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This article compiles mainstream media outlets from around the world, organized by political spectrum, providing readers with a reference guide to understanding media from different perspectives.
Media Overview
| Political Spectrum | Number of Outlets | Major Media |
|---|---|---|
| Left Wing | 3 | Rolling Stone, The Guardian, Libération |
| Center-Left | 17 | The New York Times, The Washington Post, CNN, Los Angeles Times, The Atlantic, The New Yorker, Slate, Le Monde, Der Spiegel, Die Zeit, Süddeutsche Zeitung, La Repubblica, El País, Toronto Star, The Sydney Morning Herald, The Age |
| Centrist | 1 | USA Today |
| Center-Right | 7 | The Wall Street Journal, The Times, The Economist, Le Figaro, El Mundo, National Post, The Australian |
| Right Wing | 2 | Fox News, The Telegraph |
| Other | 44 | Business/Finance, Science/Academic, Magazines/Commentary/Blogs, Sports, and other media |
Left Wing
Rolling Stone
Rolling Stone (United States)
- Founded:
- Introduction:
- Notable Coverage:
The Guardian
The Guardian (United Kingdom)
- Founded: 1821
- Introduction: The Guardian is a British daily newspaper that was founded in Manchester in 1821 as The Manchester Guardian and changed its name in 1959. It is known for its journalism and has become a reputable source of news and commentary on current events.
- Notable Coverage: Notably, The Guardian was involved in the 2011 News International phone-hacking scandal, broke the news of the secret surveillance program PRISM in June 2013, and led the investigation into the Panama Papers in 2016.
Libération
Libération (France)
- Founded:
- Introduction:
- Notable Coverage:
Center-Left
The New York Times
The New York Times (United States)
- Founded: 1851
- Introduction:
- Notable Coverage:
The Washington Post
The Washington Post (United States)
- Founded: 1877
- Introduction: The Washington Post is an American daily newspaper published in Washington, D.C. It is the most widely circulated newspaper in the Washington metropolitan area and is considered a newspaper of record in the United States. In 2023, the Post had 130,000 print subscribers and 2.5 million digital subscribers, ranking third among American newspapers after The New York Times and The Wall Street Journal.
- Notable Coverage: The Post’s 1971 printing of the Pentagon Papers helped spur opposition to the Vietnam War. Reporters Bob Woodward and Carl Bernstein led the investigation into the break-in at the Democratic National Committee, which developed into the Watergate scandal, leading to the resignation of President Richard Nixon.
CNN
CNN (United States)
- Founded: 1980
- Introduction: CNN, or the Cable News Network, is an American multinational news media company and the flagship property of CNN Worldwide, a division of Warner Bros. Discovery (WBD). Founded on June 1, 1980, by Ted Turner and Reese Schonfeld, CNN was the first television channel to provide 24-hour news coverage and the first all-news television channel in the United States.
- Notable Coverage:
Los Angeles Times
Los Angeles Times (United States)
- Founded:
- Introduction:
- Notable Coverage:
The Atlantic
The Atlantic (United States)
- Founded:
- Introduction:
- Notable Coverage:
The New Yorker
The New Yorker (United States)
- Founded: 1925
- Introduction: The New Yorker is an American magazine featuring journalism, commentary, criticism, essays, fiction, satire, cartoons, and poetry. Founded by Harold Ross and Jane Grant on February 21, 1925, it has developed a reputation for publishing serious essays, long-form journalism, and well-regarded fiction, while also covering the cultural life of New York City.
- Notable Coverage: The magazine is known for its investigative journalism, political commentary, and humor, publishing works from prominent authors like Truman Capote and Alice Munro. It has famously covered events like the Hiroshima essay by John Hersey, and had various iconic covers, including those addressing 9/11 and various political controversies.
Slate
Slate (United States)
- Founded:
- Introduction:
- Notable Coverage:
Le Monde
Le Monde (France)
- Founded: 1944
- Introduction: Le Monde is a French newspaper founded in 1944 by Hubert Beuve-Méry. It is the most widely read paid national daily newspaper in France, with 2.44 million readers in 2021, and the most widely circulated, with around 500,000 subscribers, including 414,000 digital subscribers and 87,000 print subscribers.
- Notable Coverage: Le Monde has been involved in various significant investigations, such as supporting the exposé regarding the ‘Diamonds Affair’ involving former President Valéry Giscard d’Estaing.
Der Spiegel
Der Spiegel (Germany)
- Founded: 1947
- Introduction: Der Spiegel (German pronunciation: [deːɐ̯ˈʃpiːɡl̩, lit. ‘The Mirror’) is a German weekly news magazine published in Hamburg. With a weekly circulation of about 724,000 copies in 2022, it is one of the largest such publications in Europe. It was founded in 1947 by John Seymour Chaloner, a British army officer, and Rudolf Augstein, a former Wehrmacht radio operator.
- Notable Coverage: It has played a key role in uncovering many political scandals, such as the Spiegel affair in 1962 and the Flick affair in the 1980s.
Die Zeit
Die Zeit (Germany)
- Founded:
- Introduction:
- Notable Coverage:
Süddeutsche Zeitung
Süddeutsche Zeitung (Germany)
- Founded:
- Introduction:
- Notable Coverage:
La Repubblica
La Repubblica (Italy)
- Founded:
- Introduction:
- Notable Coverage:
El País
El País (Spain)
- Founded:
- Introduction:
- Notable Coverage:
Toronto Star
Toronto Star (Canada)
- Founded:
- Introduction:
- Notable Coverage:
The Sydney Morning Herald
The Sydney Morning Herald (Australia)
- Founded:
- Introduction:
- Notable Coverage:
The Age
The Age (Australia)
- Founded:
- Introduction:
- Notable Coverage:
Centrist
USA Today
USA Today (United States)
- Founded:
- Introduction:
- Notable Coverage:
Center-Right
The Wall Street Journal
The Wall Street Journal (United States)
- Founded: 1889
- Introduction: The Wall Street Journal (WSJ) is an American daily newspaper based in Midtown Manhattan, New York City. It provides extensive coverage of news, particularly in business and finance, and operates on a subscription model. Founded on July 8, 1889, it has become the largest newspaper in the United States by print circulation.
- Notable Coverage: The Wall Street Journal has won 39 Pulitzer Prizes throughout its history, highlighting its reputation for rigorous reporting and prestigious investigative journalism.
The Times
The Times (United Kingdom)
- Founded:
- Introduction:
- Notable Coverage:
The Economist
The Economist (United Kingdom)
- Founded: 1843
- Introduction: The Economist is a British news and current affairs journal published in a weekly print magazine format and daily on digital platforms. It publishes stories on economics, business, geopolitics, technology, and culture, primarily written and edited in London, with additional offices in the US and Europe. Known for its data journalism and analytical approach, it aims to speak as a unified voice, with articles often written anonymously.
- Notable Coverage: The Economist has covered significant historical events and topics including critiques of British politics, economics, and policy, as well as exploring the implications of globalization and climate change.
Le Figaro
Le Figaro (France)
- Founded:
- Introduction:
- Notable Coverage:
El Mundo
El Mundo (Spain)
- Founded:
- Introduction:
- Notable Coverage:
National Post
National Post (Canada)
- Founded:
- Introduction:
- Notable Coverage:
The Australian
The Australian (Australia)
- Founded:
- Introduction:
- Notable Coverage:
Right Wing
Fox News
Fox News (United States)
- Founded:
- Introduction:
- Notable Coverage:
The Telegraph
The Telegraph (United Kingdom)
- Founded:
- Introduction:
- Notable Coverage:
Other Media (No Clear Political Spectrum)
Business/Finance
Bloomberg
Bloomberg (United States)
- Founded: 1981
- Introduction: Bloomberg L.P. is an American privately held financial, software, data, and media company headquartered in Midtown Manhattan, New York City. It was co-founded by Michael Bloomberg in 1981, offering services such as financial software tools, data services, and media through platforms like the Bloomberg Terminal.
- Notable Coverage:
Forbes
Forbes (United States)
- Founded:
- Introduction:
- Notable Coverage:
Fortune
Fortune (United States)
- Founded:
- Introduction:
- Notable Coverage:
Harvard Business Review
Harvard Business Review (United States)
- Founded:
- Introduction:
- Notable Coverage:
Barron’s
Barron’s (United States)
- Founded:
- Introduction:
- Notable Coverage:
MarketWatch
MarketWatch (United States)
- Founded:
- Introduction:
- Notable Coverage:
Financial Times
Financial Times (United Kingdom)
- Founded: 1888
- Introduction: The Financial Times (FT) is a British daily newspaper printed in broadsheet and published digitally that focuses on business and economic current affairs. Based in London, the paper is owned by the Japanese holding company Nikkei, with core editorial offices across Britain, the United States, and continental Europe. It is known for its financial journalism and economic analysis.
- Notable Coverage: The FT began a series of investigative articles detailing fraud suspicions at Wirecard in January 2019, which culminated in the company filing for insolvency in June 2020 after it was revealed that €1.9 billion in cash may not have existed.
The Economist
The Economist (United Kingdom)
- Founded:
- Introduction:
- Notable Coverage:
Les Échos
Les Échos (France)
- Founded:
- Introduction:
- Notable Coverage:
Handelsblatt
Handelsblatt (Germany)
- Founded:
- Introduction:
- Notable Coverage:
Nikkei
Nikkei (Japan)
- Founded:
- Introduction:
- Notable Coverage:
Science/Academic
Nature
Nature (United Kingdom)
- Founded: 1869
- Introduction: Nature is a British weekly international scientific journal publishing peer-reviewed research across the natural sciences, including biology, physics, chemistry, earth sciences, and related interdisciplinary fields. It operates under the international scientific publishing company Springer Nature and has one of the highest impact factors among multidisciplinary science journals, which reflects its strong citation influence within the scientific literature.
- Notable Coverage: Nature has been involved in significant scientific breakthroughs, including the wave nature of particles, discovery of the neutron, nuclear fission, molecular structure of DNA, first molecular protein structure, and the initial sequencing of the human genome.
Science
Science (United States)
- Founded: 1880
- Introduction: Science is the peer-reviewed academic journal of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) and one of the world’s top academic journals. It was first published in 1880 and is currently circulated weekly with an estimated readership of over 400,000 people. The journal focuses on publishing important original scientific research and research reviews, along with science-related news and opinions on science policy.
- Notable Coverage: Notable articles published in Science include papers on fruit fly genetics by Thomas Hunt Morgan, gravitational lensing by Albert Einstein, and spiral nebulae by Edwin Hubble. The journal also gained attention for publishing the results of the human genome simultaneously with Nature and covered significant public health-related topics, particularly during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Scientific American
Scientific American (United States)
- Founded:
- Introduction:
- Notable Coverage:
MIT Technology Review
MIT Technology Review (United States)
- Founded:
- Introduction:
- Notable Coverage:
National Geographic
National Geographic (United States)
- Founded:
- Introduction:
- Notable Coverage:
Times Higher Education
Times Higher Education (United Kingdom)
- Founded:
- Introduction:
- Notable Coverage:
Magazines/Commentary/Blogs
Foreign Affairs
Foreign Affairs (United States)
- Founded:
- Introduction:
- Notable Coverage:
Foreign Policy
Foreign Policy (United States)
- Founded:
- Introduction:
- Notable Coverage:
Politico
Politico (United States)
- Founded:
- Introduction:
- Notable Coverage:
Axios
Axios (United States)
- Founded:
- Introduction:
- Notable Coverage:
Variety
Variety (United States)
- Founded:
- Introduction:
- Notable Coverage:
Vogue
Vogue (United States)
- Founded:
- Introduction:
- Notable Coverage:
Wired
Wired (United States)
- Founded:
- Introduction:
- Notable Coverage:
CommonWealth Magazine
CommonWealth Magazine (Taiwan, China)
- Founded:
- Introduction:
- Notable Coverage:
Sports
ESPN
ESPN (United States)
- Founded:
- Introduction:
- Notable Coverage:
Sports Illustrated
Sports Illustrated (United States)
- Founded:
- Introduction:
- Notable Coverage:
The Athletic
The Athletic (United States)
- Founded:
- Introduction:
- Notable Coverage:
CyclingNews
CyclingNews (United Kingdom)
- Founded:
- Introduction:
- Notable Coverage:
Other Mainstream Media
The Irish Times
The Irish Times (Ireland)
- Founded:
- Introduction:
- Notable Coverage:
Le Parisien
Le Parisien (France)
- Founded:
- Introduction:
- Notable Coverage:
Bild
Bild (Germany)
- Founded:
- Introduction:
- Notable Coverage:
Corriere della Sera
Corriere della Sera (Italy)
- Founded:
- Introduction:
- Notable Coverage:
La Vanguardia
La Vanguardia (Spain)
- Founded:
- Introduction:
- Notable Coverage:
The Globe and Mail
The Globe and Mail (Canada)
- Founded:
- Introduction:
- Notable Coverage:
Le Devoir
Le Devoir (Canada)
- Founded:
- Introduction:
- Notable Coverage:
New Zealand Herald
New Zealand Herald (New Zealand)
- Founded:
- Introduction:
- Notable Coverage:
South China Morning Post
South China Morning Post (Hong Kong, China)
- Founded:
- Introduction:
- Notable Coverage:
The Hindu
The Hindu (India)
- Founded:
- Introduction:
- Notable Coverage:
Times of India
Times of India (India)
- Founded:
- Introduction:
- Notable Coverage:
The Japan Times
The Japan Times (Japan)
- Founded:
- Introduction:
- Notable Coverage:
La Nación
La Nación (Argentina)
- Founded:
- Introduction:
- Notable Coverage:
O Globo
O Globo (Brazil)
- Founded:
- Introduction:
- Notable Coverage:
El Mercurio
El Mercurio (Chile)
- Founded:
- Introduction:
- Notable Coverage:
El Universal
El Universal (Mexico)
- Founded:
- Introduction:
- Notable Coverage:
Note: Political spectrum classification is for reference only. Different media outlets may exhibit different positional tendencies at different times and on different issues. Readers are advised to obtain information from multiple sources to form a comprehensive and objective understanding.