At the start of the decade, news organizations began transitioning into the digital age, not knowing where journalism may lead to. Throughout the 2010s, a precipitous decline in print circulation and digital advertising revenue paved the way for the closure of countless prominent news outlets.
As we entered a new decade, the inconceivable transpired through our polarizing climate in politics and the mass public assimilation of disinformation. Journalists are now left wondering: what will be instilled over the next few decades? Will the succeeding decade be the end of independent, quality journalism?
As some attributed the conversion into the digital age as the death of journalism, many will continue to advocate good journalism, even as newspapers will soon be a story of the past and artificial intelligence a jeopardization to media freedom.
Since the transition into the digital age, there’s been a substantive rise in online-based news outlets and blogs. In this excerpt, we compiled a list of some of the most renowned online-based news outlets.
As of 2024, these are the world’s most powerful news outlets.
15. Newsmax
Headquarters: Boca Raton, Florida; Manhattan, New York
Founded: 1998
Newsmax, founded in 1998 by conservative journalist Christopher Ruddy, has become the most prominent independent cable news outlet in the United States. It reaches and garners hundreds of millions of viewers.
The New York Times once referred to the cable network as a “potent force,” and it is frequently considered an alternative to Fox News.
In 2021, Newsmax was slapped with a lawsuit by Dominion Voting Systems and Smartmatic for allegations of political propaganda stemming from an American general election.
14. CNN
Headquarters: Atlanta, Georgia
Founded: 1980
Founded by Ted Turner, the Cable News Network (CNN) is best known for its live coverage of breaking news on television. In the U.S., CNN became the first channel in television history to offer 24-hour news coverage. With its international reach, encompassing over 212 countries, CNN is also one of the most visited news outlets on the web.
Impressively, first launched in 1995, CNN’s digital presence managed to sustain over 100 million visitors a month, more than the majority of online-based mainstream news outlets.
In the last several years, however, the cable news giant underwent intense scrutiny over numerous retracted stories, becoming synonymous with the term “fake news” in the political atmosphere. The outlet has also been the subject of pedophilia and other illicit sexual controversies by its behind-the-scenes employees.
13. The Wall Street Journal
Headquarters: New York, New York
Founded: 1889
The Wall Street Journal (WSJ) is a daily newspaper that covers international business, financial, and economic news. It was established in 1889 in New York City and has bureaus and correspondents in major cities around the world.
Numerous awards have been given to the WSJ for its coverage of major events, such as the financial crisis of 2008 and the 2016 US presidential election. It is widely read by global business leaders, investors, and policymakers and is regarded as a reliable news and analysis source.
There have been accusations of political bias and conflicts of interest surrounding the WSJ. In 2020, the newspaper was accused of downplaying the severity of the coronavirus pandemic and promoting unproven treatments for the outbreak. The newspaper’s coverage of China has also been criticized, with some claiming that it promotes a biased and negative view of the country.
12. Global Times
Headquarters: Beijing, China
Founded: 1993
The Global Times is a Chinese daily newspaper that is printed in both Chinese and English. It was launched in 2009 as an offshoot of the Communist Party of China’s official newspaper, the People’s Daily. The Global Times is well-known for its nationalist and pro-government stance, and it frequently takes a strong editorial stance on issues pertaining to China’s domestic and foreign policies.
It has a reputation for being outspoken and occasionally controversial, and its editorials frequently reflect the views of the Chinese government. The newspaper is regarded as an essential source of news and analysis on China’s political and social landscape by both Chinese and international readers.
In addition to its print edition, the Global Times has a substantial online presence and is often referred to as China’s “Fox News.”
11. Financial Times
Headquarters: London, United Kingdom
Founded: 1888
The Financial Times is a prominent international daily newspaper that covers international business, finance, and economic news. It was founded in 1888 and has offices and correspondents in major cities around the world. Its headquarters are in London, the United Kingdom.
The newspaper provides extensive coverage of financial and economic news, including updates on the stock market, business trends, and industry analysis. It also addresses political and social issues that have an effect on the business world, such as trade policy, regulation, and environmental concerns.
The Financial Times is widely read by global business leaders, investors, and policymakers and is regarded as a reliable source of news and analysis in print and the digital environment.
10. TIME
Headquarters: New York City, New York
Founded: 1923
TIME is a weekly news magazine that covers politics, business, science, technology, health, culture, and entertainment. It was founded in 1923 and has since grown to become one of the world’s most well-known and respected publications.
The magazine publishes in-depth reporting, analysis, and commentary on the world’s most pressing issues, as well as profiles of influential people and trends shaping the world. It also covers major global news events, with an emphasis on how they affect individuals and communities. The magazine is known for producing high-quality journalism and has received numerous awards for its coverage of major events.
TIME has a strong digital presence in addition to its print edition, with a website that features breaking news, opinion pieces, and multimedia content. The magazine is also active on social media, with accounts on platforms such as Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram.
9. Reuters
Headquarters: London, United Kingdom
Founded: 1851
Reuters, established in 1851, is one of the oldest international news organizations in existence. Sitting at 13 floors high, its headquarters in London houses some of the most renowned reporters and broadcasters in journalism.
As of 2014, roughly every major news outlet globally was a subscriber to Reuters from its many operational locations in 94 countries. Likewise, its online edition thrives in an environment of rapid-spreading breaking news with unparalleled factuality and a monthly readership close to 40 million.
Alessandra Galloni, the outlet’s current chief, started her career as a reporter for the Wall Street Journal in the 2000s. By 2013, she had risen to the position of editor of Reuters’ Southern Europe bureau. Ultimately, before taking the helm as the outlet’s chief, Galloni advanced to the position of global managing editor.
8. BBC
Headquarters: London, United Kingdom
Founded: 1922
First launched as a competitor to Sky News in 1997, the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) grew into one of the world’s largest broadcast news organizations, known for its radio, television, and online news coverage.
Established by Royal Charter in 1922, the BBC appointed its first Director-General, Sir John Reith. Reith’s legacy, nearly a century later, enabled the British outlet’s domination as one of the most visited websites with its online news service.
As a whole, its brand is a hallmark symbol of British media, with an estimated global weekly audience of 400 million and its figures on social media considered one of the largest relative to other leading mainstream outlets.
7. The Washington Post
Headquarters: Washington, D.C., United States
Founded: 1877
The Washington Post, founded by Stilson Hutchins in 1877 and regarded as one of the leading daily newspapers in America, is abbreviated as “Wash Post” or “WaPo.” It is the largest outlet in the nation’s capital.
Throughout its lifespan, WaPo attained 47 Pulitzer Prizes, 18 Nieman Fellowships, and 368 White House News Photographers Association awards. The paper’s most notable story regarding the Watergate Scandal, led by Robert Woodward and Carl Bernstein, was dubbed as “maybe the single greatest reporting effort of all time,” which led to President Richard Nixon’s resignation.
In recent years, the paper’s digital edition has grown to surpass its print circulation. Currently, WaPo is owned by tech mogul Jeff Bezos, who purchased the paper from Graham Holdings Company for $250 million in cash. Frederick Ryan of Politico serves as the paper’s current publisher and CEO.
6. People’s Daily
Headquarters: Beijing, China
Founded: 1948
In China, the People’s Daily, its largest newspaper, functions with a daily print circulation of 3 million. Serving the interests of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China, the paper also publishes through other editions, including in English, French, Japanese, Portuguese, Russian, and Spanish.
Headquartered in Beijing, the outlet’s standpoints are directed in accordance with Chinese President Xi Jinping’s governmental bodies.
Its digital edition, the People’s Daily Online (人民网), launched in 1997, is the biggest Chinese news outlet on the web, with an astronomical following on social media. As of 2019, the outlet’s advertising revenue is on the increase, with its social growth partially attributed to this significant boost.
5. Drudge Report
Headquarters: Wasilla, Alaska
Founded: 1995
During the late-1990s, an internet pioneer’s reporting on political scandals sparked what is presumably the most influential news site on the web.
Matthew Nathan Drudge, the founder of Drudge Report, co-created with the help of Andrew Breitbart, a media mogul behind the early birth of HuffPost and Breitbart News, was once depicted as the most powerful journalist in the world by Britain’s newspaper of record, The Telegraph.
Launched in 1995, Drudge produced the biggest news aggregator on the web with an estimated monthly viewership of nearly one billion. As a result of its label as a powerful driver of web traffic to other top news outlets, like TMZ, The Washington Post, Fox News, USA Today, and CNN, Drudge was named as one of the most influential people on the internet by Time magazine in 2018.
4. RT
Headquarters: Moscow, Russia
Founded: 2005
In June of 2005, a 25-year-old Russian-Armenian journalist held a press briefing to publicize the launch of RT, formerly known as Russia Today. The journalist, Margarita Simonyan, who serves as editor-in-chief, went on to lead what many can say is the most prominent English-speaking news outlet in Russia, with a global weekly viewership of over 100 million.
In 2017, Russian media queen Simonyan was ranked as one of the world’s most powerful women in media by the American business magazine Forbes. “A year ago, most people had no idea who Margarita Simonyan was. Now, she’s being discussed in tech, media and political circles as the outsized influence of her Russian TV network, RT, comes into focus,” according to the report.
RT.com, known by some as a straight-to-the-point news site with high factuality and others as a sporadic state-run windmill of alternative perspectives, operates in many regions of the world, becoming an exponential momentum for Arabic, French, and Spanish audiences. Its presence on social media is also one of the vastest. RT’s YouTube presence continues to grow, with millions of subscribers and approximately seven billion views across all its channels.
3. Fox News
Headquarters: New York City, New York
Founded: 1996
In the 1990s, 2000s, and late 2010s, Fox News—previously owned by Rupert Murdoch’s News Corporation—became the most dominant subscription news network in the United States.
During the Trump-era, Fox News became a paramount force in cable news, often rated as America’s most-watched cable network. Its television ratings, entailing all conservative and right-leaning viewers in America, led to the substantial growth of its radio and online subdivisions. The outlet’s total viewership across its channels on the video-sharing platform YouTube is more than 15 billion. In 2023, the network’s top executive settled a massive lawsuit pertaining to allegations of election fraud from alleged sexual predator and former American president Donald Trump.
The digital edition, first introduced in 1995, is one of the most visited news outlets on the web, with its news coverage of sports and politics responsible for most of it. Porter Berry of Fox News Digital serves as editor-in-chief.
2. Associated Press
Headquarters: New York City, New York
Founded: 1846
The Associated Press (AP) is a non-profit news agency with offices and correspondents around the world. It was founded in 1846 and is one of the world’s oldest and most respected news agencies.
It is renowned for its impartial and objective reporting, as well as its dedication to accuracy and journalistic standards. It provides news coverage to numerous media outlets, such as newspapers, television and radio stations, and online news platforms.
The AP’s strict adherence to journalistic standards and procedures is one of the reasons for its high level of respect. Its reporters and editors are trained to adhere to stringent guidelines regarding accuracy, fairness, and objectivity, and the agency employs a rigorous fact-checking procedure. The agency seems to report with impeccable integrity. Controversies, although extremely rare, involved employees’ collusion with the United States government for counterterrorism and other activities.
1. The New York Times
Headquarters: New York City, New York
Founded: 1851
Standing just outside the Empire State Building, recognized as the eighth-tallest building in New York City, lies the nation’s newspaper of record: The New York Times, often abbreviated as “NYTimes.”
Founded in 1851, the paper has become a symbol of American media, having documented landmark periods in U.S. history such as the nation’s 19th century Civil War and the Cold War. Since 1918, The New York Times has been the recipient of 127 Pulitzer Prizes, beginning with coverage of the First World War up until its recent reporting of alleged corruption in the Trump administration.
In its entirety, the New York Times employs an estimated 1,300 staffers while also maintaining an online daily circulation of close to 3 million. The New York Times is one of the most viewed news sites, with one of the largest followings on the social networking site Twitter.
It is the world’s most powerful news outlet.
