History
The newspaper was founded in 1885 by Gilbert M. Hitchcock as the Omaha Evening World. It absorbed George L. Miller's Omaha Herald in 1889. The paper was established as an independent political voice but quickly moved to the Democratic Party column. William Jennings Bryan was its editor in 1894-96. Hitchcock served three terms in the U.S. House of Representatives and, starting in 1911, two Senate terms. It was a more objective voice than the Omaha Bee, which tended to sensationalize news to drum up sales.
His son-in-law, Henry Doorly, took control of the paper after Hitchcock's death in 1934. The editorial page began leaning Republican after Hitchcock's death. Over his lifetime, Doorly served 58 years at the paper.
In 1963, the World Publishing Company, owned solely by heirs of the Hitchcock/Doorly families, sold The World-Herald to local businessman Peter Kiewit, a construction magnate whose namesake company is a member of the Fortune 500. When he died, Kiewit left provisions to ensure that the paper would remain locally owned, with a large part of the plan securing employee ownership.
On November 30, 2011, the Omaha World-Herald announced that Berkshire Hathaway will buy the newspaper pending a vote by its shareholders which is made up of active employees, retired employees and the Peter Kiewit Foundation.
Read more about this topic: Omaha World-Herald
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