San Jose Mercury News The San Jose Mercury News is an American daily newspaper , published in San Jose , California . It is owned by Media News Group . Its headquarters and printing plant are located in North San Jose next to the Nimitz Freeway ( Interstate 880 ) . The Mercury News encompasses all other Bay Area newspapers owned by Media News Group , including the " Oakland Tribune " , " Contra Costa Times " , " Marin Independent Journal " , " San Mateo County Times " , " Santa Cruz Sentinel " , and 10 other local daily newspapers , each of which are branded as " an edition of the " San Jose Mercury News " , " which accounts for the newspaper ' s high circulation . History . The " San Jose Mercury " was founded in 1851 as the San Jose Weekly Visitor , while the San Jose News was founded in 1883 . In 1942 , the " Mercury " purchased the " News " and continued publishing both newspapers , with the " Mercury " as the morning paper and the " News " as the evening paper . In 1983 , the newspapers were merged into the " San Jose Mercury News " , with morning and afternoon editions . The afternoon edition was later abandoned . The paper says that the name " Mercury " refers to the importance of the mercury industry during the California Gold Rush , when the city ' s New Almaden Mines ( now Almaden Quicksilver County Park ) were the largest producer of mercury in North America . The name has a dual meaning , as Mercury is the Roman messenger of the gods as well as the god of commerce and thieves , known for his swiftness , and the name " Mercury " is commonly used for newspapers without the quicksilver association . Because of its location in Silicon Valley , the " Mercury News " has covered many of the key events in the history of computing . Ridder bought the " Mercury " and " News " in 1952 . Ridder merged with Knight to form Knight Ridder in 1974 . In August 1996 , the newspaper published Gary Webb ' s " Dark Alliance " , a series of investigative articles linking the CIA to Nicaraguan contras organizing the distribution of cocaine into United States . This provoked a right - wing reaction , first from " The Washington Times " , and then from other major American newspapers . While first enthusiastic about the story , eight months later the executive editor would claim the story was faulty , in a letter to readers in which he stated : " I believe that we fell short at every step of our process . " On March 13 , 2006 , The McClatchy Company announced their agreement to purchase Knight Ridder . McClatchy decided that it would be expedient to explore the immediate resale of the " Mercury News " . On April 26 , 2006 , it was announced that Denver - based MediaNews Group would buy the " Mercury News " . However , on June 12 , 2006 , federal regulators from the U . S . Department of Justice asked for more time to review the purchase , citing possible anti - trust concerns over MediaNews ' ownership of other newspapers in the region . Although approval by regulators and completion of MediaNews ' acquisition was announced on August 2 , 2006 , a lawsuit claiming antitrust violations by MediaNews and the Hearst Corporation had also been filed in July 2006 . The suit , which sought to undo the purchase of both the " Mercury News " and the " Contra Costa Times " , was scheduled to go to trial on April 30 , 2007 . While extending until that date a preliminary injunction which prevented collaboration of local distribution and national advertising sales by the two media conglomerates , U . S . District Judge Susan Illston on December 19 , 2006 expressed doubt over the legality of the purchase . On April 25 , 2007 , days before the trial was scheduled to begin , the parties reached a settlement in which MediaNews preserved its acquisitions . Awards . The newspaper has earned several awards , including two Pulitzer Prize s , one in 1986 for reporting regarding political corruption in the Ferdinand Marcos administration in the Philippines , and one in 1990 for their comprehensive coverage of the 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake . Assistant managing editor David Yarnold was also a Pulitzer Prize finalist in 2004 for a local corruption investigation . The Mercury News was also named one of the five best - designed newspapers in the world by the Society for News Design for work done in 2001 . Coverage . The paper ' s local coverage and circulation is concentrated on the entire Bay Area , plus Santa Cruz County and excluding San Francisco and Sonoma County .