snapshot in "Life" could show how many people tend to watch a certain genre of television show based upon their mood). These "Snapshots" graphs employ icons roughly pertaining to the graph's subject (using the example above, the graph's bars could be made up of several TV sets, or ended by one). Snapshots are loosely based on research by a national institute (with the credited source in fine print below the graph).
The newspaper also features an occasional magazine supplement called ''Open Air'', which launched on March 7, 2008, and appears several times a year. Other [[advertorial]]s appear throughout the year, mainly on Fridays.<ref>{{cite news | url=https://redesign.adweek.com/digital/usa-today-launches-open-air/ | title=USA Today Launches "Open Air" | work=[[AdWeek]] | date=December 10, 2007 | url-access=subscription | access-date=March 27, 2020 | archive-date=March 27, 2020 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200327151553/https://redesign.adweek.com/digital/usa-today-launches-open-air/ | url-status=dead }}</ref><ref>{{cite news | url=https://www.mediapost.com/publications/article/72444/gannett-to-launch-open-air-mslo-shutters-bluep.html | title=Gannett To Launch 'Open Air', MSLO Shutters 'Blueprint' | first=Erik | last=Sass | work=[[MediaPost]] | date=December 11, 2007}}</ref>
===Opinion section===
The opinion section prints ''USA Today'' editorials, columns by guest writers and members of the editorial board of contributors,<ref>{{cite news | title=USA Today's Opinion columnists | url=https://www.usatoday.com/news/opinion/USA-
From 1999
Beginning with the [[1984 United States presidential election]]'', USA Today'' did not endorse candidates for the [[President of the United States]] or any other state or federal political office, a policy which has been re-evaluated during each four-year election cycle by the paper's Board of Contributors through an independent process, with any decision to override the policy based on a consensus vote in which fewer than two of the editorial board's members dissent or hold differing opinions.<ref>{{cite news | url=https://www.usatoday.com/story/opinion/2016/09/29/donald-trump-editorial-board-al-neuharth-editorials-debates/91294382/ | title=Why we're breaking tradition: Our view | newspaper=USA Today | publisher=[[Gannett]] | date=September 29, 2016}}</ref> For most of its history, the paper's political editorials (most of them linked to the
The avoidance of political editorials played a great part in ''USA Today''{{'s}} long-standing reputation for "fluff", but after its 30th anniversary revamp, the paper took a more active stance on political issues, calling for stronger gun laws after the [[Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting]] in 2012. It heavily criticized the [[Republican Party (United States)|Republican Party]] for both the [[2013 government shutdown]] and the 2015 revolts in the [[United States House of Representatives]] that ended with the resignation of [[John Boehner]] as House Speaker. It also called out then-[[President of the United States|President]] [[Barack Obama]] and other top members of the [[Democratic Party (United States)|Democratic Party]] for what it perceived as "inaction" during 2013–14, particularly over the
The editorial board broke from its "non-endorsement" policy for the first time on September 29, 2016, when it published an op-ed piece condemning the candidacy of [[Republican Party (United States)|Republican]] nominee [[Donald Trump]], calling him "unfit for the presidency" due to his inflammatory campaign rhetoric (particularly that aimed at the press, with certain media organizations being openly targeted and even banned from campaign rallies, including ''[[The New York Times]]'', ''[[The Washington Post]]'', [[CNN]] and the [[BBC]], military veterans who had been prisoners of war, including 2008 Republican presidential candidate and Vietnam War veteran [[John McCain]], immigrants, and various ethnic and religious groups); his temperament and lack of financial transparency; his "checkered" business record; his use of false and hyperbolic statements; the inconsistency of his viewpoints and issues with his vision on domestic and foreign policy; and, based on comments he had made during his campaign and criticisms by both [[Democratic Party (United States)|Democrats]] and Republicans on these views, the potential risks to national security and constitutional ethics under a Trump administration, asking voters to "resist the siren song of a dangerous demagogue".<ref>{{cite news | title=USA
In February 2018, ''USA Today'' published an [[op-ed]] by [[Jerome Corsi]], the DC bureau chief for the fringe conspiracy website [[InfoWars]].<ref name="
In October 2018, ''USA Today'' was criticized by [[NBC News]] for publishing an editorial by President Trump that was replete with inaccuracies.<ref>{{Cite news| url=https://www.nbcnews.com/tech/tech-news/usa-today-criticized-printing-trump-op-ed-despite-inaccuracies-n918536 | title=USA Today criticized for printing Trump op-ed despite alleged inaccuracies | work=[[NBC News]] | date=October 10, 2018}}</ref> ''[[The Washington Post]]'' fact-checker said that "almost every sentence contained a misleading statement or a falsehood."<ref>{{Cite news | url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2018/10/10/fact-checking-president-trumps-usa-today-op-ed-medicare-for-all/ | title=Analysis {{!}} Fact-checking President Trump's USA Today op-ed on 'Medicare-for-All' | first=Glenn | last=Kessler | newspaper=[[The Washington Post]] | date=October 10, 2018}}</ref>
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==Personnel==
In May 2012, Larry Kramer
In July 2012, Kramer hired [[David Callaway (journalist)|David Callaway]]
The editor-in-chief {{
==Related publications and services==
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===''USA Weekend''===
{{main|USA Weekend}}
'''''USA Weekend''''' was a sister publication that launched in 1953 as ''Family Weekly'', a national [[Sunday magazine]] supplement intended for the Sunday editions of U.S. newspapers. It adopted its final title following Gannett's purchase of the magazine in 1985.<ref name="Family">{{cite news | title=Gannett Gets Family Weekly | url=https://www.nytimes.com/1985/02/22/business/gannett-gets-family-weekly.html | work=The New York Times | date=February 22, 1985 | url-access=subscription}}</ref> The magazine was distributed to approximately 800 newspapers nationwide at its peak, with most Gannett-owned local newspapers carrying it by default within their Sunday editions. It focused on social issues, entertainment, health, food and travel.<ref name="Family"/><ref name=portada>{{cite news | title=Gannett folds USA Weekend Magazine | url=https://www.portada-online.com/hispanic-media/hispanic-newspapers/gannett-folds-usa-weekend-magazine/ | website=Portada | date=December 7, 2014}}</ref> On December 5, 2014, Gannett announced the end of ''USA Weekend'' after the December 26–28, 2014 edition, citing increasing operational costs and reduced advertising revenue. Most of its participating newspapers replaced it with the competing Sunday magazine ''[[Parade (magazine)|Parade]]''.<ref name=nytimes>{{cite news | title=Consolidation Coming in Sunday Magazines | url=https://www.nytimes.com/2014/12/12/business/consolidation-coming-in-sunday-magazines.html | first=Stuart | last=Elliott | work=The New York Times |date=December 11, 2014 | url-access=subscription}}</ref><ref name=parade>{{cite news|title=Star Tribune plans to dump USA Weekend, pick up Parade| url=https://www.minnpost.com/braublog/2009/08/star-tribune-plans-dump-usa-weekend-pick-parade/ | first=David | last=Brauer | work=[[MinnPost]]|date=August 19, 2009}}</ref><ref name=wrap>{{cite news| title=USA Today Shuttering USA Weekend Magazine |url=https://www.thewrap.com/usa-today-shuttering-usa-weekend-magazine/ | first=Jordan | last=Chariton | work=[[The Wrap]] | date=December 5, 2014}}</ref><ref name=adweek>{{cite news | title=USA Today Shutters Weekend Magazine – USA Weekend was the country's second-largest news mag | url=https://www.adweek.com/digital/usa-today-shutters-weekend-magazine-161806/ | first=Emma | last=Bazilian | work=[[Adweek]] | date=December 5, 2014}}</ref><ref>{{cite news | url=https://www.usatoday.com/story/money/business/2014/12/05/usa-weekend-shuts-down/19966253/ | title=USA
===''USA Today Sports Weekly''===
{{Main|USA Today Sports Weekly}}
'''''USA Today Sports Weekly''''' is a weekly magazine that covers news and statistics from [[Major League Baseball]], [[Minor League Baseball]]
===The Big Lead===
{{Main|The Big Lead}}
'''The Big Lead''' is a sports [[blog]] operated by ''USA Today'' that was launched in February 2006 by Fantasy Sports Ventures, co-founded by Jason McIntyre and David Lessa. In April 2008, the blog established a strategic content and marketing partnership with Gannett. Gannett purchased The Big Lead
===''USA Today: The Television Show''===
In 1987, Gannett and producer/former [[NBC]] CEO [[Grant Tinker]] began developing a [[news magazine]] series for [[broadcast syndication]] that attempted to bring the breezy style of ''USA Today'' to television.<ref>{{cite news | title=And Now, Folks... Here's Tomorrow's News New Show, New Concept – A Newspaper on TV | url=http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1P2-8040929.html | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130117083101/http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1P2-8040929.html | url-status=dead | archive-date=January 17, 2013 | newspaper=[[The Boston Globe
Gannett announced plans to develop a ''USA Today''-branded weekly half-hour television program titled ''Sports Page''
===''VRtually There''===
''VRtually There'' was a weekly [[virtual reality]] news program produced by the USA Today Network, which debuted on October 20, 2016. The program, which was carried on the ''USA Today'' mobile app and is still available on [[YouTube]], showcased three original segments outlining news stories through a first-person perspective, recorded and produced by journalists from ''USA Today'' and its co-owned local newspapers. The program
===''For the Win''===
''USA Today'' operates a sports website called ''For the Win''.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://ftw.usatoday.com |title=For The Win | What fans are talking about |
''For the Win'' has sections covering pop culture and video games. Some articles for the latter are contributed by Good Luck Have Fun (GLHF), which describes itself as a gaming content agency that provides publishers around the globe, such as ''USA Today'' and ''[[Sports Illustrated]],''<ref>{{cite web | url=https://glhf.gg/publishers/ | title=Publishers | GLHF }}</ref> with text and video.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://ftw.usatoday.com/author/glhf | title=GLHF }}</ref>▼
===Over-the-top and FAST channels===
In 2018, Gannett launched ''USA Today''-branded [[over-the-top media service|over-the-top]] channels, ''USA Today News'' and ''USA Today SportsWire'' (later renamed as USA Today Sports), which would later relaunched in 2021 as [[free ad-supported streaming television]] (FAST) channels that are available on [[Tubi]], [[The Roku Channel]], [[Xumo|Xumo Play]], [[Plex, Inc.|Plex]], [[Amazon Freevee]], [[Local Now]] and [[Samsung TV Plus]].<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.mediaplaynews.com/gannett-relaunches-usa-today-streaming-video-platforms/|title=Gannett Relaunches USA Today Streaming Video Platforms|website=Media Play News|date=August 2, 2021|access-date=March 10, 2024}}</ref>
▲''For the Win'' has sections covering pop culture and video games. Some articles for the latter are contributed by Good Luck Have Fun (GLHF), which describes itself as a gaming content agency that provides publishers around the globe such as ''USA Today'' and ''Sports Illustrated,''<ref>{{cite web | url=https://glhf.gg/publishers/ | title=Publishers | GLHF }}</ref> with text and video.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://ftw.usatoday.com/author/glhf | title=GLHF }}</ref>
==
* [[USA Today Minor League Player of the Year Award|''USA Today'' Minor League Player of the Year Award]]
* [[USA Today All-USA
* [[USA Today All-USA
* ''USA Today'' All-Joe Team (NFL)
* ''USA Today''/National Prep Poll [[High School Football National Championship]]
* [[USA Today All-USA
* [[USA Today High School Football Coach of the Year|''USA Today'' High School Football Coach of the Year]] – First presented in 1982,it is awarded to a coach of one of the teams selected for the All-USA football team.
* ''USA
==In popular culture==
* In 1986, the [[humor magazine|satirical magazine]] ''[[The Harvard Lampoon]]'' published an issue that featured a parody of ''USA Today''.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/lifestyle/1986/09/16/playing-on-the-parody/70b382a2-e5e4-4e45-8e94-4eea8e56bd53|title=Playing on the Parody|newspaper=The Washington Post|date=September 16, 1986|access-date=March 13, 2024}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.upi.com/Archives/1986/09/16/USA-Today-target-of-Harvard-Lampoon/4225527227200|title=USA Today target of Harvard Lampoon|agency=[[United Press International|UPI]]|date=September 16, 1986|access-date=March 13, 2024}}</ref>
*
* A 1991 episode of ''[[The Simpsons]]'' ("[[Homer Defined]]") featured a parody of the paper ("U.S. of A. News"), whose lead story was "#2 is #1", in reference to pencils. Lisa criticizes the paper's blandness, but Homer retorts
* A 2010 episode of ''[[Futurama]]'' ("[[A Clockwork Origin]]") featured a parody of the paper ("USB Today").<ref>{{citation | url= https://theinfosphere.org/USB_Today| title= USB Today - the Infosphere, the Futurama Wiki}}</ref> The paper was also parodied on the 2007 [[Direct-to-video|direct-to-DVD]] special "[[Bender's Big Score]]" as "USA Toady", possibly as a reference to the character [[List of Futurama characters|Hypnotoad]].<ref>{{citation | url= https://theinfosphere.org/USA_Toady| title= USA Toady - the Infosphere, the Futurama Wiki}}</ref>
* ''[[Total Recall (1990 film)|Total Recall]]'' (1990) featured the ''Mars Today'' newspaper in the film's Mars setting.
* The 2004 [[mockumentary]] feature film ''[[C.S.A.: The Confederate States of America]]'', directed by [[Kevin Willmott]], featured a parody of the newspaper titled ''CSA Today'', in the film's fictional [[alternate history]] setting that the [[Confederate States of America|Confederacy]] had won the [[American Civil War]].<ref>{{cite AV media|title=C.S.A.: The Confederate States of America|medium=Film|location=United States|year=2004|publisher=Hodcarrier Films/IFC Films}}</ref>
==See also==
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[[Category:1980s American television news shows]]
[[Category:1990s American television news shows]]
[[Category:American English-language television shows]]
[[Category:Entertainment news shows in the United States]]
[[Category:Pulitzer Prize for Explanatory Journalism winners]]
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