As one of the country’s oldest and most respected news organizations, it isn’t surprising that The New York Times touched millions – perhaps billions – of lives in 2018, but just how big was that impact? The Times published a report earlier this week, The Year in Numbers: 2018, to break it down and to show that a new generation of readers values quality journalism and is willing to pay for it.

“This year, 4 million people decided that paying for our journalism was worth it. This number was celebrated as a milestone at The New York Times. In a moment of considerable business and political pressure on the entire news industry, this supper allows us to make an unprecedented investment in our newsroom,” wrote The Times. “Just as importantly, this number shows that a new generation of readers values the type of independent, expert, on-the-ground journalism that our society needs more of.”

In the report, The Times highlights key numbers that demonstrate the organization’s investment in quality journalism:

• The New York Times has 150 million global readers each month.
• 1,550 journalists on staff cover news and write opinions.
• More than 100 journalists were added this year.
• The Times’ staff speaks 55 different language.
• The Times has 15 news bureaus across the U.S.
• Outside the U.S., The Times supports 31 bureaus with more than 200 journalists.
• The Times reported from more than 160 countries.
• The newspaper published more than 55,000 stories this year, equating to more than 50 million words.

Whether at home or abroad, readers can access The New York Times in 11 different languages including English, Chinese, Spanish, German, French, Korean, Italian, Japanese, Portuguese, Russian and Arabic. The Times has more than 4 million paying subscribers in 200+ countries and territories.

Here are some additional highlights from 2018:

• President Trump has mentioned The New York Times on Twitter 34 times.
• The most downloaded episode of “The Daily” in 2018 was The Blasey-Kavanaugh Hearing, which was downloaded 1.93 million times.
• Nearly 51,700 women responded to The Times call for reflection on the Kavanaugh confirmation process.
• 18,615 cities and towns were looked up by readers when reading “How Much Hotter Is Your Hometown Than When You Were Born?”
• Regarding suspected tax schemes by the Trump family, three dedicated reporters over 18 months reviewed 200 Trump family tax returns.
• 195 fourth graders wrote opinions for The New York Times for Kids section this year.
• Times’ experts were tapped for 630 speaking engagements.
• On Wirecutter, there were 500 reviews and 4,000 hours were spent testing more than 2,100 products, including 200 headphones.
• T Brand Studio shot 97 videos in over 20 locations including Argentina, Ethiopia, Ottawa, Nashville and Boston.
• More than 87,300 people attended a live Times’ event.

These impressive numbers illustrate how The Times has fulfilled its mission this year:

“Our mission is simple: We seek the truth and help people understand the world. This mission is rooted in our belief that great journalism has the power to make each reader’s life richer and more fulfilling, and all of society stronger and more just.”

Insider Take:

Despite what one White House official believes, The New York Times is not failing. It continues to do well. In addition to growing its subscriber base and increasing its global readership, the company reported strong financials in the third quarter of 2018, including total revenue of $417.3 million and operating profit of $41.4 million, and is expected to finish 2018 strong. They serve as an excellent example of how to straddle the print and digital divide, diversify products and services, and experiment with new lines of business like The Wirecutter. We anticipate an even stronger 2019.