What is the best newspaper in the US?

[arivecchi]

In your opinion, what is the best newspaper in the US (in terms of news coverage, opinion page, editorials)? And no, the Onion does not count. ;)

I simply chose some of the best-known ones. Disclaimer: this is not a scientific poll yada yada yada.

Poll coming....

[AnnieW625]

Content wise I voted for the Wall Street Journal, however I don't have time to read it daily. I could spend all day reading it.

If I had to subscribe to major regional newspaper I'd most likely get the Orange County Register or the San Diego Union Tribune . The LA Times is just too much paper for me on a daily basis so I get a local paper that takes 15 mins. max to read daily just so I can read what is going on locally.

[wellyes]

Financial Times (the pink one) has brilliant international coverage. It's like a daily version of The Economist. I think it is probably the best newspaper in the world. Having said that, I am a NY Times reader.

eta - oh, it's British! Oops! I haven't read it in years and don't think of it that way but it is not applicable to this poll. Sorry!

[LMPC]

I :heartbeat: the NYTimes. I don't have anything scientific to back up my opinion, but I have very fond memories of reading it pre-DD when we lived in NYC....curled up on the couch after brunch on a Sunday. Pure bliss! I still read it online and get my mom's hand-me-downs :)

[SnuggleBuggles]

I prefer the Washington Post.

My ILs get the NYT and I just can't get into it. I get bored just looking at the front page. Sunday edition does nothing for me either. Admittedly, I like fluff though...deep thinking isn't one of my passions.

I rarely read the paper though (online or print) and just listen to NPR.

Beth

[dcmom2b3]

Weekly Reader, hands down. Love the matching games, better than NYT crossword.

In seriousness, I'd have voted for the Financial Times, but I don't know that it counts as a US newspaper.

[DrSally]

I love the NY Times. I get it online, but miss getting the paper version. I think the actual writing is excellent and the reportage is in depth. Of course, I don't mind the slant to the left either. I have been a previous reader of the Chicago Tribune, and I thought it was a good paper, esp. in comparison to the Cincinnati Enquirer (no offense anyone). I read some of the WSJ that DH receives, but the pro business slant drives me nuts, the editorial is particularily not my taste, but it is interesting to read where the "other side" is coming from.

[maestramommy]

I love the NYT for quality of writing. I grew up reading the Tribune (I LOVED Mike Royko!), but haven't read it in almost 20 years now. With few exceptions I don't think much of the L.A Times.

[arivecchi]

I :heartbeat: the NYT. Wish I could be a reporter there.

ETA: I love the variety of articles and the writing. So many newspapers have mediocre writing. I dislike the Trib. Have never been able to read it. The WSJ is a great paper but too dry for my taste.

[Momof3Labs]

I dunno, but I hate the Chicago Tribune. Liked it for years, but hate what it has become now. Not to mention what they did to my beloved WGN radio (I'm a dork when it comes to radio, now I'm gonna cry)...

[crl]

This is fascinating. I voted NY Times. I'm surprised how far ahead it is. And I wonder if that is related to what I perceive as the general liberal slant on these boards? I think of the NY Times as having somewhat of a liberal slant. I'm a liberal, so I'm not exactly objecting or anything. Just wondering out loud.

BTW, my brother is the editor of a small Midwestern city's paper. But since it wasn't listed, I decided to vote for the second best. ;)

Catherine

[ECMom]

Usatoday........I don't like slant, just the facts.

[citymama]

I love love love my NYT.

I don't agree with the WSJ's op-ed page, but I think it has some good reporting and writing.

[Clarity]

I prefer reading the Washington Post.

[kijip]

Usatoday........I don't like slant, just the facts.

USA Today has a pretty well known and widely accepted slant IMO. It's interesting what people think of as slanted and not.

[kijip]

I'm a WSJ girl.

I think they do an amazing job with their news reporting.

I prefer it when papers don't try to hide their slants, because every paper has them in one way or the other. Clearly, I am not someone who needs to agree with the slant to like and respect the publication since I have been subscribing to the WSJ (on and off, mostly on, though off when the kids were new!) for 12 years and I am a very liberal person, to put it mildly.

[codex57]

I voted WSJ. Not a huge fan of the ones listed. Not that there's anything wrong with them as poll choices. Just that I don't like most major newspapers. I like my news objective. Still a little undecided how I feel about editorials. In any case, I don't recall thinking NYT was objective. In fact, I have lots of memories picking up copies to read in the law school lounge and laughing at a lot of the "news" articles and how you could totally tell how the reporter was a liberal. Even if the news story had nothing to do with politics. I mean, people bash on Fox News but at least they basically admit they're right wing slanted.

[babychi]

WSJ fan here.

[mommylamb]

I wish I could have voted for the Washington Post, but I voted NYT. I don't even get the Post at home any more, save Sundays, because I think the coverage has gone so downhill with all the cut backs.

[crl]

I'm a WSJ girl.

I think they do an amazing job with their news reporting.

I prefer it when papers don't try to hide their slants, because every paper has them in one way or the other. Clearly, I am not someone who needs to agree with the slant to like and respect the publication since I have been subscribing to the WSJ (on and off, mostly on, though off when the kids were new!) for 12 years and I am a very liberal person, to put it mildly.

I absolutely agree with you that every news source has some kind of slant.

Catherine

[jess_g]

I don't read the paper much but my 2 favorites are defenitly the NY Times and the Washington Post. - J

[wellyes]

This is fascinating. I voted NY Times. I'm surprised how far ahead it is. And I wonder if that is related to what I perceive as the general liberal slant on these boards? I think of the NY Times as having somewhat of a liberal slant. I'm a liberal, so I'm not exactly objecting or anything. Just wondering out loud.



I think it's more that it's the only repubtable national newspaper that widely covers both news and general interest stories. I think of WSJ as being much more business oriented, the Post more political. The Times has a more broad scope. Top 10 emailed right now includes a story about the religion test that we were all talking about, an article about urban coyotes, 2 health articles, an education piece, a music review, a tech review and a couple of opinion columnists.

[arivecchi]

I voted WSJ. Not a huge fan of the ones listed. Not that there's anything wrong with them as poll choices. Just that I don't like most major newspapers. I like my news objective. Still a little undecided how I feel about editorials. In any case, I don't recall thinking NYT was objective. In fact, I have lots of memories picking up copies to read in the law school lounge and laughing at a lot of the "news" articles and how you could totally tell how the reporter was a liberal. Even if the news story had nothing to do with politics. I mean, people bash on Fox News but at least they basically admit they're right wing slanted. No news source is completely objective. The NYT is certainly not bashful of its stance.


I think it's more that it's the only repubtable national newspaper that widely covers both news and general interest stories. I think of WSJ as being much more business oriented, the Post more political. The Times has a more broad scope. Top 10 emailed right now includes a story about the religion test that we were all talking about, an article about urban coyotes, 2 health articles, an education piece, a music review, a tech review and a couple of opinion columnists. ITA.

[mommylamb]

I mean, people bash on Fox News but at least they basically admit they're right wing slanted.

Fox? The ones with the motto "Fair and Balanced"? I don't think they're admitting even the most obvious of bias.

[AnnieW625]

USA Today has a pretty well known and widely accepted slant IMO. It's interesting what people think of as slanted and not.

USA Today should just be considered a magazine printed on newspaper, and sold as one. Some might consider it a breath of fresh air because it is always easy to read and mostly captures the basic headlines but totally leaves out the depth of the article. I majored in communications with an emphasis in journalism writing so maybe it's just me, but USA Today isn't really great journalism.


I voted WSJ. Not a huge fan of the ones listed. Not that there's anything wrong with them as poll choices. Just that I don't like most major newspapers. I like my news objective. Still a little undecided how I feel about editorials. In any case, I don't recall thinking NYT was objective. In fact, I have lots of memories picking up copies to read in the law school lounge and laughing at a lot of the "news" articles and how you could totally tell how the reporter was a liberal. Even if the news story had nothing to do with politics. I mean, people bash on Fox News but at least they basically admit they're right wing slanted.

I couldn't have said it better myself. I don't think I have ever read the NYT more than maybe 10 times in my entire life and that's been on an airplane. I just have zero interest in East Coast news.

I feel the same way about the LA Times. The sports coverage is usually pretty good, as is the basic stuff and I give them a huge:thumbsup: for the work they are doing to uncover some corruption in local governments, but honestly for the most part it's not stuff I am interested in reading about. I don't care to see the mayor of LA on the front page every day or a story about the plight of day laborers. I want well written articles about the news of the day, and way less poltically left or right fluff. Their Sunday fashion section is usually pretty good, and I do enjoy the home improvement section, also on the weekends.


Fox? The ones with the motto "Fair and Balanced"? I don't think they're admitting even the most obvious of bias.

I agree with that too, most of the time they act like nothing is wrong, everything is right, it actually makes me laugh when this happens. Like during the financial crisis most of the news shows acted like nothing was wrong and couldn't wait for Bush to announce if he was going to give out more tax cuts for big business/wealthy. Pretty funny if you ask me tax cuts for big business in the middle of the biggest financial demise since the Great Depression. I don't honestly care for most of the anchors including Ann Coulter, Glenn Beck, and Karl Rove, but thankfully I have found a centrist (maybe leaning a tad left) show in Studio B with Shepard Smith. I like that he debates the issues and doesn't have issues speaking his mind if he agrees with something that's a tad liberal. Neil Cavuto is also okay too although he is definitely a tad more conservative, but still not overly abrasive like most of the other conservative pundits they have on the network.

[codex57]

Fox? The ones with the motto "Fair and Balanced"? I don't think they're admitting even the most obvious of bias.

I view it as more of a Steven Colbert type thing. Cept they're on the side of the right instead of mocking it. Still, it's a tongue in cheek thing in direct response to places like the NYT who like to bash Fox News as biased without acknowledging their own horrible bias. The "Fair and Balanced" thing is true in the sense that by being so rabidly right wing, it helps balance out the left wing attitudes of certain other major news agencies.

[citymama]

I view it as more of a Steven Colbert type thing. Cept they're on the side of the right instead of mocking it. Still, it's a tongue in cheek thing in direct response to places like the NYT who like to bash Fox News as biased without acknowledging their own horrible bias. The "Fair and Balanced" thing is true in the sense that by being so rabidly right wing, it helps balance out the left wing attitudes of certain other major news agencies.

That's the irony codex - they are not trying to be tongue in cheek. It really is their motto. Yes, they might come across as a fake news agency but that's not what they're trying to do. Fox material is perfect fodder for the Colbert-Stewart "you can't make this stuff up" shows, but I don't think that's their target market!

[wellyes]

The "Fair and Balanced" thing is true in the sense that by being so rabidly right wing, it helps balance out the left wing attitudes of certain other major news agencies.

My head is spinning with that crazy non-logic. Thanks for the Colbert-esque giggle.

[alirebco]

We get The Washington Post at home so I read that every morning but I also read the NYT online and on my iphone. I do like the WSJ too but mostly look at it online. I used to read it at work all the time though.

I don't consider USA Today an intellectual newspaper. It's a kid level paper.

[DrSally]

That's the irony codex - they are not trying to be tongue in cheek. It really is their motto. Yes, they might come across as a fake news agency but that's not what they're trying to do. Fox material is perfect fodder for the Colbert-Stewart "you can't make this stuff up" shows, but I don't think that's their target market!

:yeahthat: I don't think they're trying to be tongue in cheek, and I do agree it comes across as so blatantly extreme. We had a relative turn it on at our house and it seemed like conspiracy theory reportage.

ETA: Also, ITA that USA today is ver "lite".

[arivecchi]

My head is spinning with that crazy non-logic. Thanks for the Colbert-esque giggle.:rotflmao: