This report evaluates The New York Times (NYT) and The Wall Street Journal (WSJ) using Hallin and Mancini’s (2004) concept of media-political parallelism. Defined as the degree to which media align with political actors or institutions, parallelism is measured here on a four-point scale: (1) High Parallelism, (2) Low Parallelism, (3) No Parallelism, and (4) Independent. We apply macro-, mezzo-, and micro-level analysis to classify the NYT and WSJ.
Macro-Level Analysis
The U.S. media system is legally independent and supported by strong First Amendment protections. However, its structure is shaped by commercial pressures, with minimal state subsidy and heavy reliance on advertising (Hallin & Mancini, 2004; McChesney, 2004). While neutrality is a guiding norm, systemic biases persist, especially favoring elite sources, and recent literature emphasizes flexibility in classification to reflect evolving dynamics (Hallin & Mancini, 2017).
Mezzo-Level Analysis
At the institutional level, the NYT is publicly traded and generates over $2 billion annually in digital subscription revenue, reaching more than 11 million subscribers (New York Times Company, 2023; Robertson, 2024). It maintains a formal division between its editorial and opinion sections and earned seven Pulitzer Prizes in 2023. Though it endorsed Democratic candidate Kamala Harris in 2024, this reflects ideological proximity rather than formal political subordination (American Presidency Project, 2024).
By contrast, the WSJ is owned by News Corp, chaired by Rupert Murdoch. With 3.7 million total subscribers (Statista, 2024), it is the highest-circulation daily in the U.S. Its editorial tone has grown increasingly aligned with Republican policy priorities since News Corp’s acquisition in 2007 (Wagner & Collins, 2014). Despite this alignment, the WSJ preserves professional credibility and broad national reach, distinguishing it from overtly partisan outlets such as The New York Post.
Micro-Level Analysis
Journalistic autonomy operates at two levels: external (freedom from state or commercial influence) and internal (freedom of individual journalists to shape content) (Nygren, 2012; Weaver et al., 2007).[1] At the NYT, editorial independence is structurally reinforced by internal codes and the separation of newsroom and commercial departments. Native advertising is managed separately through the T Brand Studio (Li, 2019, p. 532). However, recent internal memos instructing journalists to avoid terms like “genocide,” “occupied territory,” and “refugee camps” in Gaza coverage raise concerns about editorial deference to state-aligned narratives during a highly polarized period (Scahill & Grim, 2024). While the NYT remains broadly independent, this shows that editorial autonomy is not absolute and can be influenced by internal directives – an important consideration given the election period covered in our study.
The WSJ maintains strong professional standards in its news division but has seen visible internal tensions around editorial direction. In 2020, more than 280 staff members criticized the opinion section’s ideological slant (Grynbaum & Tracy, 2020). Despite initial resistance to native advertising, the WSJ later embraced Custom Studios, reflecting growing commercial collaboration (Li, 2019, p. 531). The opinion section frequently published Republican-aligned critiques of the Biden administration’s economic and foreign policies throughout 2024, positioning itself as an oppositional voice.
Classification and Justification of Political Parallelism
We classify the New York Times as exhibiting Low Parallelism. While institutionally independent and professionally rigorous, its political discourse during the 2024 election cycle reflected alignment with the incumbent Democratic administration. The formal endorsement of Harris, support for key policy priorities (e.g., climate and healthcare), and evidence of internal language guidance on Gaza coverage[2] suggest proximity to state positions. Yet, the presence of structural safeguards, occasional critical reporting, and separation of editorial functions prevent classification as High Parallelism.
We classify the Wall Street Journal as exhibiting Counter Parallelism. Its editorial and opinion pages consistently challenged the sitting administration’s agenda, often amplifying Republican-aligned critiques. This oppositional stance, on economic regulation[3], the incumbent’s mental acuity, [4] and campaign performance[5], places the Journal outside the bounds of state alignment. While it is not ideologically neutral, its editorial discourse did not reinforce the state’s narrative and thus cannot be classified as Low Parallelism. Nor does it meet the criteria for Independence, given its consistent alignment with opposition party discourse. [6]
Together, these classifications reflect how media-state dynamics, not just partisan proximity, shape editorial behavior. The Times maintained proximity to power without surrendering autonomy, while the Journal positioned itself in sustained opposition to state narratives, particularly at the editorial level. These distinctions clarify their respective roles within the U.S. media ecosystem during a highly polarized election period.
REFERENCES
American Presidency Project. (2020). 2020 General Election Editorial Endorsements by Major Newspapers. University of California, Santa Barbara. https://www.presidency.ucsb.edu/statistics/data/2020-newspaper-endorsements
Grynbaum, M. M., & Tracy, M. (2020, July 24). Wall Street Journal Staff Pushes for Changes at Opinion Section. The New York Times. https://www.nytimes.com/2020/07/24/business/media/wall-street-journal-opinion-rupert-murdoch.html
Hallin, D. C., & Mancini, P. (2004). Comparing Media Systems: Three Models of Media and Politics. Cambridge University Press.
Hallin, D. C., & Mancini, P. (2017). Ten years after comparing media systems: What have we learned?. Political communication, 34(2), 155-171.
Hamada, B., Hughes, S., Hanitzsch, T., Hollings, J., Lauerer, C., Arroyave, J., … & Splendore, S. (2019). Editorial autonomy: Journalists’ perceptions of their freedom. In Worlds of journalism: Journalistic cultures around the globe (pp. 133-160). Columbia University Press.
Li, Y. (2019). Contest over authority: Navigating native advertising’s impacts on journalism autonomy. Journalism studies, 20(4), 523-541.
McChesney, R. W. (2004). The Problem of the Media: U.S. Communication Politics in the 21st Century. Monthly Review Press.
New York Times Company. (2023). Investor Relations: Annual Report. https://www.nytco.com/investors/
Nygren, G. (2012). Journalism in Russia, Poland and Sweden: Traditions, cultures and research. Journalistik, Södertörns högskola.
Pew Research Center. (2020). Trust in Media Report. https://www.pewresearch.org
Pew Research Center. (2021). Americans Who Mainly Get Their News on Social Media Are Less Engaged, Less Knowledgeable. https://www.pewresearch.org/journalism/2021/01/12/
Pulitzer Prizes. (2023). List of Pulitzer Prize Winners. https://www.pulitzer.org/prize-winners-by-year/2023
Robertson, K. (2024). New York Times Passes 11 Million Subscribers. The New York Times. https://www.nytimes.com/2024/11/04/business/media/new-york-times-earnings.html
Scahill, J., & Grim, R. (2024, April 15). Leaked NYT Gaza memo tells journalists to avoid words “genocide,” “ethnic cleansing,” and “occupied territory.” The Intercept. https://theintercept.com/2024/04/15/new-york-times-gaza-memo-genocide-occupied/
Schejter, A. M., & Davidson, R. (2008). “… and money is answer for all things”: The News Corp.–Dow Jones Merger and the Separation of Editorial and Business Practices. International Journal of Communication, 2, 28.
Statista. (2024a). Average Paid Circulation of The Wall Street Journal (2023). https://www.statista.com/statistics/193788/average-paid-circulation-of-the-wall-street-journal/
Statista. (2024b). Trust in The Wall Street Journal in the United States (2024). https://www.statista.com/statistics/742224/trust-wall-street-journal/
Statista. (2024c). Print Circulation of U.S. Newspapers (2023). https://www.statista.com/statistics/184685/us-newspapers-daily-and-sunday-circulation/
Wagner, M. W., & Collins, T. P. (2014). Does ownership matter? The case of Rupert Murdoch’s purchase of the Wall Street Journal. Journalism Practice, 8(6), 758-771.
Weaver, D. H., Beam, R. A., Brownlee, B. J., Voakes, P. S., & Wilhoit, G. C. (2009). The American journalist in the 21st century: US news people at the dawn of a new millennium. Routledge.
[1] See also Hamada et al. (2022) on internal vs. external editorial autonomy.
[2] The Intercept (April 2024) reported a memo instructing journalists to avoid terms like “genocide” and “occupied territory” in Gaza coverage, raising concerns over internal alignment with state narratives.
[3] “How Democrats Blew It on Inflation,” Nick Timiraos, June 2024.
[4] “Biden Is Ceding Presidential Influence to Trump, and Some Democrats Are Furious,” Aaron Zitner and Ken Thomas, July 2024.
[5] “Behind Closed Doors, Biden Shows Signs of Slipping,” Annie Linskey and Siobhan Hughes, June 4, 2024.
[6] “At Wall Street Journal, News Staff and Opinion Side Clash ” New York Times. July, 2024.