With the largest circulation along California's North Coast, the Press Democrat was founded in 1897 by Ernest Finley. A seasoned newspaper editor, Finley merged his paper, the Evening Press, with Thomas Thompson's Sonoma Democrat to form the Press Democrat. Today, the Press Democrat is owned by the New York Times Company, having bought the paper from Finley's family in 1985. The Press Democrat covers local and regional news and is a recipient of the George Polk Award for Regional Reporting, given for journalistic integrity and investigative reporting. The paper offers both an online and print edition.