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But how come they are usually upvoted so much to end up in the top 10?

Becaues NYT and WSJ are the still the top names in news, and most people who want to be informed have some form of subscription to them.

Bluntly, because most HN users upvote and downvote based on title and personal agenda, and don't even try to read the article.

At best, they'll jump into the comments, leave a tangental opinion, and upvote and downvote accordingly.