[2] After graduating from law school in 1938, instead of taking the bar exam, Finkelstein worked as a reporter at the New York Daily Mirror.
The resultant firm became a major force in financial public relations; after becoming the subject of a Securities and Exchange Commission investigation for insider trading, it was dissolved.
Though a lifelong Democrat,[6] he was also a key supporter of Republican Nelson Rockefeller's gubernatorial and presidential campaigns.
The newspaper titles included The West Side Spirit and Our Town in New York City, Dan's Papers in the Hamptons and The Hill, in Washington, D.C., Finkelstein's crown jewel that was his creation.
Many successful journalists and media executives worked for Finkelstein at News Communications, including Jim Rutenberg, Pulitzer Prize winning Times reporter; Tom Allon, who built two successful private media companies after serving as Finkelstein's right-hand man at News Communications; Michael Rothfeld, who won a Pulitzer at the Wall Street Journal and many others.
News Communications was sold off in pieces by Finkelstein's son, Jimmy, who took over as CEO in 2001, after a brief stint under corporate vulture Wilbur Ross.