OCHS, ADOLPH SIMON

born March 12, 1858, Cincinnati, Ohio, U.S. died April 8, 1935, Chattanooga, Tenn. American newspaper publisher under whose ownership (from 1896) The New York Times became one of the world's outstanding newspapers. Despising yellow [sensational] journalism, he emphasized comprehensive and trustworthy news gathering. A son of cultured Jewish immigrants, Ochs delivered newspapers while a schoolboy in Knoxville, Tenn. He became a printer's devil on the Knoxville Chronicle in 1872 and later a compositor on the Louisville (Kentucky) Courier-Journal. In 1877 he helped to establish the Chattanooga Dispatch, and in July 1878, only 20, he borrowed $250 to buy a controlling interest in the moribund Chattanooga Times, which he developed into one of the leading newspapers in the South. He was a founder of the Southern Associated Press and was its chairman from 1891 to 1894; from 1900 until his death he was a director of the Associated Press. On Aug. 18, 1896, Ochs acquired control of the financially faltering New York Times, again with borrowed money ($75,000). In competition with the most powerful representatives of the yellow press, he adopted the slogan All the News That's Fit to Print (first used Oct. 25, 1896) and insisted on reportage that lived up to that promise. Despite an early shortage of capital, he refused advertisements that he considered dishonest or in poor taste. In 1898, when sales were low and expenses unusually high, he probably saved The Times by cutting its price from three cents to one cent. He thereby attracted many readers who previously had bought the more sensational penny papers, especially the World and the Journal. By 1900 Ochs was able to purchase controlling interest in The Times. Ochs was responsible for such innovations as a book review supplement and rotogravure printing of pictures. To make accurate source material available to the public, he began in 1913 to publish The New York Times Index, the only complete U.S. newspaper index.