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U.S. News & World Report

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U.S. News & World Report (USNWR, US NEWS) is an American media company publishing news, consumer advice, rankings, and analysis. The company was launched in 1948 as the merger of domestic-focused weekly newspaper U.S. News and international-focused weekly magazine World Report. In 1995, the company launched its website, usnews.com and, in 2010, ceased printing its weekly news magazine, publishing only its ranking editions in print.[3][4] US News licences its name to the subjects it ranks, so they may then use the annual rankings in promotional literature.[5]

U.S. News & World Report
Founded1948; 76 years ago (1948) (merger of United States News [1933] and World Report [1946])
Headquarters
Key people
  • Eric Gertler
    (CEO)[1]
  • Bill Holiber
    (President)[2]

Dafna Linzner
(Editorial Director)[2]

Products
OwnerU.S. News & World Report, L.P. (Mortimer Zuckerman)
Websiteusnews.com

History

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20th century

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The September 1, 1945, issue of United States News reporting on the attack on Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941
 
Mortimer Zuckerman, who acquired U.S. News & World Report in October 1984

After the closure of United States Daily, which was published between 1926 and 1933, David Lawrence (1888–1973) founded the newspaper United States News in 1933, which was converted to magazine format in 1940.

In 1946, Lawrence founded the magazine World Report. The two magazines covered national and international news separately. In 1948, Lawrence merged them into U.S. News & World Report.[6] He then sold the magazine to his employees. The magazine initially tended to be slightly more conservative than its two primary competitors, Time and Newsweek, focusing more on economic, health, and education stories. It also eschewed sports, entertainment, and celebrity news.[7]

Important milestones in the early history of the magazine include the introduction of the "Washington Whispers" column in 1934, and the "News You Can Use" column in 1952.[8][9] In 1958, the weekly magazine's circulation passed one million reaching two million by 1973.[8]

Since 1983, U.S. News & World Report has been known primarily for its influential ranking and annual reports of colleges and graduate schools, spanning across most fields and subjects. U.S. News & World Report is America's oldest and best-known ranker of academic institutions,[10] and covers the fields of business, law, medicine, engineering, education, social sciences and public affairs, in addition to many other areas.[11] Its print edition consistently has been included in national bestseller lists, augmented by online subscriptions. Additional rankings published by U.S. News & World Report include hospitals, medical specialties, and automobiles.

In October 1984, New York City-based publisher and real estate developer Mortimer Zuckerman purchased U.S. News & World Report.[9] Zuckerman had owned the New York Daily News. In 1993, U.S. News & World Report entered the digital world by providing content to CompuServe and in 1995 the website usnews.com was launched.

21st century

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In 2001, the website won a National Magazine Award for General Excellence Online.[12] In 2007, U.S. News & World Report published its first list of the nation's best high schools. Its ranking methodology included state test scores and documented the success of poor and minority students on the exams, and schools' performance in Advanced Placement exams.

Beginning in June 2008, the magazine reduced its publication frequency in three steps. In June 2008, citing a decline overall in magazine circulation and advertising, U.S. News & World Report announced that it would become a biweekly publication, starting in January 2009.[13] It hoped advertisers would be attracted to the schedule, which allowed ads to stay on newsstands a week longer. However, five months later the magazine changed its frequency again, becoming monthly.[14]

In August 2008, U.S. News expanded and revamped its online opinion section.[15] The new version of the opinion page included daily new op-ed content as well as the new Thomas Jefferson Street blog.[16] An internal memo was sent to the magazine's staff on November 5, 2010, informing them that the "December issue will be our last print monthly sent to subscribers, whose remaining print and digital replica subscriptions will be filled by other publishers."[17] The memo said that the publication would be moving to a primarily digital format but that special issues such as "the college and grad guides, as well as hospital and personal finance guides" would be printed.

Prior to ending physical publication in 2010, U.S. News was generally the third-ranked general United States-based news magazine after Time and Newsweek.[18] A weekly digital magazine, U.S. News Weekly, introduced in January 2009,[19] continued to offer subscription content until it stopped publication at the end of April 2015.[20]

Ownership

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The company is owned by U.S. News & World Report, L.P., a privately held company with editorial headquarters in Washington, D.C. and its advertising, sales, and corporate offices in New York City and New Jersey.[8] The company's move to the Web made it possible for U.S. News & World Report to expand its service journalism with the introduction of several consumer-facing rankings products.

By the early 2010s, under the leadership of Brian Kelly, the company had returned to profitability, largely through its list model, adopted in 2009, and the ease with which that transferred to online publishing.[21]

The leadership team includes executive chairman Eric Gertler, president and chief executive officer William Holiber, chief financial officer and chief operating officer Neil Maheshwari, and Dafna Linzner, the editorial director. Brian Kelly was the chief content officer from April 2007 to August 2019 and Kim Castro was the chief content officer until 2023. The company is owned by media proprietor Mortimer Zuckerman.

Rankings

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Who Runs America?

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The first U.S. News & World Report's rankings was its "Who Runs America?" surveys. They were published in the spring annually from 1974 to 1986. The magazine cover for each release featured persons selected by the USN & WR as being the ten most powerful persons in the United States. Each edition of the series listed the president of the United States as the most powerful person, but the #2 position included people like Secretary of State Henry Kissinger (1974),[22] Federal Reserve Chairmen Paul Volcker and Arthur Burns (each listed multiple years), and U.S. Senator Edward Kennedy (1979).[23] Most of the top ten each year were government officials; occasionally others were included like TV anchormen Walter Cronkite and Dan Rather, Chase Manhattan Bank Chairman David Rockefeller, AFL–CIO leader George Meany, and consumer advocate Ralph Nader. The only woman to make the top ten list was First Lady Rosalynn Carter in 1980.[24]

In addition to these overall top ten persons, the publication also included top persons in each of several fields, including education, business, finance, journalism, and other areas. The survey was discontinued after its 1986 edition.

Best Colleges

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class=notpageimage|
The top ten "national universities" (red  ) and "liberal arts colleges" (blue  ) in the U.S. News & World Report Best Colleges Ranking, as of 2022
Main article: U.S. News & World Report Best Colleges Ranking

U.S. News & World Report Best Colleges Ranking is an annual set of rankings of colleges and universities in the United States, which was first published by U.S. News & World Report in 1983. It has been described as the most influential institutional ranking in the country.

The Best Colleges rankings have raised controversy, and they have been denounced by several education experts.[25] Detractors argue that they rely on self-reported, sometimes fraudulent data by the institutions,[26][27][28][29] encourage gamesmanship by institutions looking to improve their rank,[30] imply a false precision by deriving an ordinal ranking from questionable data,[31] contribute to the admissions frenzy by unduly highlighting prestige,[32] and ignore individual fit by comparing institutions with widely diverging missions on the same scale.[33]

In 2022, Columbia University was lowered from second to 18th in the rankings[34] after a report by Columbia University mathematics professor Michael Thaddeus, which revealed that Columbia University misreported data to U.S. News & World Report. The remaining "national universities" were not renumbered.[35]

Best Global Universities

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Main article: U.S. News & World Report Best Global Universities Ranking

In October 2014, U.S. News & World Report published its inaugural "Best Global Universities" rankings.[36] Inside Higher Ed noted that U.S. News was entering into the international college and university rankings area which was "dominated by three major global university rankings", namely the Times Higher Education World University Rankings, the Academic Ranking of World Universities, and the QS World University Rankings.[37] Robert Morse, "U.S. News's chief data strategist," said that "it's natural for U.S. News to get into this space".[37] He said that U.S. News "will also be the first American publisher to enter the global rankings space".[37]

Best Hospitals

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Main article: U.S. News & World Report Best Hospitals Rankings

Since 1990, U.S. News & World Report has compiled Best Hospitals rankings.[38] The rankings are specifically based on a different methodology which looks at difficult (high acuity) cases within 16 specialties including cancer; diabetes and endocrinology; ear, nose, and throat; gastroenterology, geriatrics, gynecology; heart and heart surgery; kidney disorders; neurology and neurosurgery; ophthalmology, orthopedics, psychiatry, pulmonology, rehabilitation, rheumatology, and urology.[39][40] In addition to rankings for each of these specialties, hospitals that excel in many U.S. News areas are ranked in the Honor Roll.[38]

Best Cars

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Since 2007, U.S. News has used an innovative ranking system for new and used automobiles. The rankings span over 30 classes of cars, trucks, SUVs, minivans, wagons, and sports cars. Each automobile receives an overall score and a performance, interior, and recommendation score rounded to the nearest tenth of a percent on a 1–10 scale. Scores are based on the consensus opinion of America's trusted automotive experts, as well as reliability and safety data.[41] U.S. News also produces annual "Best Cars for the Money" and "Best Cars for Families" awards across approximately 20 classes of cars, trucks, SUVs, and minivans. Money award winners are derived by combining vehicle price and five-year cost of ownership with the opinion of the automotive press,[42] while family awards are tabulated by combining critics' opinions with the vehicle's availability of family-friendly features and interior space, as well as safety and reliability data. Money and family award winners are announced in February and March of each year, respectively.[43]

Best States

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Education ranking of state residents as of 2019: 01-10, 11-20, 21-30, 31-40, 41-50

In 2017, U.S. News published its first ranking of all 50 U.S. states, incorporating metrics in seven categories: health care, education, crime and corrections, infrastructure, opportunity, economy, and government. The weighting of the individual categories in determining overall rank was informed by surveys on what matters most to residents. Massachusetts occupied the top rank, and Louisiana ranked worst.[44]

In 2018, the eight categories were: health care, education, economy, opportunity, infrastructure, crime and corrections, fiscal stability, and quality of life. Iowa was ranked first, and Louisiana ranked worst.[45] In 2019, natural environment replaced the quality of life category. Washington occupied the top rank, and Louisiana ranked worst.[46]

No ranking was published in 2020. In 2021, Washington, Minnesota, and Utah topped the list; New Mexico, Mississippi, and Louisiana were ranked as the worst.[47]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ "Eric Gertler Assumes Role of Chief Executive Officer of U.S. News". U.S. News. May 26, 2022. Archived from the original on November 15, 2022. Retrieved May 26, 2022.
  2. ^ a b "Leadership". U.S. News. Archived from the original on November 15, 2022. Retrieved May 26, 2022.
  3. ^ "Celebrating 85 Years". U.S. News & World Report. July 11, 2018. Archived from the original on November 15, 2022.
  4. ^ Peters, Jeremy W. (November 6, 2010). "U.S. News & World Report to End Monthly Publication". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Archived from the original on July 9, 2021. Retrieved July 1, 2021.
  5. ^ Blinder, Alan (September 24, 2024). "The U.S. News College Rankings Are Out. Cue the Rage and Obsession". The New York Times. Retrieved September 26, 2024.
  6. ^ David E. Sumner (May 2012). "American winners and losers:2001 to 2010" (PDF). International Conference on Communication, Media, Technology and Design. Istanbul. Archived (PDF) from the original on September 24, 2016. Retrieved June 25, 2016.
  7. ^ "U.S. News & World Report". Encyclopædia Britannica. 2008. Archived from the original on June 8, 2012. Retrieved June 24, 2008.
  8. ^ a b c "About U.S. News & World Report". Archived from the original on July 4, 2017. Retrieved July 6, 2017.
  9. ^ a b "Celebrating 80 Years – US News". Archived from the original on October 16, 2014. Retrieved October 15, 2014.
  10. ^ "U.S. News college rankings are denounced but not ignored". The Washington Post. 2011. Archived from the original on September 4, 2011. Retrieved September 4, 2011.
  11. ^ "U.S. News & World Report: Comprehensive Categories of Academic Institutions". U.S. News & World Report. U.S. News & World Report, L.P. 2012. Retrieved June 18, 2012.
  12. ^ "2001 National Magazine Awards". Info Please. Archived from the original on February 16, 2017. Retrieved May 5, 2023.
  13. ^ Pérez-Peña, Richard (June 11, 2008). "U.S. News Plans to Publish Biweekly and Expand Consumer Focus". The New York Times. Archived from the original on June 10, 2022. Retrieved June 24, 2008.
  14. ^ "Red Ink: 'U.S. News' Goes Monthly, Hearst and Rodale Cut Staff". MediaPost. June 11, 2008. Archived from the original on March 7, 2012. Retrieved June 11, 2008.
  15. ^ "Political Blogs, Opinions, Commentaries and Forums on Current Issues". U.S. News & World Report. U.S. News & World Report, L.P. Archived from the original on July 19, 2014. Retrieved July 20, 2014.
  16. ^ "Political Blogs, Opinions, Commentaries and Forums on Current Issues". U.S. News. Archived from the original on June 29, 2013. Retrieved June 30, 2013.
  17. ^ "December issue will be our last printed monthly sent to subscribers". Poynter Online. November 5, 2010. Archived from the original on November 6, 2010. Retrieved November 5, 2010.
  18. ^ Sacks, Peter (April 5, 2007). "America's Best College Scam". The Huffington Post. AOL. Archived from the original on April 2, 2011.
  19. ^ "'U.S. News' Launching Digital Newsweekly". Archived from the original on September 10, 2015. Retrieved April 4, 2016.
  20. ^ U.S. News Digital Weekly. 24 April 2015, Vol. 7 Issue 17, p. 15.
  21. ^ Heath, Thomas (April 28, 2013). "Value Added: U.S. News & World Report returns to the ranks of profitability". The Washington Post. Archived from the original on March 12, 2017. Retrieved March 11, 2017.
  22. ^ "U.S. News & World Report April 22, 1974 – Product Details". backissues.com. Archived from the original on December 20, 2016. Retrieved December 6, 2016.
  23. ^ "U.S. News & World Report April 16, 1979 – Product Details". backissues.com. Archived from the original on December 20, 2016. Retrieved December 6, 2016.
  24. ^ "U.S. News & World Report April 14, 1980 – Product Details". backissues.com. Archived from the original on December 20, 2016. Retrieved December 6, 2016.
  25. ^ Jaschik, Scott (April 11, 2022). "'Breaking Ranks' is a new book that attacks 'U.S. News'". Inside Higher Ed. Retrieved May 7, 2022.
  26. ^ Elsen-Rooney, Michael (March 6, 2022). "Columbia math professor questions numbers behind university's #2 ranking on U.S. News list". nydailynews.com. Retrieved March 13, 2022.
  27. ^ Lukpat, Alyssa (November 30, 2021). "Former Temple U. Dean Found Guilty of Faking Data for National Rankings". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved March 13, 2022.
  28. ^ Jaschik, Scott (May 28, 2019). "University of Oklahoma stripped of 'U.S. News' ranking for supplying false information". Inside Higher Ed. Retrieved March 13, 2022.
  29. ^ Jaschik, Scott (February 19, 2018). "False 'U.S. News' rankings data discovered for three more universities". Inside Higher Ed. Retrieved March 13, 2022.
  30. ^ Breslow, Samuel (September 26, 2014). "The Case Against Being (Ranked) the Best". The Student Life. Archived from the original on February 25, 2017. Retrieved July 30, 2020.
  31. ^ Strauss, Valerie (September 12, 2018). "U.S. News changed the way it ranks colleges. It's still ridiculous". The Washington Post. Retrieved July 30, 2020.
  32. ^ Jaschik, Scott (September 10, 2018). "'U.S. News' says it has shifted rankings to focus on social mobility, but has it?". Inside Higher Ed. Retrieved July 30, 2020.
  33. ^ Gladwell, Malcolm (February 7, 2011). "The Trouble with College Rankings". The New Yorker. Retrieved July 30, 2020.
  34. ^ Saul, Stephanie and Hartocollis, Anemona "Columbia University Drops Out of U.S. News Rankings for Undergraduate Schools" The New York Times, June 6, 2023. Retrieved February 14, 2024.
  35. ^ Hartocollis, Anemona (July 8, 2022). "Columbia Loses Its No. 2 Spot in the U.S. News Rankings". The New York Times. Retrieved July 24, 2022.
  36. ^ Haynie, Devon (October 28, 2014). "U.S. News Releases Inaugural Best Global Universities Rankings". US News. Archived from the original on October 30, 2014. Retrieved October 30, 2014.
  37. ^ a b c Redden, Elizabeth (October 9, 2014). "'U.S. News' to Issue New Global University Rankings". Inside Higher Ed. Archived from the original on April 27, 2021. Retrieved May 5, 2023.
  38. ^ a b "U.S. News Best Hospitals". U.S. News & World Report. Archived from the original on July 17, 2016. Retrieved October 15, 2014.
  39. ^ Lowes, Robert (September 20, 2012). "Joint Commission's Top-Hospital List Still Missing Big Names". Medscape Medical News. Archived from the original on April 25, 2023. Retrieved May 5, 2023.
  40. ^ Comarow, Avery (July 10, 2008). "A Look Inside the Hospital Rankings". U.S. News & World Report. Archived from the original on September 15, 2008. Retrieved September 14, 2008.
  41. ^ How We Rank New Cars | U.S. News Best Cars Archived April 1, 2018, at the Wayback Machine. cars.usnews.com. Retrieved on 2014-04-12.
  42. ^ Page, Jamie (2014-02-12). Best Cars for the Money Awards 2014 | U.S. News Best Cars Archived March 12, 2009, at the Wayback Machine. cars.usnews.com. Retrieved on 2014-04-12.
  43. ^ Page, Jamie (2014-03-12). Best Cars for Families Awards 2014 | U.S. News Best Cars. Archived March 20, 2019, at the Wayback Machine. cars.usnews.com. Retrieved on 2014-04-12.
  44. ^ "Best States 2017" (PDF). U.S. News & World Report. 2018. Archived (PDF) from the original on February 3, 2020. Retrieved January 17, 2020.
  45. ^ "Best States 2018" (PDF). U.S. News & World Report. 2018. Archived (PDF) from the original on February 3, 2020. Retrieved January 17, 2020.
  46. ^ "Best States 2019" (PDF). U.S. News & World Report. 2019. Archived (PDF) from the original on January 16, 2020. Retrieved January 17, 2020.
  47. ^ "Best States 2021" (PDF). U.S. News & World Report. 2021. Retrieved July 31, 2022.
 
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