Springfield and the Ozarks have produced a rich and colorful history of journalistic achievement, culminating with our current daily newspaper, the Springfield News-Leader.

Springfield Newspapers, Inc. was established in 1933, however, the first newspaper in Springfield was the Ozark Standard, established in 1838.

The first name that is associated with today's newspaper appeared on April 4, 1867. It was the Springfield Leader, a weekly paper started by a former soldier and an earlier publisher of the Southwest Union Press.

On May 3, 1870, the first Springfield Daily Leader, with Associated Press evening service, was published. But the daily was suspended a little over 90 days later because of the financial problems and the weekly was resumed. During the ensuing years, there were many changes in name, ownership and locations.

The actual forerunners of the present publication were the afternoon Leader, the afternoon Press (established in 1929) and the morning Daily News.

The newspapers moved to their present site on Boonville Avenue in 1933. That same year, a new press, capable of printing 36,000 sixty-four page papers per hour, was installed.

Work on the present newspaper plant started in January 1948, after a fire gutted most of the plant. Constant additions and improvements have been underway virtually since that time.

The last major improvements included a remodel that began in 1996 and the installation of a new press in June 2002. The new press, a MAN Roland GEOMAN 70 offset press, provides the latest in printing technology. The press is capable of printing 70,000 copies an hour and up to 80 pages in color. The computer-to-plate technology improves operational efficiency and contributes to exceptional print quality.

The mission of the Springfield News-Leader is to fulfill the responsibility of being the primary information source to Southwest Missouri.

In this role as a community newspaper, the Springfield News-Leader's commitment includes:

* To publish a fair and accurate report of events in our local communities, the Ozarks, our state, the nation and the world.

* To maintain a leadership role in voicing our opinions on our editorial page, while providing an outlet for the views of our readers and writers.

* To vigorously defend the public's right to know about issues and events that are of interest to them as citizens and to assume a watchdog role in reporting the actions of government.

* To publish advertising that meets the highest standards of business and provide on-time home delivery and single copy purchase availability to all of our readers.

* To support a sense of community in our area and be mindful of the balanced best interest of our owners, our readers, our employees and the public at large.

You may contact us by phone, fax or e-mail.

Springfield News-Leader
Human Resources Department
651 N. Boonville
Springfield, MO 65806

Phone: 1-417-836-1100
Fax: 1-417-836-1230
e-mail: hr@ozarksnow.com