The Wall Street Journal
American business newspaper, newspaper of record, center-right editorial page.
The Wall Street Journal (WSJ), commonly known as the Journal, is an American newspaper based in Midtown Manhattan, New York City. It provides extensive coverage of news, especially business and finance, and operates on a subscription model that requires readers to pay for access to most articles and other content. The Journal is published six days a week by Dow Jones & Company, a division of News Corp. The newspaper is one of the United States' newspapers of record.
- founders
- Charles H. Dow, Edward D. Jones, Charles Bergstresser
- publisher
- Dow Jones & Company (a division of News Corp)
- headquarters
- Midtown Manhattan, New York City
- digital_subscribers_2025
- more than four million
- pulitzer_prizes_won
- 39
Lore & Background
A predecessor to The Wall Street Journal was the Kiernan News Agency founded by John J. Kiernan in 1869. Dow and Edward D. Jones as reporters. On a recommendation of Collis Potter Huntington, Dow and Jones co-founded their own news service, Dow Jones and Company, with fellow Kiernan reporter Charles Bergstresser. Dow Jones was headquartered in the basement of 15 Wall Street, the same building as Kiernan's company next to the New York Stock Exchange Building. The first products of Dow Jones & Company were brief news bulletins, nicknamed flimsies, hand-delivered throughout the day to traders at the stock exchange. The debut issue was four pages long, with dimensions of 20 3/4 × 15 1/2 inches and cost of $0.02 per copy. In its early days, the Journal had 'a tedious, blow-by-blow account of the day's business without benefit of editing,' wrote Edward E. For nearly 40 years, the front page had a four-column format, with the middle two devoted to news briefs and the farther two filled with advertisements for brokerage services. The Journal focused on stories from news wires and listings of stocks and bonds, while occasionally covering sports or politics.
Reader's Guide
Under Clarence W. Barron's ownership, the Journal became known for fearless, independent financial reporting, a novelty in early business journalism. Bernard Kilgore's editorial reforms in the 1940s transformed the Journal into a national newspaper with clearer writing, expanding its audience. The Journal has won 39 Pulitzer Prizes. Its editorial page is typically center-right, while its news reporting is more centrist. As of 2025, it leads U.S. print circulation and has a large digital subscriber base, reflecting its enduring influence in financial and general news.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who publishes The Wall Street Journal and where is it headquartered?
Dow Jones & Company, a division of News Corp, handles the paper's publication. Its newsroom and corporate offices are located in Midtown Manhattan, New York City.
How does The Wall Street Journal generate its revenue?
The Journal relies on a paywall subscription model, meaning readers must pay to access most articles and digital content. By 2025 it had surpassed four million digital subscribers, making it one of the most-subscribed news brands in the country.
Why is The Wall Street Journal considered significant in American media?
It is designated a newspaper of record and is widely cited for its in-depth reporting on business, finance, and markets. Its editorial page is generally viewed as center-right, giving the paper a recognizable ideological voice in national debate.
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