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Showing reviews 1-5 of 13
 Still The Best Paper In The USA. September 7, 2007
Steve Guardala (?????)
19 out of 20 found this review helpful
First: the papers market coverage is the best in the USA. The Regular wrap-up features & the Heard On The Street column give colorful nuances to the information. The amount of information itself can be overwhelming to absorb. From the NYSE, junk bonds, to blue chips, this paper is good for both the casual, or serious investor. For me the often underpublicized & finest part of the paper is the investigations & feature reporting. The Journals reporters seem to have more freedom over their work than their competitors, & this approach pays off. Most times column four of the front page has a story that will disgust the reader, or he/she will laugh out loud. It is odd & a bit sad the WSJ's staff rarely gets their kudos when compared to the Washington Post or NYTimes.
Also, of note: the special sections the paper runs from time to time on technology, e-bussiness, international markets, mutual funds, & education are often exceptional. This is usually the part of the paper I enjoy most, because they come at the story presented from most every angle possible. Now the negatives: the paper should stick to the areas I've just described. The arts & lifestyle coverage is mediocre & is less well done & in depth than say the NYTimes. Only Joe Morgenstern's movie reviews are occasionally worth raeding. Granted, I rarely go to the movies. Lastly, the editorial pages are often the ideological opposite of those which one finds in the Times. I like them, & often agree with their "Milton Friedman" points of view. But, like the Times they give little room for opposing perspectives. Still, it is the nations best newspaper.
must be known to be loved October 12, 2006
David A. Baer (Indianapolis, IN USA)
12 out of 13 found this review helpful
Question: Is there a better American English-language daily anywhere?
Answer: no.
The Times (of London) is a great and venerable paper, but not easily available in the US and focused on a different reality.
The New York Times is an institution in its own right, better than WSJ on foreign affairs, and a much more complete paper.
But the Wall Street Journal is as good as it gets for a daily newspaper reader in this country with a business bent, an appreciation for an unfailingly high standard of writing and editing, and no particular interest in 'soft' topics or the New York cultural scene.
This is one very crisp paper. The last time an article got too wordy was back in 1967 and that writer's body was never found.
Just kidding. But it would be a convenient myth for explaining WSJ's disciplined tone.
In the 'Personal Journal' section, I routinely find articles that reshape some aspect of my personal (usually financial) life and habits.
Sports news is heady and analytical. For example, as I write this review we are in the thick of the American and National League Championship Series. Today's reportage does not tell me who won and lost last night and why. Instead, the 'On Sports' column is called 'Base Instincts' and explains why so many third base coaches end up as managers. In short, apart from the players they are the most important guy on the field.
Across the page, the 'By the Numbers' column is called 'Praising Pitcher's Parks'. It asks why teams that play in pitcher-friendly parks do so well in October.
As of this moment, I still don't know who won last night. But I know a lot more about the game of baseball.
Best of all, you can generally avoid the pricey subscription if you're willing to use frequent flyer miles to subscribe.
One memorably off-kilter film moment had its protagonist emerging from his tent and declaiming, 'I love the smell of napalm in the morning.'
'Never smelled napalm and don't hanker after the carnage. But I can say that the sight of my Journal in the driveway every morning in its little blue bag is an oddly comforting experience.
Buy it.
Among the Best October 28, 2006
Elijah Chingosho (Nairobi, Kenya)
6 out of 6 found this review helpful
"The Wall Street Journal" is one of the most-in-depth business journals available. It is an interesting blend of current events and insightful analysis of prevailing and sometimes not so apparent trends. The quality of reporting is generally balanced and professional.
Although every newspaper has a political orientation of one sort or the other, the Wall Street Journal news reporting is largely free of politics, making it a good source of unbiased news and information for most people. However, its editorial section is conservative, although thankfully the editorial section is a tiny portion of the whole magazine.
The journal has a lot of insightful business news that every manager at any level should find useful. The reporters cover the various topics in great detail and with knowledgeable perspective from all sides. They are not afraid to cover corporate transgression with rigour and honesty.
The journal also covers various other topics such as personal finance, special reports, business profiles, interviews, commentary, market and news of note for management personnel.
This is a better paper than the NYT December 29, 2009
John Brookes (Silicon Valley)
2 out of 2 found this review helpful
This is going to be a short, qualitative review, and like most invidious comparisons, will draw its share of hackle-back cats and protesting birds.
Here goes:
The WSJ is intellectually deep about its opinion pieces. These pieces include critiques of the "Elmer Gantry" aspect of capitalism. It's a newspaper for those who ride the tumultous waves of a vast ocean where the U.S. is no longer master.
In such an environment of change, it's very important not to have ideological blinders. Those who stake out partisan positions may win a few battles due to their frenzy, but reality is vaster than squabbles, and it will intrude, often rudely.
What do we see in the NYT? Unkindly it has been called the paper of "pro-government hacks," and there is a some truth in that. For example, Krugman, the economics pundit and nobel laureate, seems to focus on partisan politics rather than substance.
I am going to give in to the temptation to conclude that K. does not have a clue how to create jobs or make a medical care system.
In all this, I note the tendency of human beings, when they don't know the answer to something, the way out of the dark woods, to first not admit it, and second to spend their time squabbling. And, in the long view, if your Titanic is going down, why not shove and push for the life-boats?
Here are a few conclusions I draw
-Human beings have a strong tendency to take "right vs. wrong" positions. This is a blinder.
-The WSJ, perhaps because it is connected to the business world and its apparent foibles, preserves a glimmer more of contact with reality.
Personally, I experience the WSJ as a superb paper, conducive to some deep thought, whereas the NYT seems to promote positions, argued in a partisan way.
(I note that the index terms for the WSJ below include the term "right-wing." A perfect example of how humans have this 'position-addiction' about their 'beliefs."
Best Reporting in any American Newspaper December 10, 2009
N. Jones
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
I consider the Wall Street Journal to contain the most in depth, accurate, and professional reporting in any American Newspaper. It contains such density of content, that when I travel and have to read that free newspaper given out at some chain hotels, I feel like I am scanning the WSJ headlines. The WSJ front shaded focus area contains more real news than the competition's entire paper. Thank you Wall Street Journal for not giving up on your profession, and giving us a real newspaper to read.
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