 Most of the newsies depicted in the film are based on real people  from the strike such as Spot Conlon, Racetrack Higgins, Kid Blink.  Jack Kelly, however, is a fabrication, though he may have been based  on the real Kid Blink, who was accused of being bribed by Pulitzer  to end the strike. David is most probably based on Morris Cohen, the  other leader of the strike.