Ukiah Daily Journal

The Journal traces its history back to the foundation of the weekly Mendocino Democrat in 1868 by Alex Montgomery.[3][4] It was later consolidated with the Weekly Dispatch (founded in 1873), under the ownership of Peabody and A.W. Sefton.[3] In 1898, J. B. Sanford purchased the paper, and in 1913 took on partner E. P. Thurston, who managed many of the day-to-day operations.[3] Thurston would edit and publish the paper for 36 years, eventually selling it to Ben Cober.[5]

From 1936 to 1939 it was a daily without Sundays, but reverted to a semi-weekly for financial reasons. This was the Dispatch Democrat owned by Mr. Cober. In 1949, Cober bought the Ukiah Republican Press and created the combined Redwood Journal-Press-Dispatch, issuing the first issue under the Daily Journal name on April 19, 1954.[6] In 1960, the paper merged with the weekly Willits News and Ukiah News in an effort to reduce costs through consolidation.[7] In 1988, after the Anderson Valley Advertiser printed a hoax interview (supposedly with Congressman Douglas Bosco), the Ukiah Daily Journal, which had had the printing contract for that paper, banned the use of its press by the Advertiser.[8]

The out-of-state Donrey Media Group (now Stephens Media) took over in 1984. In 1999, MediaNews Group (California Newspaper bought the paper as part of a ten newspaper deal with Donrey meant to expand MediaNews's holdings in Los Angeles and Northern California.[9][10]

Saturday editions ran from 2003, making it a true daily newspaper until 2011. It now runs on a Tuesday-Sunday publication schedule.[11]

In 2017, the Ukiah Daily Journal won 1st place in the Coverage of Local Government category in its division of California's Better Newspapers Contest.[12]