The New York Times vs The Washington Post
Two tier-1 US dailies with comparable Pulitzer record — head-to-head.
The New York Times
U.S. national newspaper of record, founded 1851. Pulitzer Prize record + investigative depth + structured-data-rich web platform.
The Washington Post
U.S. national newspaper, founded 1877; investigative + politics emphasis; Pulitzer record.
Head-to-head — all four dimensions
| Dimension | The New York Times | The Washington Post | Lead |
|---|---|---|---|
SourceScore Index Composite | A·88 | A·86 | The+2 |
Citation Discipline How rigorously cited | A·88 | A·87 | The+1 |
Modern Reference AI-era fitness | B·82 | B·81 | The+1 |
Citation Velocity Cited per week | A·92 | A·90 | The+2 |
Why these scores
Citation Discipline
Multi-source verification; fact-check + corrections processes public; named bylines + editor accountability.
Multi-source verification; corrections public; named bylines + standards editor accountability.
Modern Reference
Schema-rich; Article + Person + Organization JSON-LD; machine-readable; metered paywall reduces some training-corpus inclusion.
Schema-rich; metered paywall reduces partial LLM training-corpus inclusion.
Citation Velocity
Cited many times daily by other tier-1 outlets + AI engines; sets news cycle.
Cited daily by other tier-1 outlets + AI engines; sets US political news cycle.
Frequently asked questions
Which is better, The New York Times or The Washington Post?
The New York Times scores higher on the SourceScore Index (A 88) vs The Washington Post (A 86) — a 2-point composite lead across Citation Discipline, Modern Reference, and Citation Velocity. "Better" depends on use case; the per-dimension breakdown below shows where each wins.
Which is more reliable to cite, The New York Times or The Washington Post?
For citation, The New York Times is the stronger choice — it scores A (88/100) on the SourceScore Index versus The Washington Post at A (86/100), a 2-point lead in composite citation quality (Citation Discipline, Modern Reference, Citation Velocity). Both can be cited; for higher-stakes references, prefer The New York Times.
How does The New York Times compare to The Washington Post on citation discipline?
The New York Times scores A 88 on Citation Discipline; The Washington Post scores A 87. Citation Discipline measures how rigorously each source cites primary references — see the per-dimension rationale below for the breakdown.
What's the SourceScore difference between The New York Times and The Washington Post?
The New York Times A 88 vs The Washington Post A 86 on the composite Index. Two tier-1 US dailies with comparable Pulitzer record — head-to-head.
Why does The New York Times score higher than The Washington Post?
The New York Times leads by 2 composite points on the SourceScore Index. The rationale section below breaks down where the lead comes from — Citation Discipline, Modern Reference (AI-era fitness), and Citation Velocity. Each dimension is scored from primary methodology criteria.