HISTORY OF EARLY NEW BEDFORD NEWSPAPERS
The Medley or New Bedford Marine Journal, the earliest newspaper published in New Bedford, began publication on November 27, 1792. Earlier newspapers were published in Boston, Providence and Newport. The printer and publisher John Spooner came to New Bedford from Windsor, Vermont where he had apprenticed with his uncles, Alden Spooner and Judah Paddock Spooner. Spooner published The Medley until October 18, 1799 when he sold his printing business to Abraham Shearman Junior, a former apprentice and a prominent Quaker publisher.
Before purchasing John Spooner’s business, Abraham Shearman had published the Columbian Courier, New Bedford’s second newspaper, which began publication on December 8, 1798. In the August 31, 1804 issue, it was announced that publication of the Columbian Courier would cease in three months’ time when the current volume was completed. In the November 23, 1804 issue, it was then announced that publication would continue for another three months. The last issue published was that of March 1, 1805.
For a period of approximately twenty-nine months, there was no newspaper published in New Bedford until the New-Bedford Mercury, New Bedford’s third newspaper, began publication on August 7, 1807. The New-Bedford Mercury, published by Benjamin Lindsey, was available only in a weekly edition until February 28, 1831 when a trial issue of a daily edition was introduced. Subscribers to the daily Mercury received the weekly Mercury as their Friday newspaper. A daily edition of the newspaper was published continuously from March 21, 1831 until 1942; the daily edition became the morning Mercury on March 25, 1897.
The daily Evening Standard, published by abolitionist Edmund Anthony, began publication on February 14, 1850. One week later on February 21, 1850, a weekly edition, the Republican Standard was introduced and was published until 1912. The Republican Standard printed news columns from the daily newspaper including some of the advertisements.
The current local newspaper, The Standard-Times, has been in publication since 1932, being a merger of two earlier papers, the Evening Standard (1850-1932) and the New Bedford Times (1902-1932).
