In 2018, the Detroit Free Press received two Salute to Excellence awards from the National Association of Black Journalists.

[6] The newspaper was launched by John R. Williams and his uncle, Joseph Campau, and was first published as the Democratic Free Press and Michigan Intelligencer on May 5, 1831.

By October, about 40% of the editorial staffers had crossed the picket line, and many trickled back over the next months while others stayed out for the two and a half years of the strike.

The strike was resolved in court three years later, and the unions remain active at the paper, representing a majority of the employees under their jurisdiction.

[10] On August 3, 2005, Knight Ridder sold the Free Press to the Gannett Company, which had previously owned and operated The Detroit News.

[13] On December 16, 2008, Detroit Media Partnership (DMP) announced a plan to limit weekday home delivery for both dailies to Thursday and Friday only.

[15] In February 2014, the DMP announced its offices along with those of the Free Press and The Detroit News would occupy six floors in both the old and new sections of the former Federal Reserve building at 160 West Fort Street.

[19] In November 2019, the newspaper announced it would cut four staff positions ahead of the GateHouse Media conglomerate completing its purchase of Gannett.

[20][21] In 2025, Gannett announced it will close the paper's printing facility in Sterling Heights, Michigan with 115 jobs lost.