Chicago circulation wars
[1] The nine established English-language newspapers in Chicago enjoyed a friendly rivalry, competing for readers and advertisers through sensational headlines, lurid photos, and scoops.
They were armed with blackjacks, brass knuckles, and guns, and instructed to make sure news dealers sold the American.
[4]: 34–37 Hearst began publishing a morning version of the American, and hired Moe Annenberg, Max's younger brother, to manage its circulation.
With all of the papers selling for the same price, violence and intimidation became the preferred methods for achieving dominance at the newsstands.
[7] The circulation gangs of the American ordered news dealers to hide all rival papers out of sight, using violence to get their way.
[2]: 83–84 Annenberg led his thugs in terrorizing shoppers at Marshall Field's until that leading department store took ads in the American.
[2]: 83–84 In 1907, the circulation gang for the Evening American hijacked a Tribune delivery truck, tossing all of its newspapers into the Chicago River.
[4]: 34–37 The city's Commissioner of Public Works, Joe Patterson, thought that the circulation wars could be stopped by banning newstands from sidewalks, but resigned without taking action.
[5] When the attacks finally began to be mentioned in the newspapers in response to the public questioning the lack of coverage, they were attributed to a fictitious union dispute.
[9] One compromise resulting from the circulation wars was an agreement that the Tribune be displayed exclusively on the top shelf of newsstands.
[2]: 94 McCormick would deny any involvement in the violence, but said that Max Annenberg "proved to be much the best circulation manager in town".
The "salesmanship consisted of sweeping competing papers off the newsstands and pulling drivers from the seats of circulation trucks.
The reign of physical terror instituted by these advocates of "freedom of the press" did not end until Chicago was ridden and ruled by racketeers.
The hiring of "Moe" Annenberg by Hearst was the beginning of the subsequent flood of lawlessness that almost engulfed law enforcement in the United States.
He hired "Moe" Annenberg as circulation manager of all the Hearst papers on the theory that his brother would soften his methods.
