Washington Post 'most popular' US newspaper on Twitter

The Washington Post, New York Times and USA Today have topped a list of the "most popular" US newspaper websites on Twitter.

The research, carried out by Searchmetrics, analysed the number of tweets per week generated by content on 10 leading US newspaper websites, determined by an audit of print circulations in March 2013 by Alliance for Audited Media (AAM).

The study also revealed the 10 most tweeted stories from US newspaper websites in 2013.

Results showed that content on the Washington Post drove an average 275,193 tweets per week, followed by the New York Times with 261,422 tweets per week and USA Today with 149,960 tweets per week.

In fourth place was the Wall Street Journal with 134,248 tweets per week and fifth was the Los Angeles Times with 118,911 tweets per week.

The most tweeted story of 2013 came from USA Today: a news article on the shooting of a gunman. The news piece, which includes a video report, was tweeted 408,816 times.

In second place was a Washington Post article about the findings of an investigation into the life of Adam Lanza, the lone gunman who shot 26 people at an elementary school in Newtown, Connecticut. The article was accompanied by a video of a speech by President Barack Obama discussing the upcoming Senate vote on gun control legislation.

Of the top 10 most tweeted stories of 2013, five are from the Washington Post and four are from USA Today.

See below for the full results.

Most popular US newspaper websites on Twitter

1. Washington Post: 275,193 tweets per week
2. New York Times: 261,422 tweets per week
3. USA Today: 149,960 tweet per week
4. Wall Street Journal: 134,248 tweets per week
5. Los Angeles Times: 118,911 tweets per week
6. New York Daily News: 51,877 tweets per week
7. Chicago Tribune: 17,777 tweets per week
8. New York Post: 13,532 tweets per week
9. Denver Post: 8,887 tweets per week
10. Chicago Sun-Times: 4,982 tweets per week

Most frequently tweeted newspaper website stories of 2013

1. USA Today: Texas gunman brain dead; may be tied to Colo. slayings: 408, 816 tweets
2. Washington Post: Newtown shooter Lanza had more than 1,700 rounds of ammunition in his house: 361,259 tweets
3. Washington Post: Kenyatta wins Kenya presidential election by narrow margin: 321,262 tweets
4. Washington Post: Supreme Court conservatives express skepticism over voting law provision: 308,926 tweets
5. Washington Post: Thousands rally outside Supreme Court as it hears cases on gay marriage: 294,681 tweets
6. USA Today: Suicide bombers target Afghan security forces: 294,510 tweets
7. USA Today: No. 3 Duke gets incredible boost from Ryan Kelly: 265,747 tweets
8. LA Times: Working Hollywood: Tattoo artist Dickcherry has lasting influence: 256,117 tweets
9. USA Today: Man charged in NY crash that killed couple, baby: 219,832 tweets
10. Washington Post: N. Korea threatens nuclear test, more rocket launches in wake of tightened sanctions: 184,302 tweets

Journalism.co.uk has also compiled lists of the most shared stories by UK news outlets in 2013 on Twitter and Facebook.

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