Dan's Papers

{{Short description|Weekly newspaper in the Hamptons, Long Island}}

{{DISPLAYTITLE:Dan's Papers}}

{{Use mdy dates|date=March 2025}}

Dan's Papers is a free weekly lifestyle publication in the Hamptons, Long Island, New York, United States, founded by Dan Rattiner. The first of the papers that would later collectively come to be known as Dan's Papers was the Montauk Pioneer, which debuted July 1, 1960.{{cite news |last1=Napoli |first1=Michelle |date=July 2, 2000 |title=Dan, of the Papers: 40 Years of Hamptons Lite |work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2000/07/02/nyregion/dan-of-the-papers-40-years-of-hamptons-lite.html |accessdate=June 5, 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131113034141/https://www.nytimes.com/2000/07/02/nyregion/dan-of-the-papers-40-years-of-hamptons-lite.html |archive-date=13 November 2013}}

Dan's Papers has gained notoriety for perpetrating various hoaxes, such as stories of a Hamptons Subway beneath the East End of Long Island. The first of these, in 1963, happened by mistake when founder Dan Rattiner incorrectly printed the timetable of trains in the paper. He received a call from the local stationmaster, who told him a crowd of people were there waiting for a train that doesn't exist.{{cite web|last1=Ross|first1=Christopher|title=Dan's Papers' Top 10 Hamptons Hoaxes|url=http://www.details.com/culture-trends/news-and-politics/201009/dans-papers-hamptons-long-island-top-10-hoaxes?slide=2#/intro|website=Details.com|publisher=Condé Nast|accessdate=July 16, 2014}} The error made Rattiner realize he could do things to get the whole town talking about his paper.{{original research inline|date=June 2015}} It began publishing stories about the fictional Old Man McGumbus in 2011.{{Cite magazine |last=Laskow |first=Sarah |date=2015-12-28 |title=The Mystery of the Hamptons' Vanishing Libertarian |magazine=The New Republic |url=https://newrepublic.com/article/126620/mystery-hamptons-vanishing-libertarian |access-date=2023-06-26 |issn=0028-6583}}

The magazine regularly included Rattiner's pen-and-ink cartoons and sketches.{{Cite news |date=February 8, 2007 |title=Round & About (Arts & Living section) |work=Southampton Press}} His art depicted the East End of Long Island, both its landscape and people ranging from "farmers, movie stars, fishermen and Wall Streeters."{{Cite news |date=February 16, 2007 |title=Art Events |work=Dan's Paper |pages=66}} 30 years after starting Dan's Paper, Rattiner had his first exhibition when he had two solo shows at the Ferregut Tower Gallery in Southampton, NY in 2007.{{Cite news |last=Ernst |first=Eric |date=March 15, 2007 |title=Unique Perspectives, From Here and Away |work=The Southampton Press |pages=Arts & Living}}{{Cite news |date=June 25, 2007 |title=At the Galleries |work=The Southampton Press}}{{Cite news |last=Mashburn |first=Sabrina |date=June 22, 2007 |title=Dan Rattiner's Ode to the East End, II |work=Dan's Paper |pages=127}}{{Cite news |last=Gordon |first=Berry |date=February 23, 2007 |title=Dan Rattiner: 'Ode to the East End' |work=Dan's Paper |pages=33}}

Rattiner sold Dan's Paper in 2007 to Ohio-based Brown Publishing Company.{{Cite news |last=Robins |first=Craig |date=May 10, 2010 |title=Dan's Papers Files For Bankruptcy on Long Island |url=https://longislandbankruptcyblog.com/dans-papers-files-bankruptcy-long-island/ |access-date=February 3, 2024 |work=Long Island Bankruptcy Blog}} Rattiner sold the magazine for $19.6 million, significantly more than the $1.75 million Brown sold it for three years later in 2010.{{citation needed|date=February 2024}} Manhattan Media purchased the magazine from Brown, which sold Dan's Paper as part of its bankruptcy.{{cite news |last1=Barron |first1=James |date=July 24, 2007 |title=Quirky Hamptons Paper, Reading for Rich, Is Sold |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2007/07/24/nyregion/24paper.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150605092417/https://www.nytimes.com/2007/07/24/nyregion/24paper.html |archive-date=5 June 2015 |accessdate=June 12, 2014 |work=The New York Times}}{{cite news |last1=Turner |first1=Zeke |date=September 3, 2010 |title=New York Press Owner Manhattan Media Buys Dan's Papers |url=http://observer.com/2010/09/emnew-york-pressem-owner-manhattan-media-buys-emdans-papersem/ |accessdate=June 12, 2014 |work=New York Observer}} On June 9, 2020, Manhattan Media also purchased the East Hampton-based outlet The Independent and merge it with Dan's Paper to create Dan's Independent Media. Just a few months later, in September 2020, Schneps Media purchased Dan's Independent Media from Manhattan Media.{{citation needed|date=February 2024}}