Both The Wall Street Journal and The New York Times are reputable news sources with distinct strengths. The Wall Street Journal excels in business and finance reporting with a right-center perspective and responsive customer support. The New York Times provides comprehensive coverage with a left-center bias, extensive historical archives, and a user-friendly website, but has some reported issues with customer service.
| Attribute | The Wall Street Journal | The New York Times |
|---|---|---|
| Subscription cost (monthly/annual) | Offers vary: $2/week for the first year, then $38.99/month plus tax; $1.50/week for 1 year; Digital subscription for 3 years is $189; Lifetime digital subscription is $499.99. | Digital-only subscriptions can start as low as $1 a week. A basic digital access subscription bundled with Scribd is offered at $12.99/month. Annual renewal rates for digital-only news subscriptions have been seen to increase from $143 to $195 per year. Just $50 a year: Enjoy The Times in full. |
| Breadth of coverage (US, international, business, culture) | Extensive coverage of news, especially business and finance. Covers U.S. and international news, business, culture, economics, and money. | Comprehensive coverage of national and international news. Covers news, opinion, arts, science, and more. Coverage includes domestic, national, and international news, opinion pieces, investigative reports, and reviews. |
| Depth of reporting and analysis | Known for in-depth reporting and analysis, particularly on economic news. Considered a definitive source for global news through the lens of business, finance, economics, and money. | Known for delivering in-depth reporting and insightful analysis. Recognized for impactful storytelling and journalistic integrity. |
| Political leaning/bias | Editorial pages and columns have a conservative slant. News reporting is generally considered non-partisan. Ad Fontes Media rates it as "Middle" in terms of bias. A UCLA study argued that the news pages have a pro-liberal bias. Media Bias/Fact Check rates it as Right-Center biased. | Generally considered left-center biased. Ad Fontes Media rates The New York Times as "Skews Left". Story selection is typically balanced, but wording tends to lean left. Editorials on the NYT almost always favor the left. The New York Times has endorsed Democratic candidates in every presidential election since 1960. |
| Website and app user experience | Not available | The website is designed with user-friendliness in mind. The homepage showcases featured articles from different sections. Users can utilize the search function to find specific articles or topics. The New York Times has launched a new, customizable widget called "My Headlines." |
| Quality of investigative journalism | Won the 2023 Pulitzer Prize for Investigative Reporting for its "Capital Assets" series. | Renowned for its investigative journalism. Reporters dedicate significant time and resources to uncovering hidden truths and holding power accountable. The impact of these investigations often leads to policy changes, legal proceedings, and significant shifts in public perception. |
| Availability of historical archives | Factiva has electronic archives back to the 1980s. Proquest has digital images back another 100 years. ProQuest Historical Newspapers offers full-text access from 1889-2013. | Expansive archive dating back many years. The New York TimesMachine includes articles from issue 1 in 1851 up through December 2002. The official New York Times article archive has searchable indexes of its back content from 1851-1922 and 1981-present. |
| Multimedia content (podcasts, videos) | Offers multimedia content, including podcasts and videos. | Excels in multimedia storytelling. Offers podcasts, videos, interactive graphics, and photo essays. The New York Times hired an editor to lead multimedia efforts, which in their case are long form journalistic pieces, including photos, video, and animation. |
| Personalization options (newsfeed customization) | Offers personalized content recommendations. | Offers personalization options, including newsfeed customization. Users can select channels and follow them to fill their feed with stories from those channels only. The NYT is going to introduce a News Feed type display in their app. |
| Accessibility features (screen reader compatibility) | Not available | Not explicitly mentioned in the provided context, further research would be needed. |
| Customer support quality and responsiveness | Provides customer support via phone, email, and X (formerly Twitter). Has a help center with FAQs. Utilizes cloud-based CRM systems. First response time is under 2 minutes, and the resolution rate is 95% within 24 hours. | Customer service can be contacted by calling (800) 591-9233 or emailing help@nytimes.com. Offers customer support through email, live chat, call center, and social media. Users have reported frustrations with billing disputes and the cancellation process. |
| Mobile app ratings (iOS and Android) | Not available | Available on both iOS and Android platforms. Not explicitly mentioned in the provided context, further research would be needed to provide current ratings. |