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Wikipedia-eligible media outlets — a working tier list.

Not exhaustive. Covers the outlets we see most often in client source lists, with honest notes on which tiers count, which don't, and why.

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Wikipedia's notability standard depends on the quality of independent sources covering a subject — not the quantity. This page categorises common media outlets by how they fare under Wikipedia's reliable-source criteria. Use it as a quick filter when prepping a source list, or as a reality-check before commissioning a Wikipedia engagement.

Tier 1 — Almost always counts

20 entries

Established global and major regional outlets with strong editorial standards. Independent in-depth coverage here is gold-standard for Wikipedia notability.

Reuters
Global
Associated Press
Global
BBC
UK / Global
The New York Times
US
The Washington Post
US
The Wall Street Journal
US
Financial Times
UK / Global
Bloomberg
Global
The Economist
UK / Global
Le Monde
France
Le Figaro
France
Süddeutsche Zeitung
Germany
Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung (FAZ)
Germany
Die Zeit
Germany
Der Spiegel
Germany
El País
Spain
La Repubblica
Italy
Corriere della Sera
Italy
The Guardian
UK / Global
NPR
US

Tier 2 — Strong in context

19 entries

Generally accepted, with caveats. Watch for sponsored/contributed vs editorial sections of the outlet.

Forbes (staff articles)
Global
Forbes Contributor pieces are NOT independent and don't count.
Wired
Global
TechCrunch
Global
Stronger for funded companies; lighter for fluff coverage.
The Verge
Global
Ars Technica
Global
MIT Technology Review
Global
Harvard Business Review
Global
Fast Company
Global
Politico
US / EU
Axios
US
The Information
Global
Paywalled but reliable.
Handelsblatt
Germany
Les Échos
France
El Mundo
Spain
Wirtschaftswoche
Germany
Kyiv Independent
Ukraine / EN
Ukrayinska Pravda
Ukraine / UA
Interfax
Regional EU/UA
Reuters Africa / Asia / LatAm regional
Regional

Tier 3 — Context-dependent

6 entries

Sometimes counts. Depends on the specific article's depth and the outlet's editorial independence in the relevant context.

Industry trade press (editorial, named editors)
Industry-specific
Counts when truly independent. Many trade pubs are sponsored.
Major regional newspapers
Regional
Government statistical agencies
Region-specific
Primary source — good for facts, weak for notability.
Academic journals (peer-reviewed)
Global
Established blogs by subject-matter experts
Global
Only when the expert is independently notable.
National TV news transcripts
Region-specific

Avoid — Doesn't count

10 entries

These sources will be excluded from any source assessment. Don't waste time pitching outlets in this bucket — get one Tier-1 piece instead.

PR Newswire / BusinessWire / GlobeNewswire / Cision
Global
Press release distribution. Zero editorial review.
Forbes Contributor / Inc. Contributor / Entrepreneur Contributor
Global
User-generated content, not Forbes/Inc editorial.
Sponsored content / 'In partnership with' / 'Promoted'
Any outlet
Paid placement — not independent.
Industry awards the company paid to enter
Any
Crunchbase / PitchBook (database listings)
Global
Useful for facts but not for notability — they list everyone.
LinkedIn articles
Global
Self-publishing platform.
Medium articles by company employees
Global
The company's own blog / press releases / website
Global
Primary source — facts only, not notability.
Affiliate review blogs
Global
AI-content farms (Topic-of-the-day style)
Global

How to use this list

A simple working filter for your source-prep team

1. List every meaningful media mention the brand has — last 24 months is enough.
2. Categorise each one by tier using this page.
3. Count the Tier-1 + Tier-2 mentions that are independent and substantive (more than a passing reference).
4. If you have 3+ such pieces across topics (history, products, leadership, milestones) — a Wikipedia page is realistic.
5. If not — build the coverage first, or look at Wikidata-only / Simple English Wikipedia as alternative paths.

Want us to run this assessment for you? Send the URLs to team@wikibusines.com. One business day turnaround.

Have a list of media coverage? We'll grade it against Wikipedia's policy in 24 hours.

Free, no commitment. We'd rather tell you 'not yet' than sell you a page that gets deleted.

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