Where The NYT Beats The WSJ

Around the beginning of 2009, the two daily newspapers I subscribe to (the NYT and the WSJ) started being left on the sidewalk outside my building, rather than delivered indoors. This annoyed me, since anybody could (and frequently did) simply walk away with the paper I’d paid for. After altogether far too much work on my part, I eventually determined that the papers had switched newspaper delivery companies, I provided them with keys to the building, and the problem was more or less solved — until a month or two ago, when I noticed that although the NYT was still being delivered indoors, the WSJ was back to its old location on the sidewalk.

This time, I didn’t care. I desultorily tried to report the problem on the services.wsj.com website, but got an error message saying that for continuing difficulties of longer than a few days I needed to phone an 800 number during certain office hours. And that was as far as I got: I never picked up the phone, and the WSJ is still being delivered to the sidewalk every day. And I’ve noticed two interesting things. The first is that when I pad out in my blogger pyjamas to pick up my morning paper, I don’t particularly care if the WSJ is there or not. And the second is that the WSJ is always there.

I’m not paying much money for my WSJ subscription: my last payment, of $149, was in April 2008, and the next payment isn’t due until March 2010. Maybe that’s why I don’t value it very much. But then again, no one else seems to value it much either, seeing as how (in contrast to the NYT) it’s never stolen from outside my front door.

All of which is to say that insofar as there’s a big (if quiet) national war being fought between the NYT and the WSJ, I fully expect the NYT to win it. It’s better designed, easier to comprehend, broader in scope, and in general much more of a pleasure to read than the WSJ.

I think the WSJ is competing against its former self: it’s trying to become better than it was, or at least a little bit more accessible to a non-managerial audience. The jury’s still out on whether or not it’s succeeding on that front. But it’s nowhere near becoming genuine competition for the NYT.

Comments

[spald_fr:]

Everyone is entitled to their opinion, Felix. And everyone has the right to be wrong.

Two points for you.

Aug 17 05:03 PM

[Uncommon_Cents:]

Evidence that readers of the New York Times are more likely to engage in petty theft than readers of the Wall Street Journal?

Or, potential readers of the Wall Street Journal are too busy with their white collar crimes to be bothered with stealing a measly newspaper?

Aug 17 06:23 PM

[Tony Petroski:]

Mr. Salmon. There is no "big national war" being fought between the WSJ and the NYT. We know why you favor the NYT and it's not because they found a way to get the paper into your building. The picture of you in your "blogger pyjamas" was comical.

I'd like to read a story about you chasing down a thief stealing your NYTs.

Aug 17 10:35 PM

[kohalakid:]

Best National Editorial Page Award goes to...........


Wall Street Journal

Aug 18 09:25 AM

[casey00001:]

Felix:
And we care why?

Aug 18 11:20 AM

[analogcorner:]

Both papers today are below par. There's enough reportorial sloppiness to go around. However, only someone who believes "death chambers" are part of health care reform legislation can think the Times's news coverage has a "liberal bias." Quite the opposite in fact. The Times's editorial/op-ed pages do have a liberal slant, though the WSJ's idiotorial board is lower than pondscum. My favorite is the idiotorial that declared Obama the "owner" of the economy six weeks after his inauguration, as the market tanked. Once it perked up of course, they stopped pushing that line. Any paper that hires childish writers like Bret Stephens and James Taranto is not one I care to support. It was bad enough that the Times hired Bill Kristol, though he did a pretty good job in the role of Alan Colmes....

Aug 18 01:38 PM

[ts2:]

Which dinosaur is going extinct first?

Aug 18 03:36 PM

[deercreek36:]

the mon-sat subscription is 2M wsj and 1M nyt.
deercreek36

Aug 18 11:45 PM

[An Onymous:]

Having moved to the west coast, it's been a long time since I subscribed to (or read) either of these. But while the NYT is indeed liberal, it is IMO not overtly so. Conversely, the WSJ does seem to be overtly conservative, and I think this thinking is fortunately not getting much backing from the general public, and hence their news or opinions aren't worth even stealing :-)

Aug 19 01:07 AM