Las Vegas Sun

History

The Las Vegas Sun was first published on May 21, 1950, by Hank Greenspun, who served as its editor until his death. Hank acquired the Las Vegas Free Press and two weeks later renamed it to the Las Vegas Sun. He started the Las Vegas Sun after he received a US$1,000-loan from businessman Nate Mack. From its founding the paper was published in the mornings. Starting in 1989, after it signed a Joint Operating Agreement with the Las Vegas Review-Journal, the paper switched to publishing in the afternoon.

On April 20, 2009, the Las Vegas Sun was awarded a Pulitzer Prize for Public Service for coverage of the high death rate of construction workers on the Las Vegas Strip amid lax enforcement of regulations. The Pulitzer Prize committee noted that the Suns coverage led to changes in government policy and improved safety conditions. Alexandra Berzon was the primary author for the four-part series. Berzon soon left the Sun after her win, as did health reporter and Pulitzer finalist Marshall Allen in 2011.

Current status

The afternoon edition of the paper was published until September 30, 2005, when, on October 2, 2005, the Las Vegas Sun began distribution with the Las Vegas Review-Journal. The change came about after the Sun entered into an amended joint operating agreement with the Las Vegas Review-Journal to deliver the Sun with the Review-Journal, but with the *Sun'''s content inserted in the *Review-Journal''. The staff for each paper remained independent.

The Sun is produced by its editors, reporters and photographers at The Greenspun Corporation's suburban Henderson offices, then printed by the Review-Journal and included inside the pages of the morning R-J. The section typically contains no advertisements. The two newspapers' editorial departments continue to have in-print disputes, often on the op-ed pages by Brian Greenspun and former Review-Journal publisher Sherman Frederick.

Before Christmas in 2009, the Sun fired more than half its staff and changed its focus from daily news to feature stories and analysis. Then, in September 2011, the paper laid off a dozen additional employees, with Greenspun pointing to layoffs at the Sun as being a direct result of recent layoffs at the Review-Journal.

References

References

1. Rainey, James. (March 8, 2006). "Sleeping with the enemy newspaper; The underdog Las Vegas Sun is being inserted into the rival Review-Journal". Los Angeles Times.
2. "Nate Mack". [[UNLV University Libraries]].
3. Rosentiel, Thomans B.. (September 10, 1989). "New Era for Two Warring Vegas Papers". Los Angeles Times.
4. (July 23, 1989). "Hank's Battle Over". Las Vegas Sun.
5. (April 20, 2009). "2009 Pulitzer Prizewinners and Nominated Finalists". [[The Pulitzer Prizes]].
6. (April 20, 2009). "Las Vegas Sun wins Pulitzer Prize". Las Vegas Sun.
7. "Construction Deaths Series". Las Vegas Sun.
8. Rainey, James. (2006-03-08). "Sleeping with the enemy newspaper".
9. (December 7, 2009). "Greenspun Media Group cuts staff again". Las Vegas Business Press.
10. Kaufman, Rachel. (September 16, 2011). "Layoffs at the Las Vegas Sun". FishbowlNY.