Canter Bridge

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Question: Is there a better American English-language daily anywhere?

Answer: no.

The Times (of London) is a great and venerable paper, but not easily available in the US and focused on a different reality.

The New York Times is an institution in its own right, better than WSJ on foreign affairs, and a much more complete paper.

But the Wall Street Journal is as good as it gets for a daily newspaper reader in this country with a business bent, an appreciation for an unfailingly high standard of writing and editing, and no particular interest in ‘soft’ topics or the New York cultural scene.

This is one very crisp paper. The last time an article got too wordy was back in 1967 and that writer’s body was never found.

Just kidding. But it would be a convenient myth for explaining WSJ‘s disciplined tone.

In the ‘Personal Journal’ section, I routinely find articles that reshape some aspect of my personal (usually financial) life and habits.

Sports news is heady and analytical. For example, as I write this review we are in the thick of the American and National League Championship Series. Today’s reportage does not tell me who won and lost last night and why. Instead, the ‘On Sports’ column is called ‘Base Instincts’ and explains why so many third base coaches end up as managers. In short, apart from the players they are the most important guy on the field.

Across the page, the ‘By the Numbers’ column is called ‘Praising Pitcher’s Parks’. It asks why teams that play in pitcher-friendly parks do so well in October.

As of this moment, I still don’t know who won last night. But I know a lot more about the game of baseball.

Best of all, you can generally avoid the pricey subscription if you’re willing to use frequent flyer miles to subscribe.

One memorably off-kilter film moment had its protagonist emerging from his tent and declaiming, ‘I love the smell of napalm in the morning.’

‘Never smelled napalm and don’t hanker after the carnage. But I can say that the sight of my Journal in the driveway every morning in its little blue bag is an oddly comforting experience.

Buy it.