The New York Times: A Strategic Audit

Authors

• Kaylee Campbell, University of Nebraska-LincolnFollow
• Cassidy June, University of Nebraska-LincolnFollow
• Keira Cummins, University of Nebraska - LincolnFollow
• Tanner Maas, University of Nebraska-LincolnFollow
• Alyssa Fjelstad, University of Nebraska-LincolnFollow

First Advisor

Dr. Tammy Beck

Date of this Version

5-2026

Document Type

Thesis

Citation

Campbell, K., Cummins, K., Fjelstad, A., June, C., and Maas, T. (2026). The New York Times: A Strategic Audit. Undergraduate Honors Thesis. University of Nebraska-Lincoln. 

Comments

Copyright 2026 Kaylee Campbell, Keira Cummins, Alyssa Fjelstad, Cassidy June, Tanner Maas

Abstract

The New York Times is a legacy newspaper that has navigated a great many changes since its founding in 1851. The company rose to success with its traditional print journalism, but has now transformed into a largely digital, subscription-based business model that provides subscribers with access to news, games, recipes, podcasts, product recommendations, and more. This provides an excellent foundation for a strategic audit to understand how one of the giants of a dying industry has not only managed to stay alive, but to thrive.

A PESTEL and Porter’s Five Forces analysis reveals that The New York Times operates in a declining industry, as several external factors work against newspaper publishing, yet The Times holds the largest market share. To do so, The New York Times leverages its key resources and capabilities identified through a VRIO and SWOT analysis, including high-quality journalism and a broad reach. As a result, The Times has been performing strongly, exceeding subscriber goals and leading on several key industry performance metrics.

Compared to competitors, The Times has a more established journalistic brand, enabling a more lucrative subscriber-based business model and a broad differentiation strategy. It can create significant value at each stage of the value chain. It also pursues a product-market diversification strategy, as evidenced by its continuous expansion of digital products. Furthermore, The New York Times has a strong founding family presence in its leadership. However, its internal structure and controls ensure that The Times can continue to build its legacy without veering off course.