The NYTimes Columnist Comparator
These results are based on 6325 total samples scraped from the 355 columns which ran sequentially starting October 23, 2008.
The script has identified 21618 unique words.
An archive of previous results is available here.
Hover over any bar to reveal any word's associated sample count.
See the columnists' most frequently used words by clicking here.
A comprehensive explanation of where these numbers come from is available here. [PDF Warning]
These words are automatically identified as having a conspicuously high or
conspicuously low probability of use within a paragraph from the given
author, as compared to usage probabilities across all other authors.
The scores are drawn from a logarithmic scale of these probabilities,
where a score of 1 indicates the word is 10 times more likely to appear
in a paragraph from the author in question than in a paragraph drawn at
random from the opinion page (and similarly, a score of -1 indicates the word
is 10 times less likely to appear in a paragraph from the author).
Nicholas D Kristof tends to comparatively favor the words:
- videos
2.02
- darfur
1.91
- antibiotics
1.79
- facebook
1.75
- sudanese
1.74
- janjaweed
1.74
- youtube
1.73
- sudan
1.72
- sweatshops
1.69
- invite
1.67
...but Nicholas D Kristof tends to comparatively avoid the words:
- current
-1.2
- private
-1.18
- geithner
-1.11
- cuts
-1.08
- iranian
-1.07
- press
-1.07
- iraq
-1.07
- assets
-1.07
- plans
-1.07
- federal
-1.06
Based on current word weights, the following paragraph best demonstrates Nicholas D Kristof's voice:
That’s exactly what we may be facing, for President Omar Hassan al-Bashir is confirming the International Criminal Court’s judgment when it issued an arrest warrant for him on Wednesday for “extermination,” murder and rape. Now Mr. Bashir is preparing to kill people en masse, not with machetes but by withholding the aid that keeps them alive.
Calculated from the 892 samples recorded for Nicholas D Kristof.
Nicholas D Kristof is the only columnist to use the word 'brothel,' but has never once used the word 'senate.'
Roger Cohen tends to comparatively favor the words:
- olmert
1.93
- persian
1.85
- chemical
1.75
- mohammad
1.69
- ali
1.66
- dialogue
1.63
- cease
1.63
- iranian
1.58
- tehran
1.55
- holocaust
1.55
...but Roger Cohen tends to comparatively avoid the words:
- mr
-1.8
- plan
-1.46
- actually
-1.27
- stimulus
-1.25
- isnt
-1.18
- school
-1.16
- spending
-1.09
- infrastructure
-1.06
- fiscal
-1.04
- cuts
-1.02
Based on current word weights, the following paragraph best demonstrates Roger Cohen's voice:
Rush for a bomb by shredding the nuclear nonproliferation treaty, adapting its centrifuges and producing enough highly enriched uranium within a year.
Calculated from the 791 samples recorded for Roger Cohen.
Roger Cohen is the only columnist to use the word 'khamenei,' but has never once used the word 'private.'
Maureen Dowd tends to comparatively favor the words:
- luxury
1.68
- gibbs
1.6
- twittered
1.6
- fancy
1.5
- bushies
1.5
- makeover
1.5
- suits
1.5
- blackberry
1.5
- schmidt
1.5
- nuts
1.5
...but Maureen Dowd tends to comparatively avoid the words:
- important
-1.19
- nations
-1.19
- young
-1.14
- deal
-1.1
- security
-1.09
- current
-1.09
- united
-1.08
- gaza
-1.06
- infrastructure
-1.01
- international
-1.0
Based on current word weights, the following paragraph best demonstrates Maureen Dowd's voice:
After quoting Kipling and Tennyson in previous shameless press conferences, Blago moved on to an old cowboy movie analogy on Friday to explain why he should be allowed to call Rahm Emanuel, Valerie Jarrett and Jesse Jackson Jr. as witnesses at the impeachment trial he’s refusing to attend.
Calculated from the 715 samples recorded for Maureen Dowd.
Maureen Dowd is the only columnist to use the word 'nicolle,' but has never once used the word 'few.'
Bob Herbert tends to comparatively favor the words:
- cornerstone
1.5
- agony
1.5
- drinking
1.5
- symptoms
1.38
- epidemic
1.38
- clowns
1.38
- strained
1.38
- motion
1.38
- coast
1.38
- wartime
1.38
...but Bob Herbert tends to comparatively avoid the words:
- israel
-1.24
- isnt
-1.13
- gaza
-1.06
- east
-0.98
- administrations
-0.94
- blog
-0.92
- watch
-0.91
- west
-0.91
- buy
-0.87
- revolution
-0.86
Based on current word weights, the following paragraph best demonstrates Bob Herbert's voice:
The report of January’s enormous job losses came roughly a dozen hours later. It was the latest in a long and hideous pattern of employment woes, much of it resulting from the G.O.P.’s obsession with destructive supply-side economic voodoo.
Calculated from the 708 samples recorded for Bob Herbert.
Bob Herbert is the only columnist to use the word 'zimbabwe,' but has never once used the word 'iran.'
Gail Collins tends to comparatively favor the words:
- minnesota
1.93
- albany
1.71
- rendell
1.71
- soap
1.71
- homeland
1.63
- reid
1.57
- hayes
1.53
- contestant
1.53
- stump
1.53
- coleman
1.53
...but Gail Collins tends to comparatively avoid the words:
- war
-1.38
- mr
-1.24
- iran
-1.23
- global
-1.1
- gaza
-1.03
- afghanistan
-1.0
- infrastructure
-0.98
- billion
-0.94
- culture
-0.93
- create
-0.92
Based on current word weights, the following paragraph best demonstrates Gail Collins's voice:
Congratulations to Senator Susan Collins on her re-election. The entire moderate Republican caucus in the Senate may now wind up consisting of women from Maine. As Maine goes, so go the Supreme Court nominations.
Calculated from the 672 samples recorded for Gail Collins.
Gail Collins is the only columnist to use the word 'burris,' but has never once used the word 'israel.'
Paul Krugman tends to comparatively favor the words:
- bernanke
1.8
- deflationary
1.73
- stockholders
1.73
- largescale
1.65
- securitization
1.65
- disappointing
1.65
- notably
1.56
- emulate
1.56
- dangerously
1.56
- longerterm
1.56
...but Paul Krugman tends to comparatively avoid the words:
- york
-1.13
- bailout
-1.06
- wrote
-1.0
- culture
-0.9
- night
-0.83
- university
-0.8
- company
-0.8
- called
-0.79
- south
-0.78
- young
-0.78
Based on current word weights, the following paragraph best demonstrates Paul Krugman's voice:
I am, instead, talking about Angela Merkel, the German chancellor, and her economic officials, who have become the biggest obstacles to a much-needed European rescue plan.
Calculated from the 636 samples recorded for Paul Krugman.
Paul Krugman is the only columnist to use the word 'slump,' but has never once used the word 'iran.'
David Brooks tends to comparatively favor the words:
- ward
2.02
- habits
1.93
- patterns
1.72
- norms
1.67
- creativity
1.67
- timely
1.67
- structure
1.67
- gladwell
1.67
- instincts
1.67
- merit
1.63
...but David Brooks tends to comparatively avoid the words:
- mr
-1.37
- black
-1.14
- women
-1.07
- senator
-1.06
- lets
-0.98
- peace
-0.91
- chief
-0.9
- blog
-0.86
- vote
-0.84
- watch
-0.84
Based on current word weights, the following paragraph best demonstrates David Brooks's voice:
This crisis represents a flaw in the classical economic model and its belief in efficient markets. Republicans haven’t begun to grapple with the consequences.
Calculated from the 614 samples recorded for David Brooks.
David Brooks is the only columnist to use the word 'structures,' but has never once used the word 'iranian.'
Thomas L Friedman tends to comparatively favor the words:
- gasoline
2.01
- carbon
2.01
- hong
1.96
- solar
1.95
- emissions
1.79
- renewable
1.79
- batteries
1.71
- electricity
1.71
- dayton
1.71
- innovators
1.71
...but Thomas L Friedman tends to comparatively avoid the words:
- gop
-0.88
- family
-0.88
- race
-0.81
- conservatives
-0.81
- example
-0.79
- address
-0.78
- york
-0.77
- nations
-0.77
- follow
-0.75
- senator
-0.71
Based on current word weights, the following paragraph best demonstrates Thomas L Friedman's voice:
(Incidentally, this was exactly what happened to the shah of Iran: 1) Sudden surge in oil prices. 2) Delusions of grandeur. 3) Sudden contraction of oil prices. 4) Dramatic downfall. 5) You’re toast.)
Calculated from the 571 samples recorded for Thomas L Friedman.
Thomas L Friedman is the only columnist to use the word 'greenberg,' but has never once used the word 'republicans.'
Frank Rich tends to comparatively favor the words:
- allen
2.21
- rove
1.98
- stemcell
1.98
- samesex
1.9
- belt
1.9
- insiders
1.81
- arrogance
1.8
- trace
1.8
- gambling
1.8
- observed
1.8
...but Frank Rich tends to comparatively avoid the words:
- mr
-1.14
- israel
-0.94
- important
-0.89
- middle
-0.84
- hamas
-0.76
- gaza
-0.76
- kind
-0.75
- needs
-0.72
- infrastructure
-0.71
- international
-0.7
Based on current word weights, the following paragraph best demonstrates Frank Rich's voice:
Buffett’s sermon coincided with the public soul searching of another national sage, Elie Wiesel, who joined a Portfolio magazine panel discussion on Bernie Madoff. Some $37 million of Wiesel’s charitable foundation and personal wealth vanished in Madoff’s Ponzi scheme. “We gave him everything,” Wiesel told the audience. “We thought he was God.”
Calculated from the 378 samples recorded for Frank Rich.
Frank Rich is the only columnist to use the word 'beltway,' but has never once used the word 'your.'
William Kristol tends to comparatively favor the words:
- rationale
2.06
- realignment
2.06
- stephanopoulos
2.06
- cheerful
1.93
- combination
1.93
- breeds
1.93
- commenting
1.93
- biggovernment
1.93
- intends
1.86
- marines
1.76
...but William Kristol tends to comparatively avoid the words:
- mr
-1.19
- economy
-1.09
- health
-0.8
- money
-0.74
- jobs
-0.73
- federal
-0.7
- business
-0.68
- power
-0.67
- job
-0.67
- pay
-0.62
Based on current word weights, the following paragraph best demonstrates William Kristol's voice:
Many of Bush’s defenders have praised him for keeping the country safe since Sept. 11, 2001. He deserves that praise, and I’m perfectly happy to defend most of his surveillance, interrogation and counterterrorism policies against his critics.
Calculated from the 216 samples recorded for William Kristol.
William Kristol is the only columnist to use the word 'smallgovernment,' but has never once used the word 'plan.'
Charles M Blow tends to comparatively favor the words:
- cocaine
2.39
- bias
2.0
- teenagers
1.99
- antiblack
1.98
- mores
1.98
- stigma
1.98
- prevention
1.98
- homosexuality
1.98
- offending
1.98
- campus
1.98
...but Charles M Blow tends to comparatively avoid the words:
- mr
-0.97
- economic
-0.94
- economy
-0.87
- bush
-0.83
- money
-0.82
- country
-0.76
- financial
-0.75
- campaign
-0.6
- government
-0.57
- spending
-0.56
Based on current word weights, the following paragraph best demonstrates Charles M Blow's voice:
According to a Brown University and University of Victoria study that was published last month in the online journal PLoS One, researchers were able to ameliorate white’s racial biases by teaching them to distinguish black peoples’ faces from one another. Basically, seeing black people as individuals diminished white peoples’ discrimination. Imagine that.
Calculated from the 132 samples recorded for Charles M Blow.
Charles M Blow is the only columnist to use the word 'chblownytimescom,' but has never once used the word 'crisis.'
Lots of thanks to Jonathan Soma for all his help on the webdesign.
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