Brandwave

The Washington Post vs The Wall Street Journal:Which is more popular?

In September 2026, The Wall Street Journal had more branded searches than The Washington Post among newspapers worldwide. The Wall Street Journal had about 1.8 million branded searches, while The Washington Post had 1.4 million. The Wall Street Journal made up 14.3% of all newspaper searches we track, and The Washington Post accounted for 10.6%. When we asked ChatGPT and Google AI Overviews about newspapers, The Wall Street Journal appeared in four of the five answers and The Washington Post in three. The Wall Street Journal was mentioned before The Washington Post in three out of four answers.

Among newspapers worldwide in September 2026

Who do people search for more?

The Wall Street Journal, about 35% more searches than The Washington Post

The Wall Street Journal 1.8M searchesThe Washington Post 1.4M searches

Who does AI mention more?

The Wall Street Journal, mentioned in 4 of 5 answers, The Washington Post in 3

The Wall Street Journal in 4 of 5The Washington Post in 3 of 5

Who does AI recommend more?

The Wall Street Journal, named ahead of The Washington Post in 3 of 4 answers

The Wall Street Journal first in 3The Washington Post first in 1

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Top newspapers in ChatGPT and Google AI Overviews

In three ChatGPT questions and two Google AI Overviews, The Wall Street Journal was mentioned in four out of five: in all three ChatGPT answers and in one of the two Google AI Overviews. The Washington Post was mentioned in three out of five: in two of the three ChatGPT answers and in one of the two Google AI Overviews. The Wall Street Journal was listed before The Washington Post in three out of four answers.

Most recommended by AI

Brands get a higher ranking if they are mentioned earlier in the answers.

  1. The New York Times1st
  2. The Wall Street Journal2nd
  3. The Washington Post3rd
  4. The Guardian4th
  5. Financial Times5th
  6. The Times–
  7. The Telegraph–

Mentioned by AI

Each dot is one answer, filled in when that answer mentions the brand.

  • The New York Times4 of 5Named in 3 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 1 of 2 Google answers
  • The Wall Street Journal4 of 5Named in 3 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 1 of 2 Google answers
  • The Washington Post3 of 5Named in 2 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 1 of 2 Google answers
  • The Guardian1 of 5Named in 1 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 0 of 2 Google answers
  • Financial Times1 of 5Named in 1 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 0 of 2 Google answers
  • The Times0 of 5Named in 0 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 0 of 2 Google answers
  • The Telegraph0 of 5Named in 0 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 0 of 2 Google answers

See every answer about newspapers

5 answers

Not named in any answer:

Brands are shown in the order each answer named them. The survey took place in the United States on October 19, 2026.

Is The Washington Post or The Wall Street Journal more popular in search?

This chart shows how often people search Google for The Washington Post and The Wall Street Journal by name. Each line represents a brand's share of searches for all seven newspapers we track, month by month, from English-language searches worldwide.

The Washington Post and The Wall Street Journal among newspapers worldwide, by month

Share of searches by month for The Wall Street Journal, The Washington Post. The figures are in the table below the chart.

View monthly share of searches table
MonthThe GuardianThe New York TimesThe Wall Street JournalThe Washington PostFinancial TimesThe TimesThe Telegraph
Oct 202528.8%28.4%15.7%15%4.8%4.7%2.6%
Nov 202529.8%30.4%14.6%13.1%4%4.9%3.3%
Dec 202531.6%30.2%14.1%13.5%3.5%4.3%2.8%
Jan 202628%33.6%13.7%15.1%3.8%3.8%2.1%
Feb 202630.7%31.3%13.6%14.6%3.4%4.1%2.3%
Mar 202629.8%30.3%16.2%13.6%4%4%2.2%
Apr 202630.4%29.9%16.6%12.6%4.1%4.1%2.2%
May 202631.2%30.7%15.3%10.6%4.2%5.1%2.8%
Jun 202633.7%28.1%15%11.2%4.5%4.5%3%
Jul 202633.4%27.8%14.9%11.1%3.7%5.5%3.7%
Aug 202633.5%29.2%14.9%11.1%3.7%4.5%3%
Sep 202632.1%31.5%14.3%10.6%4.3%4.3%2.9%

How has the The Washington Post and The Wall Street Journal comparison changed over the last 12 months?

3 findings

How did search popularity change for newspapers worldwide in September 2026?

2 changes

  1. In September 2026, The Wall Street Journal lost share of searches among newspapers worldwide, from 14.9% to 14.3%.

  2. Estimated monthly branded searches for The Washington Post worldwide fell 36.4% over 12 measured months, from 2.1M to 1.4M in September 2026.

How are branded searches counted?

4 search terms

Brandwave collects information about searches that people make online using The Washington Post’s and The Wall Street Journal’s names. When viewed over time, estimated search volumes for these branded terms can be used to understand whether interest in the brands is growing, holding steady, or fading.

The Washington Post

2 branded search terms

  • the washington post
  • washington post

The Wall Street Journal

2 branded search terms

  • wall street journal
  • wsj

How the Brand Demand Index is measured

Other head-to-heads among newspapers

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