WALL STREET JOURNAL

The Wall Street Journal, published coast to coast, is the authoritative source for tracking business, financial, and economic news in the United States. With the largest daily circulation of any newspaper in the United States, the Journal is the nation's most influential newspaper. Dow Jones & Company owns and publishes the Journal.

The Journal, published daily on weekdays except holidays, is organized into three sections: Page One, Marketplace, and Money & Investing. On Friday a fourth section, Weekend Journal, is added. The Journal 's unique presentation is a six column style with no big headlines. Page One includes the legendary, "What's News," in columns two and three. Under the subheadings of "Business and Finance" and "World Wide" are brief summaries of major economic news items and summaries of national and worldwide events. More in-depth coverage is found inside the section. Page One presents all the news in a tight, quick-read format with the same types of information found consistently in the same places. Section two, Marketplace, focuses on the impact of business on readers' careers and families, and keeps readers abreast of new product development. Section three, Money & Investing, contains all the economic statistical data and also provides columns offering explanations, insight, and perspective on the markets. The Weekend Journal, introduced in 1998, is devoted to leisure, art, and entertainment.

In 1882 Charles Dow (1851–1902) and Edward Jones (1856–1920) founded Dow, Jones & Company on the premise that business news could be reported in a lively but level-headed, unslanted style. Dow, Jones operations depended entirely on reporters daily touring brokerage houses, banks, and offices, listening and taking notes. On July 8, 1889 the Wall Street Journal was born. As the U.S. economy grew, the Journal provided stable commentary reporting market developments, general financial movement, and business interests. Clarence W. Barron purchased Dow Jones in 1902 and for twenty-six years was its dynamic force. "Casey" Hogate, entrusted with its management in 1933, began "What's News." Refuting the idea the Journal must reach only a specific regional constituency, Hogate, perceiving all businessmen throughout the United States as a single community, provided a single reliable source of competent and comprehensive information to them. Barney Kilgore, president of Dow, Jones & Company beginning in 1945, creatively fashioned not only a thorough newspaper but added conciseness and even humor to business, Washington, and world wide news. By the 1970s the Journal was the United States' most trusted newspaper. In 1980 it overtook the New York Daily News to become number one in circulation.

See also: Charles Dow