American newspapers: New York Times, Washington Post and the local press

The US press is built around major national titles such as The New York Times, The Washington Post and The Wall Street Journal, often behind paywalls, along with local newspapers, sites such as Politico, Spanish-language media and the Associated Press.

From Publick Occurrences to Watergate

Publick Occurrences appeared in Boston in 1690 and vanished after a single issue. The First Amendment of 1791 protects the press. In the twentieth century, the Pentagon Papers in 1971 and Watergate, exposed by the Washington Post, established American investigative journalism.

Which national dailies set the standard?

The New York Times, founded in 1851, is the paper of record, with a centre-left editorial line. The Washington Post follows federal politics. The Wall Street Journal, owned by News Corp, has conservative editorial pages. USA Today targets a broad readership.

English, Spanish and community media

English dominates, but Spanish is the second language of news: Univision and Telemundo air newscasts, El Nuevo Herald appears in Miami and La Opinión in Los Angeles. Outlets also publish in Chinese, Vietnamese, Korean and Haitian Creole.

From the Los Angeles Times to the Boston Globe: city papers

Every big city has its daily: the Los Angeles Times, Chicago Tribune, Boston Globe, Houston Chronicle or Seattle Times. Many rural counties have become news deserts after local papers closed, a gap partly filled by nonprofit newsrooms.

Politico, Axios, ProPublica: news born online

Politico and Axios cover Washington with widely followed morning newsletters. ProPublica, a nonprofit, runs investigations published in partnership with other outlets. Independent newsletters, podcasts and aggregation apps such as Apple News play a growing role.

The Associated Press, a cooperative since 1846

The Associated Press, a cooperative founded in New York in 1846, supplies thousands of newspapers and broadcasters worldwide. Its AP Stylebook sets writing standards followed by many newsrooms, and its race calls serve as the reference on election nights.

NPR, PBS and the major networks

NPR for radio and PBS for television form the public network, carried by local stations; their federal funding was called into question in 2025. CNN, Fox News and MSNBC dominate rolling news, with very different political leanings.

Immigrant communities and their newspapers

The United States has a rich community press, Chinese, Korean, Indian or Haitian. French speakers read France-Amérique, a monthly published in New York since 1943. The nearby Quebec press and Acadian media also interest readers in New England.

Wall Street, ESPN and The Athletic

The Wall Street Journal, Bloomberg, CNBC and Barron's follow Wall Street, the Federal Reserve and listed companies. Sport is covered by ESPN and by The Athletic, bought by the New York Times, for American football, NBA basketball and baseball.

The First Amendment and a climate of distrust

The Supreme Court has broadly protected the press since New York Times v. Sullivan in 1964. Trust in the media is, however, highly polarised, relations between the White House and some newsrooms are strained, and local journalists face pressure.

American paywalls and balanced reading

The big titles limit free access to a few articles. To avoid bias, read one outlet from each side and consult fact-checkers such as PolitiFact. French-speaking readers also cross-check with the press of the Americas online.

Perspectives from Mexico

Immigration, tariffs and border security fill the newspapers of Texas, Arizona and California. The Mexican press from Mexico City and Monterrey offers a useful counterpoint on these same issues, seen from south of the Rio Grande.

Following American news from abroad

1. Choose a national daily, The New York Times or The Washington Post, and sign up for its free daily newsletter.
2. Add the free Associated Press feed for plain facts and election results without commentary.
3. Listen to NPR news bulletins as a podcast for a radio summary of national news every morning.
4. Read a conservative outlet and a progressive outlet on the same subject to gauge how polarised the debate is.
5. Follow the daily of a specific state, Texas or California, if one region interests you in particular.
6. Check a political quote or figure on PolitiFact or FactCheck.org before passing it on.

Access and subscriptions for the US press

Finding your way around American media

• Languages: English, with Spanish for Univision, Telemundo and several dailies
• News agency: Associated Press (AP)
• Public network: NPR for radio, PBS for television
• Paper of record: The New York Times; business: The Wall Street Journal; sport: ESPN
• Time zones: six main ones, from Eastern Time (UTC-5) to Hawaii (UTC-10), with daylight saving
• Currency for subscriptions: US dollar (USD)

Common mistakes with American media

• Taking an article from The Onion or another satirical site for real news, which happens regularly on social media.
• Confusing a paper's opinion section with its news pages, when the two desks are separate at both the Wall Street Journal and the New York Times.
• Trusting a site that borrows the name of a defunct local paper, as some partisan networks mimic the look of the regional press.
• Passing on a single election poll without looking at the polling average or the stated margin of error.
• Using paywall-bypass sites, which expose you to malware and deprive newsrooms of revenue.

Your questions about American newspapers