In 1874, the
Columbus Enquirer, until then a weekly publication, merged with Columbus's first daily newspaper, the
Daily Sun, to form the
Columbus Enquirer-Sun. The paper was published under this name for many years before eventually reverting to the name
Columbus Enquirer. The paper was purchased by R. W. Page in 1930. For many years the morning
Columbus Enquirer and the afternoon
Columbus Ledger, a paper founded in 1886, and also owned by R. W. Page, published a combined Sunday paper known as the
Sunday Ledger-Enquirer.
Knight Newspapers acquired the company in 1973, and in 1988 the papers merged the daily edition as well, adopting the name
Columbus Ledger-Enquirer. Knight Ridder was acquired by
The McClatchy Company in 2006. Beginning Nov. 16, 2019, the Ledger-Enquirer began printing just six days a week, offering a Saturday newspaper in digital-only form. In June 2024, the newspaper announced it will reduce its print frequency to two days a week.
1926 Pulitzer Prize The
Columbus Enquirer-Sun was awarded the 1926 Pulitzer Prize for Public Service "for the service which it rendered in its brave and energetic fight against the
Ku Klux Klan; against the enactment of a law barring the teaching of
evolution; against dishonest and incompetent public officials and for justice to the
Negro and against
lynching."
1955 Pulitzer Prize The
Columbus Ledger and
Sunday Ledger-Enquirer were awarded the 1955 Pulitzer Prize for Public Service for their "complete news coverage and fearless editorial attack on widespread corruption in neighboring
Phenix City, Alabama, which were effective in destroying a corrupt and racket-ridden city government. The newspaper exhibited an early awareness of the evils of lax law enforcement before the situation in Phenix City erupted into murder. It covered the whole unfolding story of the final prosecution of the wrong-doers with skill, perception, force and courage." ==See also==