Nearly forgotten today, Dziennik Narodowy ("National Daily News") was considered one of the most important newspapers of the Polish community in Chicago. Established on December 4, 1898, by members of the Polish Nationalist Party, Dziennik Narodowy remained crucial to the political education of Polish Americans until its demise in September 1923. After one year with the paper, Dziennik Narodowy's first editor, John J. Chrzanowski, resigned in favor of Michal Sadowski, who remained editor until April 1900. From October 11, 1899 to December 1899 during Sadowski's administration,the printing of Dziennik Narodowy ceased. In later years, F.H. Jablonski, Frank Wolowski, K. Barski, Filip Ksycki, and M.S. Dunin served as editors.

Under the editorship of Frank Wolowski, Dziennik Narodowy printed a special page of Glos Polek (The Voice of Polish Women), the official organ for the Polish Women's Alliance of America. As editor of both Dziennik Narodowy and Glos Polek, Wolowski helped sustain Glos Polek, of which his wife Lucja Wolowska was an officer, during a period of financial stress. From 1903 to 1910, Dziennik Narodowy featured a special edition of Glos Polek. Since 1910, Glos Polek has continued as a weekly and, since 1994, a monthly publication, maintaining its goal to sustain the voices of the Polish-American women.

Largely devoted to cultural and literary matters, Dziennik Narodowy became a semi-official organ of the Polish-American relief organization, the National Department (Wydzial Narodowy), which was active during World War I. Dziennik Narodowy's main rival, was the Chicago newspaper Dziennik Zwiazkowy (Alliance Daily News). Established in 1908, it too was associated with the National Department. Because of its affiliation with the Polish Nationalist Party, Dziennik Narodowy adopted a more secular position, contesting the influence of the Catholic Church within the Polish community in the Midwest. Its adversarial stance set Dziennik Narodowy apart from other immigrant newspapers. On June 9, 1897, before Dziennik Narodowy began publication, another Polish-language newspaper, Dziennik Chicagoski (Polish Daily News) warned that "Dziennik Narodowy ['s]...sole purpose will be to 'kill the parochial daily' ...and check the influence of the Polish Catholic press in America."

Despite their political differences, Dziennik Narodowy was eventually absorbed by its rival.Today, Dziennik Zwiazkowy has become the longest running and only remaining Polish newspaper published in Chicago.