The Sacramento Bee
The Sacramento Bee is a daily newspaper published in Sacramento, California, in the United States. Since its foundation in 1857, "The Bee" has become the largest newspaper in Sacramento, the fifth largest newspaper in California, and the 27th largest paper in the U.S. It is distributed in the upper Sacramento Valley, with a total circulation area that spans about : south to Stockton, California, north to the Oregon border, east to Reno, Nevada, and west to the San Francisco Bay Area. "The Bee" is the flagship of the nationwide McClatchy Company. Its "Scoopy Bee" mascot, created by Walt  Disney in 1943, has been used by all three "Bee" newspapers (in Sacramento, Modesto, and Fresno). History. Under the name "The Daily Bee", the first issue of the newspaper was published on February 3, 1857, proudly boasting that "the object of this newspaper is not only independence, but permanence". At this time, "The Bee" was in competition with the "Sacramento Union", a newspaper founded in 1851. Although "The Bee" soon surpassed the "Union" in popularity, the "Union" survived until its closure in 1994, leaving "The Sacramento Bee" to be the longest-running newspaper in the city's history. The first  editor of "The Sacramento Bee" was John Rollin Ridge, but James McClatchy took over the position by the end of the first week. Also within a week of its creation, "The Bee" uncovered a state scandal which led to the impeachment of Know-Nothing California State Treasurer Henry Bates. 21st century. On March 13, 2006, The McClatchy Company announced its agreement to purchase Knight Ridder, the United States' second-largest chain of daily newspapers. The purchase price of $4.5 billion in cash and stock gave McClatchy 32 daily newspapers in 29 markets, with a total circulation of 3.3 million . On February 3, 2007, the paper celebrated its 150th anniversary, and a copy of the original issue was included in every newspaper. On February 4, 2007, a 120-page section was included about the paper's history from its founding to today. In 2008, "The Sacramento Bee" redesigned and changed its layout. Recognition. "The Sacramento Bee" has won six Pulitzer Prizes in its history. It has won numerous other awards, including many for its progressive public service campaigns promoting free speech (the "Bee" often criticized government policy, and uncovered many scandals hurting Californians), anti-racism ("The Bee" supported the Union  during the American Civil War and publicly denounced the Ku Klux Klan), worker's rights ("The Bee" has a strong history of supporting unionization), and environmental protection (leading numerous tree-planting campaigns and fighting against environmental destruction in the Sierra Nevada). In 2003 the Council for Media Integrity from the Committee for Skeptical Inquiry (CSICOP) gave the "Candle in the Dark" award to Edgar Sanchez for his column "Scam Alert" where he has written about Nigerian scams, car-mileage fraud and phony police detectives. The council is made up of by scientists, media and academics, all concerned with the "balanced  portrayal of science". The "Candle in the Dark Award" is presented to those who show "outstanding contributions to the public's understanding of science and scientific principles".