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{{short description|American daily newspaper}}
{{redirect|WaPo||WAPO (disambiguation){{!}}WAPO|and|Washington Post (disambiguation)}}
{{Distinguish|The Washington Times}}
{{Use American English|date=May 2025}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=November 2025}}
{{Infobox newspaper
| name                   = The Washington Post
| logo                   = [[File:The Logo of The Washington Post Newspaper.svg|frameless|class=skin-invert]]
| image                  = The-Washington-Post-10-June-2020.jpg
| image_alt              = border
| caption                = ''The Washington Post'' print edition on June 10, 2020
| type                   = [[Daily newspaper]]
| format                 = [[Broadsheet]]
| owners                 = [[Nash Holdings]] (Jeff Bezos)
| founder                = [[Stilson Hutchins]]
| publisher              = [[William Lewis (journalist)|William Lewis]]<ref name="WAPO1">{{cite news |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/style/media/2023/11/04/william-lewis-publisher-ceo-washington-post/ |title=William Lewis named publisher and CEO of The Washington Post |last=Izadi |first=Elahe |date=November 4, 2023 |newspaper=The Washington Post |access-date=January 12, 2024 |archive-date=November 5, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231105003825/https://www.washingtonpost.com/style/media/2023/11/04/william-lewis-publisher-ceo-washington-post/ |url-status=live }}</ref>
| chief_editor           = [[Matt Murray (journalist)|Matt Murray]]
| managing_editor        =
| news_editor            = 
| managing_editor_design = 
| campus_editor          = 
| campus_chief           = 
| opinion_editor         = 
| sports_editor          = 
| photo_editor           = 
| staff_writers          = ~1,050 (journalists)<ref>{{cite news |last=Ember |first=Sydney |title=Washington Post expands roles of 3 top editors in first major changes under new executive editor |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/media/washington-post-editor-changes/2021/10/19/47f062ae-30e3-11ec-9241-aad8e48f01ff_story.html |newspaper=The Washington Post |date=October 19, 2021 |url-status=live |url-access=subscription |access-date=October 19, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211019145015/https://www.washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/media/washington-post-editor-changes/2021/10/19/47f062ae-30e3-11ec-9241-aad8e48f01ff_story.html |archive-date=October 19, 2021}}</ref>
| founded                = {{start date and age|1877|12|6}}
| political_position     = <!-- Do not fill in without establishing consensus on Talk page. -->
| language               = English
| ceased_publication     = 
| relaunched             = 
| headquarters           = [[One Franklin Square]], 1301 [[K Street (Washington, D.C.)|K Street]] NW, [[Washington, D.C.]], U.S.<ref name="address">{{cite news |last=Achenbach |first=Joel |title=Hello, new Washington Post, home to tiny offices but big new ambitions |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/magazine/hello-new-washington-post-home-to-tiny-offices-but-big-new-ambitions/2015/12/07/323d3140-798c-11e5-b9c1-f03c48c96ac2_story.html |url-status=live |newspaper=The Washington Post |date=December 10, 2015 |access-date=December 14, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181219002331/https://www.washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/magazine/hello-new-washington-post-home-to-tiny-offices-but-big-new-ambitions/2015/12/07/323d3140-798c-11e5-b9c1-f03c48c96ac2_story.html |archive-date=December 19, 2018}}</ref>
| circulation            = {{ublist|97,000&nbsp;Daily|160,000&nbsp;Sunday}}
| sister_newspapers      = 
| ISSN                   = 0190-8286
| oclc                   = 2269358
| website                = {{official URL}}
| free                   = 
| director_interactive   = 
| motto                  = ''[[Democracy Dies in Darkness]]''
| publishing_country     = United States
| circulation_ref        = <ref>{{Cite web |last=Morris |first=Vince |date=June 18, 2025 |title=Washington Post to Merge Metro Coverage Into Sports and Style Sections |url=http://washingtoncitypaper.com/article/766255/washington-post-metro-sports-style-sections/ |access-date=June 20, 2025 |website=Washington City Paper |language=en-US}}</ref> 
}}

'''''The Washington Post''''' (locally known as '''''The'' ''Post''''' and, informally, '''''WaPo''''' or '''''WP''''') is an American [[daily newspaper]] published in [[Washington, D.C.]]  It is the most widely circulated newspaper in the [[Washington metropolitan area]]<ref name="DCTopNewspapers">{{cite web |title=District of Columbia's Top 10 Newspapers by Circulation |url=https://www.agilitypr.com/resources/top-media-outlets/district-of-columbias-top-10-newspapers-by-circulation/ |website=Agility PR Solutions |access-date=March 24, 2020 |date=October 16, 2015 |archive-date=March 24, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200324060133/https://www.agilitypr.com/resources/top-media-outlets/district-of-columbias-top-10-newspapers-by-circulation/ |url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="Gaaserud2014">{{cite book |last=Gaaserud |first=Michaela Riva |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=bpXQAgAAQBAJ&pg=PA556 |title=Moon Virginia & Maryland: Including Washington DC |date=February 11, 2014 |publisher=Avalon Publishing |isbn=978-1-61238-517-4 |page=556 |access-date=March 24, 2020 |archive-date=September 1, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230901083353/https://books.google.com/books?id=bpXQAgAAQBAJ&pg=PA556 |url-status=live}}</ref> and has a national audience. In 2023, the ''Post'' had 130,000 print subscribers and 2.5 million digital subscribers, both of which were the [[List of newspapers in the United States|third-largest]] among American newspapers after ''[[The New York Times]]'' and ''[[The Wall Street Journal]]''. In 2025, the number of print subscribers had declined to below 100,000 for the first time in 55 years.<ref>{{cite news |last=Morris|first=Vince|url=https://washingtoncitypaper.com/article/766255/washington-post-metro-sports-style-sections/|title=Washington Post to Merge Metro Coverage Into Sports and Style Sections|date=June 18, 2025|work=Washington Citypaper|access-date=September 30, 2025|language=en-us|archive-date=August 28, 2025|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250828212130/https://washingtoncitypaper.com/article/766255/washington-post-metro-sports-style-sections/|url-status=live}}</ref>

The ''Post'' was founded in 1877. In its early years, it went through several owners and struggled both financially and editorially. In 1933, financier [[Eugene Meyer (financier)|Eugene Meyer]] purchased it out of bankruptcy and revived its health and reputation; this work was continued by his successors [[Katharine Graham|Katharine]] and [[Phil Graham]], Meyer's daughter and son-in-law, respectively, who bought out several rival publications. The ''Post''{{'s}} 1971 printing of the [[Pentagon Papers]] helped spur [[opposition to the Vietnam War]]. Reporters [[Bob Woodward]] and [[Carl Bernstein]] led the investigation into the break-in at the [[Democratic National Committee]], which developed into the [[Watergate scandal]] and the [[Presidency of Richard Nixon#Resignation of Richard Nixon|1974 resignation]] of President [[Richard Nixon]]. In October 2013, the Graham family sold the newspaper to [[Nash Holdings]], a holding company owned by [[Jeff Bezos]], for {{USD|250}}&nbsp;million.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.fastcompany.com/3015350/the-real-reason-jeff-bezos-bought-the-washington-post|title=The Real Reason Jeff Bezos Bought The Washington Post|date=August 6, 2013|work=Fast Company|access-date=March 28, 2018|language=en-US|archive-date=March 29, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180329054601/https://www.fastcompany.com/3015350/the-real-reason-jeff-bezos-bought-the-washington-post|url-status=live}}</ref>

The newspaper has won the [[Pulitzer Prize]] 76 times for its work,<ref>{{Cite news |date=May 8, 2023 |title=The Washington Post wins three 2023 Pulitzer Prizes |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/pr/2023/05/08/washington-post-wins-three-2023-pulitzer-prizes/ |access-date=April 6, 2024 |newspaper=The Washington Post |language=en-US |issn=0190-8286 |quote="Including the 2023 awards, The Post has won 73 Pulitzer Prizes since 1936."}}</ref> the second-most of any publication after ''The New York Times''.<ref>{{cite press release |title=The Washington Post wins the 2020 Pulitzer Prize for Explanatory Reporting for groundbreaking climate change coverage |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/pr/2020/05/04/washington-post-wins-2020-pulitzer-prize-explanatory-reporting-groundbreaking-climate-change-coverage/ |url-status=live |newspaper=The Washington Post |date=May 4, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200511063422/https://www.washingtonpost.com/pr/2020/05/04/washington-post-wins-2020-pulitzer-prize-explanatory-reporting-groundbreaking-climate-change-coverage/ |archive-date=May 11, 2020}}</ref><ref name="Pulitzers count">{{cite web |last=Watson |first=Amy |title=Media companies with the most Pulitzer awards in the U.S. 2018 |url=https://www.statista.com/statistics/945236/most-awarded-media-usa/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200914143538/https://www.statista.com/statistics/945236/most-awarded-media-usa/ |archive-date=September 14, 2020 |access-date=September 16, 2020 |website=Statista}}</ref> It is considered a [[newspaper of record]] in the U.S.<ref name="FrostWeingarten2017">{{cite book |last1=Frost |first1=Corey |last2=Weingarten |first2=Karen |last3=Babington |first3=Doug |last4=LePan |first4=Don |last5=Okun |first5=Maureen |title=The Broadview Guide to Writing: A Handbook for Students |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=7rGhDgAAQBAJ&pg=PA27 |url-status=live |publisher=Broadview Press |edition=6th |date=May 30, 2017 |page=27 |access-date=February 18, 2023 |isbn=978-1-55481-313-1 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230629112957/https://books.google.com/books?id=7rGhDgAAQBAJ&pg=PA27 |archive-date=June 29, 2023}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Dil |first=Cuneyt |date=2023-10-18 |title=Washington Post buyouts hit local coverage |url=https://www.axios.com/local/washington-dc/2023/10/18/washington-post-buyouts-metro-desk |access-date=2025-11-20 |website=Axios |language=en}}</ref><ref name=":1">{{cite web |last=Doctor |first=Ken |title=On The Washington Post and the 'newspaper of record' epithet |url=https://www.politico.com/media/story/2015/12/on-the-washington-post-and-the-newspaper-of-record-epithet-004303/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221004065512/https://www.politico.com/media/story/2015/12/on-the-washington-post-and-the-newspaper-of-record-epithet-004303/ |archive-date=October 4, 2022 |access-date=December 16, 2021 |website=POLITICO Media |date=December 3, 2015}}</ref> ''Washington Post'' journalists have received 18 [[Nieman Fellowship]]s and 368 White House News Photographers Association awards.<ref>{{cite web |title=The Washington Post {{!}} Roper Center for Public Opinion Research |url=https://ropercenter.cornell.edu/washington-post |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210416014858/https://ropercenter.cornell.edu/washington-post |archive-date=April 16, 2021 |access-date=February 7, 2021 |website=ropercenter.cornell.edu}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Jobs at |url=https://www.theladders.com/company/washingtonpost-jobs |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210214003852/https://www.theladders.com/company/washingtonpost-jobs |archive-date=February 14, 2021 |access-date=February 7, 2021 |website=www.theladders.com}}</ref> The paper is well known for its [[political reporting]] in the U.S., and it is one of the few remaining American newspapers to operate [[News bureau|foreign bureau]]s,<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.cjr.org/analysis/the_foreign_desk_in_transition.php |title=The foreign desk in transition |last=Kaphle |first=Anup |date=March 1, 2015 |publisher=[[Columbia Journalism Review]] |access-date=December 15, 2022 |archive-date=September 1, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230901083354/https://www.cjr.org/analysis/the_foreign_desk_in_transition.php |url-status=live}}</ref> with international [[breaking news]] hubs in [[London]] and [[Seoul]].<ref>{{Cite press release |date=July 12, 2021 |title=The Washington Post announces breaking-news reporters for Seoul hub |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/pr/2021/07/12/washington-post-announces-breaking-news-reporters-seoul-hub/ |newspaper=The Washington Post |access-date=December 3, 2023 |archive-date=July 26, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210726175714/https://www.washingtonpost.com/pr/2021/07/12/washington-post-announces-breaking-news-reporters-seoul-hub/ |url-status=live }}</ref>

== Overview ==
{{Overview section|date=August 2023}}
[[File:The Washington Post Headquarters (53844901799).jpg|thumb|Headquarters of ''The Washington Post'' at One Franklin Square]]
''The Washington Post'' is regarded as one of the leading daily American newspapers along with ''[[The New York Times]]'', the ''[[Los Angeles Times]]'', and ''[[The Wall Street Journal]]''.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.mondotimes.com/1/world/us/51/474/6821 |title=Washington Post – Daily Newspaper in Washington DC, USA with Local News and Events |publisher=Mondo Times |access-date=March 31, 2012 |archive-date=June 14, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210614005908/https://www.mondotimes.com/1/world/us/51/474/6821 |url-status=live }}</ref> The ''Post'' has distinguished itself through its political reporting on the workings of the White House, Congress, and other aspects of the U.S. government. It is considered a newspaper of record in the U.S.<ref name="FrostWeingarten2017" /><ref name="BartonWeller2014">{{cite book |last1=Barton |first1=Greg |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=uZzNAwAAQBAJ&pg=PA28 |title=The Muslim World and Politics in Transition: Creative Contributions of the Gülen Movement |last2=Weller |first2=Paul |last3=Yilmaz |first3=Ihsan |date=December 18, 2014 |publisher=A&C Black |isbn=978-1-4411-5873-4 |pages=28– |access-date=March 9, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211216020426/https://books.google.com/books?id=uZzNAwAAQBAJ&pg=PA28 |archive-date=December 16, 2021 |url-status=live}}</ref>

''The Washington Post'' does not print an edition for distribution away from the [[East Coast of the United States|East Coast]]. In 2009, the newspaper ceased publication of its ''National Weekly Edition'' due to shrinking circulation.<ref>{{cite news |title=Post's National Weekly Edition to Close |url=http://voices.washingtonpost.com/ombudsman-blog/2009/08/posts_national_weekly_edition.html |newspaper=The Washington Post |access-date=June 2, 2011 |archive-date=June 12, 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110612141018/http://voices.washingtonpost.com/ombudsman-blog/2009/08/posts_national_weekly_edition.html |url-status=dead }}</ref> The majority of its newsprint readership is in Washington, D.C., and its suburbs in Maryland and Northern Virginia.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.washingtonpostads.com/adsite/why/media/reach/page1450.html |work=The Washington Post Media |title=The Washington Post's Circulation and Reach |access-date=March 2, 2009 |url-status = dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081120080706/http://www.washingtonpostads.com/adsite/why/media/reach/page1450.html |archive-date=November 20, 2008}}</ref>

The newspaper's 21 foreign bureaus are in [[Baghdad]], [[Beijing]], [[Beirut]], [[Berlin]], [[Brussels]], [[Cairo]], [[Dakar]], [[Hong Kong]], [[Islamabad]], [[Istanbul]], [[Jerusalem]], [[London]], [[Mexico City]], [[Moscow]], [[Nairobi]], [[New Delhi]], [[Rio de Janeiro]], [[Rome]], [[Seoul]], [[Tokyo]], and [[Toronto]].<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/world/wp/2017/06/01/washington-post-foreign-correspondents/ |title=The Washington Post's foreign correspondents |newspaper=The Washington Post |access-date=April 5, 2021}}</ref> In November 2009, the newspaper announced the closure of three U.S. regional bureaus in [[Chicago]], [[Los Angeles]] and [[New York City]], as part of an increased focus on [[Washington, D.C.]]–based political stories and local news.<ref>{{cite news |title=Washington Post to close three regional bureaux |work=BBC News |url=https://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/8377802.stm |date=November 25, 2009 |access-date=November 25, 2009 |archive-date=November 25, 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091125051824/http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/8377802.stm |url-status=live }}</ref> The newspaper has local bureaus in Maryland (Annapolis, Montgomery County, Prince George's County, and Southern Maryland) and Virginia (Alexandria, Fairfax, Loudoun County, Richmond, and Prince William County).<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.washpost.com/news_ed/news/bureaus.shtml |title=Washington Post Bureaus |newspaper=The Washington Post |access-date=November 25, 2009 |url-status = dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090203155750/http://washpost.com/news_ed/news/bureaus.shtml |archive-date=February 3, 2009}}</ref>

As of March 2023, the ''Post''{{'}}s average printed weekday circulation is 139,232, making it the third largest newspaper in the country by circulation.<ref name=majid>{{Cite web |last=Majid |first=Aisha|date=June 26, 2023 |title=Top 25 US newspaper circulations: Largest print titles fall 14% in year to March 2023 |url=https://pressgazette.co.uk/media-audience-and-business-data/media_metrics/top-25-us-newspaper-circulations-down-march-2023/ |url-status=live |access-date=January 16, 2024 |website=Visual Capitalist |language=en-US |archive-date=August 8, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220808141254/https://www.visualcapitalist.com/visualized-the-top-25-u-s-newspapers-by-daily-circulation/ }}</ref>

For many decades, the ''Post'' had its main office at 1150 15th Street NW. This real estate remained with Graham Holdings when the newspaper was sold to Jeff Bezos' Nash Holdings in 2013. Graham Holdings sold 1150 15th Street, along with 1515 L Street, 1523 L Street, and land beneath 1100 15th Street, for $159 million in November 2013. ''The Post'' continued to lease space at 1150 L Street NW.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/capitalbusiness/washington-post-headquarters-to-sell-to-carr-properties-for-159-million/2013/11/27/1a0cab56-57aa-11e3-835d-e7173847c7cc_story.html |last=O'Connell |first=Jonathan |title=Washington Post headquarters to sell to Carr Properties for $159 million |newspaper=The Washington Post |date=November 27, 2013 |access-date=June 14, 2015 |archive-date=July 3, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150703123313/http://www.washingtonpost.com/business/capitalbusiness/washington-post-headquarters-to-sell-to-carr-properties-for-159-million/2013/11/27/1a0cab56-57aa-11e3-835d-e7173847c7cc_story.html |url-status=live }}</ref> In May 2014, ''The Post'' leased the west tower of [[One Franklin Square]], a high-rise building at 1301 K Street NW in Washington, D.C.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/digger/wp/2014/05/23/washington-post-signs-lease-for-new-headquarters/ |last=O'Connell |first=Jonathan |title=Washington Post signs lease for new headquarters |newspaper=The Washington Post |date=May 23, 2014 |access-date=June 14, 2015 |archive-date=May 11, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150511042525/http://www.washingtonpost.com/news/digger/wp/2014/05/23/washington-post-signs-lease-for-new-headquarters/ |url-status=live }}</ref>

[[Mary Jordan (journalist)|Mary Jordan]] was the founding editor, head of content, and moderator for ''Washington Post Live'',<ref name="WaPoLive-2015">{{cite news |title=PostLive |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/washington-post-live/ |newspaper=The Washington Post |access-date=June 30, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150814140347/https://www.washingtonpost.com/pb/blogs/post-live/ |archive-date=August 14, 2015 |date=August 14, 2015 |url-status=dead}}</ref><ref name="WaPoLive-2021">{{cite news |title=Washington Post Live |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/washington-post-live/ |newspaper=The Washington Post |access-date=June 30, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210629225357/https://www.washingtonpost.com/washington-post-live/ |archive-date=June 29, 2021 |language=en |url-status=live}}</ref> The Post's editorial events business, which organizes political debates, conferences and news events for the media company, including "The 40th Anniversary of Watergate" in June 2012 that featured key Watergate figures including former White House counsel [[John Dean]], ''Washington Post'' editor [[Ben Bradlee]], and reporters [[Bob Woodward]] and [[Carl Bernstein]], which was held at the Watergate hotel. Regular hosts include [[Frances Stead Sellers]].<ref>{{Cite news|date=January 27, 2021|title=A Washington Post Live Special: Melinda & Bill Gates|newspaper=The Washington Post|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/washington-post-live/2021/01/27/washington-post-live-special-conversations-with-melinda-bill-gates/|access-date=June 30, 2021|archive-date=March 3, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210303062453/https://www.washingtonpost.com/washington-post-live/2021/01/27/washington-post-live-special-conversations-with-melinda-bill-gates/|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|date=August 27, 2020|title=Washington Post Discussion with Kellyanne Conway|work=C-Span|url=https://www.c-span.org/video/?475193-1/washington-post-discussion-kellyanne-conway|access-date=June 30, 2021|archive-date=June 8, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210608215614/https://www.c-span.org/video/?475193-1%2Fwashington-post-discussion-kellyanne-conway|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|date=March 23, 2021|title=Climate Solutions: Preserving Our Water Systems with Matt Damon, Arun Krishnamurthy & Gary White|newspaper=The Washington Post|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/washington-post-live/2021/03/23/climate-solutions-preserving-our-water-systems/|access-date=June 30, 2021|archive-date=June 14, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210614162235/https://www.washingtonpost.com/washington-post-live/2021/03/23/climate-solutions-preserving-our-water-systems/|url-status=live}}</ref> [[Lois Romano]] was formerly the editor of ''Washington Post Live''.<ref>{{cite news|last=Baron|first=Martin|title=Lois Romano named Editor of Washington Post Live|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/pr/wp/2015/01/06/lois-romano-named-editor-of-washington-post-live/|newspaper=The Washington Post|date=January 6, 2015|access-date=January 7, 2018|archive-date=January 7, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180107234447/https://www.washingtonpost.com/pr/wp/2015/01/06/lois-romano-named-editor-of-washington-post-live/|url-status=live}}</ref>

The ''Post'' has its own exclusive [[ZIP Code]], 20071.

== History ==
=== 19th century ===
[[File:Washington Post and Union masthead 18780416.jpg|thumb|The ''Washington Post and Union'' in 1878]]
[[File:Sign, "Welcome Home From the Crow-Eaters," on the front of the Washington Post Building in Washington, DC. President... - NARA - 199955.jpg|thumb|''The Washington Post'' building the week after the [[1948 United States presidential election]]; the "Crow-Eaters" sign is addressed to [[Harry Truman]] following his surprising re-election.]]
The newspaper was founded in 1877 by [[Stilson Hutchins]] (1838{{ndash}}1912); in 1880, it added a Sunday edition, becoming the city's first newspaper to publish seven days a week.<ref>{{cite news| url = https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/polls/washpost/gi_hi.htm| title = Washington Post website, General Information, History, Early History (1877–1933)| newspaper = The Washington Post| access-date = December 23, 2019| archive-date = December 24, 2019| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20191224103335/https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/polls/washpost/gi_hi.htm| url-status = live}}</ref>

In April 1878, about four months into publication, ''The Washington Post'' purchased ''The Washington Union'', a competing newspaper which was founded by [[John Lynch (publisher)|John Lynch]] in late 1877. The ''Union'' had only been in operation about six months at the time of the acquisition. The combined newspaper was published from the Globe Building as ''The Washington Post and Union'' beginning on April 15, 1878, with a circulation of 13,000.<ref>{{cite news |title='The Post' as an Absorbent |issue=April 16, 1878 |publisher=The Washington Post and Union |date=April 16, 1878 |page=2}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |title=Masthead |publisher=The Washington Post and Union |date=April 15, 1878 |page=1}}</ref> The ''Post and Union'' name was used about two weeks until April 29, 1878, returning to the original masthead the following day.<ref>{{cite news |title=Masthead |newspaper=The Washington Post |date=April 30, 1878 |page=1}}</ref>

In 1889, Hutchins sold the newspaper to [[Frank Hatton (U.S. politician)|Frank Hatton]], a former Postmaster General, and [[Beriah Wilkins]], a former Democratic congressman from Ohio. To promote the newspaper, the new owners requested the leader of the [[United States Marine Band]], [[John Philip Sousa]], to compose a march for the newspaper's essay contest awards ceremony. Sousa composed "[[The Washington Post (march)|The Washington Post]]".<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.washpost.com/gen_info/history/timeline/1889.shtml |title=1889 |newspaper=The Washington Post |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060312152421/http://www.washpost.com/gen_info/history/timeline/1889.shtml |archive-date=March 12, 2006 }}</ref> It became the standard music to accompany the two-step, a late 19th-century dance craze,<ref>{{cite web |url=http://lrs.ed.uiuc.edu/students/r-rosas/souscoll.htm |title=John Philip Sousa Collection |website=University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090531000910/http://lrs.ed.uiuc.edu/students/r-rosas/souscoll.htm |archive-date=May 31, 2009 }}</ref> and remains one of Sousa's best-known works.

In 1893, the newspaper moved to a building at 14th and E streets NW, where it would remain until 1950. This building combined all functions of the newspaper into one headquarters – newsroom, advertising, typesetting, and printing – that ran 24 hours per day.<ref name=Goodbye>{{cite news | url = https://www.washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/magazine/goodbye-old-washington-post-home-of-the-newspaper-the-grahams-built/2015/12/07/023a0382-5d54-11e5-9757-e49273f05f65_story.html | title = Goodbye, old Washington Post, home of the newspaper the Grahams built | first = Marc | last = Fisher | date = December 10, 2015 | newspaper = The Washington Post | access-date = March 24, 2017 | archive-date = February 6, 2017 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20170206144016/https://www.washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/magazine/goodbye-old-washington-post-home-of-the-newspaper-the-grahams-built/2015/12/07/023a0382-5d54-11e5-9757-e49273f05f65_story.html | url-status = live }}</ref>

In 1898, during the [[Spanish–American War]], the ''Post'' printed [[Clifford K. Berryman]]'s classic illustration ''[[Remember the Maine]]'', which became the battle-cry for American sailors during the War. In 1902, Berryman published another famous cartoon in the ''Post'' – ''Drawing the Line in Mississippi''. This cartoon depicts President [[Theodore Roosevelt]] showing compassion for a small bear cub and inspired New York store owner [[Morris Michtom]] to create the teddy bear.<ref>{{cite web|title = Clifford K. Berryman Political Cartoon Collection|url = https://www.archives.gov/legislative/research/special-collections/berryman/|website = www.archives.gov|access-date = August 12, 2015|archive-date = September 5, 2015|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20150905152127/http://www.archives.gov/legislative/research/special-collections/berryman/|url-status = live}}</ref> Wilkins acquired Hatton's share of the newspaper in 1894 at Hatton's death.

=== 20th century ===
[[File:Land on the Moon 7 21 1969-repair.jpg|thumb|The July 21, 1969, edition with the headline {{" '}}The Eagle Has Landed': Two Men Walk on the Moon", covering the [[Apollo 11]] landing]]
After Wilkins' death in 1903, his sons John and Robert ran the ''Post'' for two years before selling it in 1905 to [[John Roll McLean]], owner of the ''[[Cincinnati Enquirer]]''. During the Wilson presidency, the ''Post'' was credited with the "most famous newspaper [[typo]]" in D.C. history according to ''[[Reason (magazine)|Reason]]'' magazine; the ''Post'' intended to report that President Wilson had been "entertaining" his future-wife Mrs. Galt, but instead wrote that he had been "entering" Mrs. Galt.<ref>{{cite news|last=Rabbe|first=Will|title=The Washington Post's Famous 1915 Typo|url=https://www.msnbc.com/hardball/the-washington-posts-famous-1915-typo-msna76080|newspaper=MSNBC|date=June 8, 2013|access-date=August 7, 2013|archive-date=August 10, 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130810081734/http://tv.msnbc.com/2013/08/06/washington-post-famous-wilson-typo/|url-status=live}}</ref><ref name=tws5nov01>{{cite journal|author=Freund, Charles Paul|title=D.C. Jewels: The closing of a historic shop is a triumph of meaning over means|quote=...Mrs. [[Edith Galt]], who became the second wife of Woodrow Wilson ... She also figures in the most famous newspaper typo in D.C. history. ''The Washington Post'' ... Intending to report that Wilson had been ''entertaining'' Mrs. Galt in a loge at the National, early editions instead printed that he was seen ''entering'' her there.|journal=[[Reason (magazine)|Reason]]|date=July 2001|url=https://reason.com/2001/07/01/dc-jewels-2/|access-date=November 5, 2009|archive-date=February 13, 2010|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100213162624/http://reason.com/archives/2001/07/01/dc-jewels|url-status=live}}</ref><ref name=tws5nov02>{{cite news|author=Weingarten, Gene|author-link=Gene Weingarten|title=Chatological Humor* (Updated 7.14.06)|quote=The ''Post'' said that the President spent the afternoon "entertaining" Mrs. Galt, but they dropped the "tain" in one edition. Wilson LOVED it.|newspaper=The Washington Post|date=July 11, 2006|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/discussion/2006/06/27/DI2006062700793.html|access-date=November 5, 2009|archive-date=November 9, 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121109020427/http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/discussion/2006/06/27/DI2006062700793.html|url-status=live}}</ref>

When McLean died in 1916, he put the newspaper in a trust, having little faith that his playboy son [[Edward Beale McLean|Edward "Ned" McLean]] could manage it as part of his inheritance. Ned went to court and broke the trust, but, under his management, the newspaper slumped toward ruin. He bled the paper for his lavish lifestyle and used it to promote political agendas.<ref>{{cite book|author=Carol Felsenthal|title=Power, Privilege and the Post: The Katharine Graham Story|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=x0lNDwAAQBAJ&pg=PT57|access-date=September 9, 2018|year=1993|publisher=Seven Stories Press|isbn=978-1-60980-290-5|page=53|archive-date=March 23, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190323125128/https://books.google.com/books?id=x0lNDwAAQBAJ&pg=PT57|url-status=live}}</ref>

During the [[Red Summer of 1919]] the Post supported the white mobs and even ran a front-page story which advertised the location at which white servicemen were planning to meet to carry out attacks on black Washingtonians.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Higgins |first1=Abigail |title=Red Summer of 1919: How Black WWI Vets Fought Back Against Racist Mobs |url=https://www.history.com/news/red-summer-1919-riots-chicago-dc-great-migration |newspaper=History |access-date=December 23, 2019 |archive-date=December 22, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191222214506/https://www.history.com/news/red-summer-1919-riots-chicago-dc-great-migration |url-status=live }}</ref>

In 1929, financier [[Eugene Meyer (financier)|Eugene Meyer]], who had run the [[War Finance Corporation|War Finance Corp.]] since [[World War I]],<ref>{{cite book|author=Eustace Clarence Mullins|title=Study of The Federal Reserve|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=PozrAgAAQBAJ&q=mullins%20les%20secrets%20de%20la%20r%C3%A9serve%20f%C3%A9d%C3%A9rale&pg=PT14|year=2013|publisher=Simon & Schuster|isbn=978-1-62793-114-4|access-date=September 30, 2020|archive-date=April 16, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210416022142/https://books.google.com/books?id=PozrAgAAQBAJ&q=mullins%20les%20secrets%20de%20la%20r%C3%A9serve%20f%C3%A9d%C3%A9rale&pg=PT14|url-status=live}}</ref> secretly made an offer of $5 million for the ''Post,'' but he was rebuffed by Ned McLean.<ref>{{cite book|author=Carol Felsenthal|title=Power, Privilege and the Post: The Katharine Graham Story|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=x0lNDwAAQBAJ&pg=PT48|access-date=September 9, 2018|year=1993|publisher=Seven Stories Press|isbn=978-1-60980-290-5|page=51|archive-date=June 30, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190630153652/https://books.google.com/books?id=x0lNDwAAQBAJ|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|author=Chalmers McGeagh Roberts|title=The Washington Post: The First 100 Years|chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=OY61AAAAIAAJ&q=%22In+1929+there+had+been,+in+secret,+a+cash+offer+of+$5+million+from+Eugene+Meyer+but+Ned+had+blocked+that+sale%22&pg=PT146|access-date=September 9, 2018|year=1977|publisher=Houghton Mifflin|isbn=978-0-395-25854-5|page=190|chapter=Headed for Disaster – Ned McLean I|archive-date=October 4, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221004065511/https://books.google.com/books?id=OY61AAAAIAAJ&q=%22In+1929+there+had+been,+in+secret,+a+cash+offer+of+$5+million+from+Eugene+Meyer+but+Ned+had+blocked+that+sale%22&pg=PT146|url-status=live}}</ref> On June 1, 1933, Meyer bought the paper at a bankruptcy auction for $825,000 three weeks after stepping down as [[Chairman of the Federal Reserve]]. He had bid anonymously, and was prepared to go up to $2&nbsp;million, far higher than the other bidders.<ref>{{cite book|author=Carol Felsenthal|title=Power, Privilege and the ''Post'': The Katharine Graham Story|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=x0lNDwAAQBAJ&pg=PT57|access-date=September 9, 2018|year=1993|publisher=Seven Stories Press|isbn=978-1-60980-290-5|page=51|archive-date=March 23, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190323125128/https://books.google.com/books?id=x0lNDwAAQBAJ&pg=PT57|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|author=Chalmers McGeagh Roberts|title=The Washington Post: The First 100 Years|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=OY61AAAAIAAJ&q=%22Meyer+had+authorized+him+to+bid+up+to+$2+million%22&pg=PT146|access-date=September 10, 2018|year=1977|publisher=Houghton Mifflin|isbn=978-0-395-25854-5|page=194|archive-date=October 4, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221004065511/https://books.google.com/books?id=OY61AAAAIAAJ&q=%22Meyer+had+authorized+him+to+bid+up+to+$2+million%22&pg=PT146|url-status=live}}</ref> These included [[William Randolph Hearst]], who had long hoped to shut down the ailing ''Post'' to benefit his own Washington newspaper presence.<ref>{{cite book|author=Chalmers McGeagh Roberts|title=The Washington Post: The First 100 Years|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=OY61AAAAIAAJ&q=%22Hearst+planned+to+kill+THE+POST+and+thus+give+his+Herald+a+morning+monopoly%22&pg=PT146|access-date=September 10, 2018|year=1977|publisher=Houghton Mifflin|isbn=978-0-395-25854-5|page=190|archive-date=October 4, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221004065511/https://books.google.com/books?id=OY61AAAAIAAJ&q=%22Hearst+planned+to+kill+THE+POST+and+thus+give+his+Herald+a+morning+monopoly%22&pg=PT146|url-status=live}}</ref>

The ''Post''{{'s}} health and reputation were restored under Meyer's ownership. In 1946, he was succeeded as publisher by his son-in-law, [[Philip Graham]].<ref>{{cite news |last=Roberts |first=Chalmers M. |date=June 1, 1983 |title=Eugene Meyer Bought Post 50 Years Ago |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/politics/1983/06/01/eugene-meyer-bought-post-50-years-ago/910a718e-e71f-46bd-9ad7-78ad9e2107b2/ |newspaper=The Washington Post |access-date=April 20, 2017 |archive-date=March 23, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170323234408/https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/politics/1983/06/01/eugene-meyer-bought-post-50-years-ago/910a718e-e71f-46bd-9ad7-78ad9e2107b2/ |url-status=live }}</ref> Meyer eventually gained the last laugh over Hearst, who had owned the old ''[[Washington Times (1894–1939)|Washington Times]]'' and the ''[[Washington Herald|Herald]]'' before their 1939 merger that formed the ''[[Washington Times-Herald|Times-Herald]].'' This was in turn bought by and merged into the ''Post'' in 1954.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://archives.chicagotribune.com/1954/03/18/page/D6/article/washington-times-herald-sold-by-tribune-company |title=Washington Times-Herald Sold by Tribune Company (March 18, 1954) |website=Chicago Tribune |access-date=March 23, 2017}} {{dead link|date=February 2018|bot=medic}}{{cbignore|bot=medic}}</ref> The combined paper was officially named ''The Washington Post and Times-Herald'' until 1973, although the ''Times-Herald'' portion of the [[nameplate (publishing)|nameplate]] became less and less prominent over time.

The merger left the ''Post'' with two remaining local competitors, the ''[[Washington Star]]'' (''Evening Star'') and ''[[The Washington Daily News]]''. In 1972, the two competitors merged, forming the ''Washington Star-News.''<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1981/07/24/us/washington-star-is-to-shut-down-after-128-years.html|title=Washington Star is to Shut Down After 128 Years|first=B. Drummond Jr|last=Ayres|date=July 24, 1981|work=The New York Times|access-date=March 23, 2017|issn=0362-4331|archive-date=March 23, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170323233038/http://www.nytimes.com/1981/07/24/us/washington-star-is-to-shut-down-after-128-years.html|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://dc.curbed.com/2014/7/11/10076634/heres-the-former-home-of-the-washington-daily-news|title=Here's the 1960s Headquarters of the Washington Daily News|date=July 11, 2014|website=Curbed DC|access-date=March 23, 2017|archive-date=March 23, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170323143814/http://dc.curbed.com/2014/7/11/10076634/heres-the-former-home-of-the-washington-daily-news|url-status=live}}</ref>

Following Graham's death in 1963, control of The Washington Post Company passed to his wife, [[Katharine Graham]] (1917{{ndash}}2001), who was also Eugene Meyer's daughter.<ref name=":0" /> Few women had run prominent national newspapers in the United States, and Katharine Graham described herself as particularly anxious about assuming this role.<ref>{{Cite news |date=April 12, 2018 |title=Katharine Graham |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/brand-studio/fox/katharine-graham/ |access-date=April 12, 2025 |newspaper=The Washington Post}}</ref> She served as publisher from 1969 to 1979.<ref name=":0">{{Cite news|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/politics/1979/01/10/donald-e-graham-is-named-publisher-of-washington-post/8e645b2a-6b11-42bd-81f3-638487dcd4c1/|title=Donald E. Graham Is Named Publisher of Washington Post|date=January 10, 1979|newspaper=The Washington Post|access-date=March 20, 2018|language=en-US|issn=0190-8286|archive-date=March 21, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180321064632/https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/politics/1979/01/10/donald-e-graham-is-named-publisher-of-washington-post/8e645b2a-6b11-42bd-81f3-638487dcd4c1/|url-status=live}}</ref>

Graham took The Washington Post Company public on June 15, 1971, in the midst of the [[Pentagon Papers]] controversy. A total of 1,294,000 shares were offered to the public at $26 per share.<ref>{{cite news|title=''Washington Post'' Offering Due Today at $26 a Share|url=https://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1971/06/15/79664042.html|access-date=February 13, 2018|newspaper=The New York Times|date=June 15, 1971|archive-date=March 23, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190323125133/https://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1971/06/15/79664042.pdf|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=Our Company|url=https://www.ghco.com/phoenix.zhtml?c=62487&p=irol-history1950|website=Graham Holdings|access-date=February 13, 2018}} {{dead link|date=January 2019 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref> By the end of Graham's tenure as CEO in 1991, the stock was worth $888 per share, not counting the effect of an intermediate 4:1 stock split.<ref>{{cite book|last1=Telford|first1=Dana|last2=Gostick|first2=Adrian Robert|title=Integrity Works: Strategies for Becoming a Trusted, Respected and Admired Leader|date=2005|publisher=Gibbs Smith|isbn=1-58685-054-7|page=81|edition=First|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=zJTTuVb-jUkC&q=%22the+washington+post+company%22+June+15,+1971&pg=PA81|access-date=February 13, 2018|archive-date=January 25, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210125202100/https://books.google.com/books?id=zJTTuVb-jUkC&q=%22the+washington+post+company%22+June+15,+1971&pg=PA81|url-status=live}}</ref>

Graham also oversaw the Post company's diversification purchase of the for-profit education and training company [[Kaplan, Inc.]] for $40&nbsp;million in 1984.<ref>[https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/the-trials-of-kaplan-higher-ed-and-the-education-of-the-washington-post-co/2011/03/20/AFsGuUAD_story.html The trials of Kaplan Higher Ed and the education of The Washington Post Co.] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160310191420/https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/the-trials-of-kaplan-higher-ed-and-the-education-of-the-washington-post-co/2011/03/20/AFsGuUAD_story.html |date=March 10, 2016 }}, ''Washington Post'', Steven Mufson and Jia Lynn Yang, April 9, 2011.</ref> Twenty years later, Kaplan had surpassed the ''Post'' newspaper as the company's leading contributor to income, and by 2010 Kaplan accounted for more than 60% of the entire company revenue stream.<ref>[https://www.forbes.com/sites/jeffbercovici/2012/02/08/don-graham-washington-post/3/ Nice Guy, Finishing Last: How Don Graham Fumbled the Washington Post Co.] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171009211826/https://www.forbes.com/sites/jeffbercovici/2012/02/08/don-graham-washington-post/3/ |date=October 9, 2017 }}, ''[[Forbes]]'', Jeff Bercovici, February 8, 2012.</ref>

Executive editor Ben Bradlee put the newspaper's reputation and resources behind reporters Bob Woodward and Carl Bernstein, who, in a long series of articles, chipped away at the story behind the 1972 burglary of [[Democratic National Committee]] offices in the [[Watergate complex]] in Washington. The ''Post''{{'s}} dogged coverage of the story, the outcome of which ultimately played a major role in the resignation of President [[Richard Nixon]], won the newspaper a [[Pulitzer Prize]] in 1973.<ref>{{cite news |title=Pulitzers Go to Washington Post, Frankel, 'Championship Season' |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1973/05/08/archives/pulitzers-go-to-washington-post-frankel-championship-season.html |work=The New York Times |date=May 8, 1973 |access-date=July 12, 2020 |archive-date=July 12, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200712111232/https://www.nytimes.com/1973/05/08/archives/pulitzers-go-to-washington-post-frankel-championship-season.html |url-status=live }}</ref>

In 1972, the "Book World" section was introduced with Pulitzer Prize-winning critic [[William McPherson (writer)|William McPherson]] as its first editor.<ref>{{cite news |last=Arana-Ward |first=Marie |author-link=Marie Arana |date=June 1, 1997 |title=Views From Publisher's Row |newspaper=The Washington Post |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/style/longterm/books/25thann/aranaward.htm |url-status=live |access-date=February 5, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160412062956/http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/style/longterm/books/25thann/aranaward.htm |archive-date=April 12, 2016}}</ref> It featured Pulitzer Prize-winning critics such as [[Jonathan Yardley]] and [[Michael Dirda]], the latter of whom established his career as a critic at the ''Post''. In 2009, after 37 years, with great reader outcries and protest, ''The Washington Post Book World'' as a standalone insert was discontinued, the last issue being Sunday, February 15, 2009,<ref>{{cite news|author1=John Gaines|title=Where Have All the Magazines Gone?|url=https://www.librarypoint.org/blogs/post/magazines-gone/|access-date=March 14, 2016|work=Library Point|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161011145110/http://www.librarypoint.org/where_have_all_the_magazines_gone|archive-date=October 11, 2016|url-status = dead}}</ref> along with a general reorganization of the paper, such as placing the Sunday editorials on the back page of the main front section rather than the "Outlook" section and distributing some other locally oriented "op-ed" letters and commentaries in other sections.<ref name=lastbook>[https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/02/12/AR2009021203265.html Letter from the editor] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304213535/http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/02/12/AR2009021203265.html |date=March 4, 2016 }}, ''The Washington Post'', Sunday, February 15, 2009; Page BW02</ref> However, book reviews are still published in the Outlook section on Sundays and in the Style section the rest of the week, as well as online.<ref name=lastbook />

[[Donald E. Graham]], Katharine's son, succeeded her as a publisher in 1979.<ref name=":0" />

In 1995, the domain name washingtonpost.com was purchased. That same year, a failed effort to create an online news repository called Digital Ink launched. The following year it was shut down and the first website was launched in June 1996.<ref name="websitelaunch">{{Cite web |date=December 30, 2019 |title=When Did the Washington Post Launch a Website? |url=https://ghostsofdc.org/2019/12/30/washington-post-website-launch-1996/ |access-date=December 31, 2019 |language=en-US |archive-date=December 31, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191231005221/https://ghostsofdc.org/2019/12/30/washington-post-website-launch-1996/ |url-status=live }}</ref>

=== Jeff Bezos era (since 2013) ===
[[File:Washington Post demolition 2016.jpg|thumb|The demolition of ''The Washington Post''{{'s}} 15th Street headquarters in April 2016]]
[[File:One Franklin Square - November 2023.jpg|thumb|[[One Franklin Square]], the home of the ''Post'']]
In August 2013, [[Jeff Bezos]] purchased ''The Washington Post'' and other local publications, websites, and real estate<ref name="NashHoldingsincludes">{{cite news|url=http://www.gazette.net/article/20131001/NEWS/131009761/1033/bezos-completes-purchase-of-gazettes-post&template=gazette |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140313195854/http://www.gazette.net/article/20131001/NEWS/131009761/1033/bezos-completes-purchase-of-gazettes-post%26template%3Dgazette |archive-date=March 13, 2014 |first=Kevin James |last=Shay |title=Bezos completes purchase of Gazettes, Post |work=The Maryland Gazette |date=October 1, 2013 |access-date=March 13, 2014 |url-status = dead}}</ref><ref name=Form8K>{{cite web | url=https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/104889/000095015713000294/ex2-1.htm | title=Form 8-K. THE WASHINGTON POST COMPANY. Commission File Number 1-6714. Exhibit 2.1: Letter Agreement. | publisher=U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission | date=August 5, 2013 | access-date=March 13, 2014 | archive-date=August 21, 2013 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130821213504/http://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/104889/000095015713000294/ex2-1.htm | url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/economy/gazette-papers-in-montgomery-prince-georges-to-close/2015/06/12/1ffc315e-112f-11e5-9726-49d6fa26a8c6_story.html|last=Harwell|first=Drew|title=Gazette Papers in Montgomery, Prince George's to Close|newspaper=The Washington Post|date=June 12, 2015|access-date=June 13, 2015|archive-date=June 13, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150613222131/http://www.washingtonpost.com/business/economy/gazette-papers-in-montgomery-prince-georges-to-close/2015/06/12/1ffc315e-112f-11e5-9726-49d6fa26a8c6_story.html|url-status=live}}</ref> for {{US$|250{{nbsp}}million}},<ref name="clabaugh2013">{{cite news|url=https://www.bizjournals.com/washington/news/2013/10/01/jeff-bezos-completes-washington-post.html|title=Jeff Bezos Completes Washington Post Acquisition|last=Clabaugh|first=Jeff|date=October 1, 2013|newspaper=Washington Business Journal|access-date=October 1, 2013|archive-date=October 2, 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131002003337/http://www.bizjournals.com/washington/news/2013/10/01/jeff-bezos-completes-washington-post.html|url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="fahri2013a">{{cite news|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/economy/washington-post-closes-sale-to-amazon-founder-jeff-bezos/2013/10/01/fca3b16a-2acf-11e3-97a3-ff2758228523_story.html|title=The Washington Post Closes Sale to Amazon Founder Jeff Bezos|last=Fahri|first=Paul|date=October 1, 2013|newspaper=The Washington Post|issn=0190-8286|access-date=February 5, 2016|archive-date=May 28, 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140528092936/http://www.washingtonpost.com/business/economy/washington-post-closes-sale-to-amazon-founder-jeff-bezos/2013/10/01/fca3b16a-2acf-11e3-97a3-ff2758228523_story.html|url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="fahri2013">{{cite news|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/national/washington-post-to-be-sold-to-jeff-bezos/2013/08/05/ca537c9e-fe0c-11e2-9711-3708310f6f4d_story.html?hpid=z1|title=Washington Post To Be Sold to Jeff Bezos, the Founder of Amazon|last=Farhi|first=Paul|date=August 5, 2013|newspaper=The Washington Post|access-date=August 5, 2013|issn=0190-8286|archive-date=April 2, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190402112329/https://www.washingtonpost.com/national/washington-post-to-be-sold-to-jeff-bezos/2013/08/05/ca537c9e-fe0c-11e2-9711-3708310f6f4d_story.html?hpid=z1|url-status=live}}</ref> transferring ownership to Nash Holdings LLC, Bezos's private investment company.<ref name=fahri2013a /> The paper's former parent company, which retained some other assets such as Kaplan and a group of TV stations, was renamed [[Graham Holdings]] shortly after the sale.<ref name="Irwin">{{cite news |last1=Irwin |first1=Neil |last2=Mui |first2=Ylan Q. |date=August 5, 2013 |title=Washington Post Sale: Details of Bezos Deal |newspaper=The Washington Post |location=Washington, D.C. |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/economy/details-of-bezos-deal-to-buy-washington-post/2013/08/05/968a2bc4-fe1b-11e2-9711-3708310f6f4d_story.html |url-status=live |access-date=October 1, 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140113205846/http://www.washingtonpost.com/business/economy/details-of-bezos-deal-to-buy-washington-post/2013/08/05/968a2bc4-fe1b-11e2-9711-3708310f6f4d_story.html |archive-date=January 13, 2014 |issn=0190-8286}}</ref><ref name=RenamedGraham>{{cite news|title=Washington Post Co. renamed Graham Holdings Company to mark sale of newspaper|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/washington-post-co-renamed-graham-holdings-company-to-mark-sale-of-newspaper/2013/11/18/57fbc7fe-5060-11e3-9e2c-e1d01116fd98_story.html|access-date=January 3, 2014|newspaper=The Washington Post|date=November 18, 2013|author=Debbi Wilgoren|archive-date=December 18, 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131218094951/http://www.washingtonpost.com/business/washington-post-co-renamed-graham-holdings-company-to-mark-sale-of-newspaper/2013/11/18/57fbc7fe-5060-11e3-9e2c-e1d01116fd98_story.html|url-status=live}}</ref>

Nash Holdings, which includes the ''Post'', is operated separately from technology company [[Amazon (company)|Amazon]], which Bezos founded and where he is {{as of|2022|lc=y}} executive chairman and the largest single shareholder, with 12.7% of voting rights.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.washingtonian.com/2015/12/07/jeff-bezoss-ownership-of-the-washington-post-explained-for-donald-trump/|title=Jeff Bezos's Ownership of the Washington Post, Explained for Donald Trump|work=[[Washingtonian (magazine)|Washingtonian]]|date=December 7, 2015|access-date=November 4, 2020|archive-date=October 10, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201010025932/https://www.washingtonian.com/2015/12/07/jeff-bezoss-ownership-of-the-washington-post-explained-for-donald-trump/|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/0001018724/000110465922041196/tm223357-2_pre14a.htm#tBOOS|title=2022 Proxy Statement|author=Amazon.com, Inc.|page=66|date=April 1, 2022|access-date=April 7, 2022|archive-date=April 7, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220407184149/https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/0001018724/000110465922041196/tm223357-2_pre14a.htm#tBOOS|url-status=live}}</ref>

Bezos said he has a vision that recreates "the 'daily ritual' of reading the ''Post'' as a bundle, not merely a series of individual stories..."<ref name="wp20130904">{{cite news |last1=Farhi |first1=Paul |first2=Craig |last2=Timberg |title=Jeff Bezos to His Future Washington Post Journalists: Put the Readers First |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/style/jeff-bezos-to-his-future-washington-post-journalists-put-the-readers-first/2013/09/04/33040228-15a9-11e3-a2ec-b47e45e6f8ef_story.html |access-date=September 4, 2013 |newspaper=The Washington Post |date=September 28, 2013 |url-status = live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130921023130/http://articles.washingtonpost.com/2013-09-04/lifestyle/41765347_1_jeff-bezos-tablet-computers-readers |archive-date=September 21, 2013 }}</ref> He has been described as a "hands-off owner", holding teleconference calls with executive editor [[Martin Baron]] every two weeks.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2017/05/19/business/washington-post-digital-news.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170519121638/https://www.nytimes.com/2017/05/19/business/washington-post-digital-news.html |archive-date=May 19, 2017 |url-access=subscription |url-status=live|title=Washington Post, Breaking News, Is Also Breaking New Ground|last=Stewart|first=James B.|date=May 19, 2017|work=The New York Times|access-date=May 20, 2017|issn=0362-4331}}</ref> Bezos appointed [[Fred Ryan]] (founder and CEO of ''[[Politico]]'') to serve as publisher and chief executive officer. This signaled Bezos' intent to shift the ''Post'' to a more digital focus with a national and global readership.<ref name="Fred">{{cite web|last1=Bond|first1=Shannon|title=Jeff Bezos picks Fred Ryan of Politico to run Washington Post|url=https://www.ft.com/content/29f586b0-32b9-11e4-b86e-00144feabdc0|website=FT|publisher=Financial Times|access-date=September 17, 2016|date=September 2, 2014|archive-date=October 11, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161011195027/https://www.ft.com/content/29f586b0-32b9-11e4-b86e-00144feabdc0|url-status=live}}</ref>

In 2015, the ''Post'' moved from the building it owned at 1150 15th Street to a leased space three blocks away at One Franklin Square on [[K Street (Washington, D.C.)|K Street]].<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/digger/wp/2015/09/04/inside-the-wild-ride-that-landed-the-washington-post-on-k-street/|last=O'Connell|first=Jonathan|title=Inside the wild ride that landed The Washington Post on K Street|newspaper=The Washington Post|date=September 4, 2015|access-date=September 5, 2015|archive-date=September 5, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150905093557/http://www.washingtonpost.com/news/digger/wp/2015/09/04/inside-the-wild-ride-that-landed-the-washington-post-on-k-street/|url-status=live}}</ref> Since 2014 the ''Post'' has launched an online personal finance section,<ref>{{cite news|last1=Barr|first1=Jeremy|title=Washington Post launches personal finance section|url=http://www.capitalnewyork.com/article/media/2014/08/8551341/emwashington-postem-launches-personal-finance-section|newspaper=The Washington Post|date=August 25, 2014|archive-date=August 26, 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140826114405/http://www.capitalnewyork.com/article/media/2014/08/8551341/emwashington-postem-launches-personal-finance-section|url-status=dead}}</ref> a blog, and a podcast with a retro theme.<ref>{{cite press release|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/pr/wp/2017/04/03/the-washington-post-launches-retropolis-a-history-blog/|title=The Washington Post launches Retropolis: A History Blog|newspaper=The Washington Post|date=April 3, 2017|archive-date=July 23, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180723003548/https://www.washingtonpost.com/pr/wp/2017/04/03/the-washington-post-launches-retropolis-a-history-blog/|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite press release|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/pr/wp/2018/02/07/the-washington-post-to-launch-retropod-podcast/|title=The Washington Post to launch Retropod podcast|newspaper=The Washington Post|date=February 7, 2018|archive-date=July 23, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180723003812/https://www.washingtonpost.com/pr/wp/2018/02/07/the-washington-post-to-launch-retropod-podcast/|url-status=live}}</ref> The ''Post'' won the [[2020 Webby Award|2020 Webby People's Voice Award for News & Politics]] in the Social and Web categories.<ref name="Kastrenakes">{{cite web |last1=Kastrenakes |first1=Jacob |title=Here are all the winners of the 2020 Webby Awards |url=https://www.theverge.com/2020/5/20/21263445/2020-webby-awards-winners-lil-nas-x-nasa-jon-krasinski |website=The Verge |access-date=May 22, 2020 |language=en |date=May 20, 2020 |archive-date=May 21, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200521205535/https://www.theverge.com/2020/5/20/21263445/2020-webby-awards-winners-lil-nas-x-nasa-jon-krasinski |url-status=live }}</ref>

In 2017, the newspaper hired [[Jamal Khashoggi]] as a columnist. In 2018, Khashoggi was [[Assassination of Jamal Khashoggi|murdered]] by [[Saudi Arabia|Saudi]] agents in Istanbul.<ref>{{cite news|newspaper=The Washington Post|title=Where is Jamal Khashoggi?|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/where-is-jamal-khashoggi/2018/10/04/2681e000-c7f7-11e8-9b1c-a90f1daae309_story.html|date=October 4, 2018|access-date=October 13, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181013093613/https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/where-is-jamal-khashoggi/2018/10/04/2681e000-c7f7-11e8-9b1c-a90f1daae309_story.html|archive-date=October 13, 2018|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last1=Souad Mekhennet |last2=Greg Miller |title=Jamal Khashoggi's final months as an exile in the long shadow of Saudi Arabia |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/national-security/jamal-khashoggis-final-months-an-exile-in-the-long-shadow-of-saudi-arabia/2018/12/21/d6fc68c2-0476-11e9-b6a9-0aa5c2fcc9e4_story.html |access-date=December 27, 2018 |newspaper=The Washington Post |date=December 22, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181227014129/https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/national-security/jamal-khashoggis-final-months-an-exile-in-the-long-shadow-of-saudi-arabia/2018/12/21/d6fc68c2-0476-11e9-b6a9-0aa5c2fcc9e4_story.html |archive-date=December 27, 2018 |url-status=live }}</ref>

In October 2023, the ''Post'' announced it would cut 240 jobs across the organization by offering voluntary separation packages to employees.<ref name="Robertson">{{Cite news |last=Robertson |first=Katie |date=October 10, 2023 |title=The Washington Post to Cut 240 Jobs |language=en-US |work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2023/10/10/business/media/washington-post-job-cuts.html |access-date=October 12, 2023 |issn=0362-4331 |archive-date=October 11, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231011222412/https://www.nytimes.com/2023/10/10/business/media/washington-post-job-cuts.html |url-status=live }}</ref> In a staff-wide email announcing the job cuts, interim CEO [[Patty Stonesifer]] wrote, "Our prior projections for traffic, subscriptions and advertising growth for the past two years — and into 2024 — have been overly optimistic".<ref name="Robertson" /> The ''Post'' has lost around 500,000 subscribers since the end of 2020 and was set to lose $100 million in 2023, according to ''The New York Times''.<ref name="Robertson" /> The layoffs prompted [[Dan Froomkin]] of ''Presswatchers'' to suggest that the decline in readership could be reversed by focusing on the rise of authoritarianism (in a fashion similar to the role the ''Post'' played during the [[Watergate scandal]]) instead of staying strictly neutral, which Froomkin says places the paper into an undistinguished secondary role in competition with other contemporary media.<ref>Froomkin, Dan, ''[https://presswatchers.org/2023/10/the-washington-post-blew-its-chance/ The Washington Post blew its chance] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231106045845/https://presswatchers.org/2023/10/the-washington-post-blew-its-chance/ |date=November 6, 2023 }}'', ''Presswatchers'', October 13, 2023</ref> As part of the shift in tone, in 2023 the paper closed down the "KidsPost" column for children, the "Skywatch" astronomy column, and the "John Kelly's Washington" column about local history and sights, which had been running under different bylines since 1947.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Kelly |first1=John |title=As the sun goes down on the Skywatch column, meet the author behind it |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/dc-md-va/2023/03/08/skywatch-blaine-friedlander/ |newspaper=The Washington Post |date=March 8, 2023}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last1=Kelly |first1=John |title=Remembering 'The District Line,' the column that started it all |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/dc-md-va/2023/12/16/the-district-line/ |newspaper=The Washington Post |date=December 16, 2023}}</ref>

In May 2024, CEO and publisher William Lewis announced that the organization would embrace [[artificial intelligence]] to improve the paper's financial situation, telling staff it would seek "AI everywhere in our newsroom."<ref>{{Cite web |date=May 22, 2024 |title=The Washington Post Tells Staff It's Pivoting to AI |url=https://futurism.com/washington-post-pivot-ai |access-date=May 23, 2024 |website=Futurism}}</ref>

In June 2024, [[Axios (website)|Axios]] reported the ''Post ''faced significant internal turmoil and financial challenges. The new CEO, Lewis, has already generated controversy with his leadership style and proposed restructuring plans. The abrupt departure of executive editor Buzbee and the appointment of two white men to top editorial positions have sparked internal discontent, particularly given the lack of consideration for the Post's senior female editors, as well as allegations that in March 2024 Lewis put pressure on Buzbee to bury a story about his involvement in a British phone-hacking scandal. Additionally, Lewis' proposed division for [[social media]] and [[service journalism]] has met with resistance from staff. Recent reports alleging Lewis' attempts to influence editorial decisions, including pressuring Buzbee to drop a story about his past ties to a [[phone hacking]] scandal, and offering [[NPR]]'s media correspondent an exclusive interview about the ''Post''{{'}}s future in exchange for not publishing similar allegations, have further shaken the newsroom's morale.<ref>{{Cite news |title='Washington Post' CEO tried to kill a story about himself. It wasn't the first time |url=https://www.npr.org/2024/06/07/nx-s1-4995105/washington-post-will-lewis-tries-to-kill-story-buzbee |access-date=May 19, 2025 |work=NPR |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |last1=Mullin |first1=Benjamin |last2=Robertson |first2=Katie |date=June 5, 2024 |title=Clash Over Phone Hacking Article Preceded Exit of Washington Post Editor |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2024/06/05/business/media/washington-post-buzbee-lewis.html |access-date=May 19, 2025 |work=The New York Times |language=en-US |issn=0362-4331}}</ref> Staffers also became worried about Lewis' drinking and uninvolved role in the newsroom.<ref name=":6">{{Cite magazine |last=Malone |first=Clare |date=May 12, 2025 |title=Is Jeff Bezos Selling Out the Washington Post? |url=https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2025/05/26/is-jeff-bezos-selling-out-the-washington-post |access-date=May 19, 2025 |magazine=The New Yorker |language=en-US |issn=0028-792X}}</ref> Lewis continues to grapple with declining revenue and audience on the business front, seeking strategies to regain subscribers lost since the Trump era.<ref>{{cite news |last=Fischer |first=Sara |url=https://www.axios.com/2024/06/06/sally-buzbee-washington-post-will-lewis |title=Scoop: Former WashPost CEO to host party for outgoing editor Sally Buzbee |work=[[Axios (website)|Axios]] |date=June 6, 2024 |access-date=June 7, 2024 }}</ref>

Later that month, the paper ran a story allegedly exposing a connection between incoming editor Robert Winnett and John Ford, a man who "admitted to an extensive career using deception and illegal means to obtain confidential information."<ref>{{Cite news |last1=Stanley-Becker |first1=Isaac |last2=Ellison |first2=Sarah |last3=Miller |first3=Greg |last4=Davis |first4=Aaron C. |date=June 17, 2024 |title=Incoming Post editor tied to self-described 'thief' who claimed role in his reporting |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/investigations/2024/06/16/washington-post-editor-robert-winnett/ |url-access=subscription |access-date=June 17, 2024 |newspaper=The Washington Post |language=en-US |issn=0190-8286 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240617001416/https://www.washingtonpost.com/investigations/2024/06/16/washington-post-editor-robert-winnett/ |archive-date= June 17, 2024 }}</ref> Winnett withdrew from the position shortly thereafter.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Darcy |first=Oliver |date=June 21, 2024 |title=Washington Post will not bring in Robert Winnett as its top editor after report raised ethical questions |url=https://www.cnn.com/2024/06/21/media/robert-winnett-washington-post/index.html |access-date=June 21, 2024 |website=CNN Business |language=en}}</ref>

In January 2025, the ''Post'' announced it will layoff 4% of its staff, less than 100 people. Newsroom employees will not be affected.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Mullin |first=Benjamin |date=January 7, 2025 |title=Washington Post Lays Off 4 Percent of Its Work Force |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2025/01/07/business/media/washington-post-layoffs.html |access-date=January 7, 2025 |work=The New York Times |language=en-US |issn=0362-4331}}</ref>

====Suppression of views Bezos disfavors====
In January 2025, editorial cartoonist [[Ann Telnaes]] resigned from ''The Washington Post'' and published a blog post titled "Why I'm quitting the Washington Post",<ref>{{Cite web |last=Telnaes |first=Ann |date=January 3, 2025 |title=Why I'm quitting the Washington Post |url=https://anntelnaes.substack.com/p/why-im-quitting-the-washington-post |access-date=January 3, 2025 |website=Substack}}</ref> in which she criticized the paper for allegedly refusing to run a cartoon critical of the relationship between American billionaires and President [[Donald Trump]], calling the decision "dangerous for a free press". Telnaes' blog post and the nature of her cartoon sparked conversations about the paper's ownership under Bezos.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Patton |first=Tess |date=January 3, 2025 |title=Washington Post Cartoonist Ann Telnaes Quits After Bezos-Owned Paper Kills Trump Satire Piece |url=https://www.thewrap.com/washington-post-cartoonist-quits-after-bezos-trump-satire-killed/ |access-date=January 3, 2025 |work=The Wrap}}</ref>

In February 2025, Bezos announced that the opinion section of the ''Post'' would give voice only to opinions that support "personal liberties and [[free market]]s" and divergent opinions would not be published by the ''Post''.<ref>NBC News, February 26, 2025, [https://www.nbcnews.com/media/jeff-bezos-washington-post-op-ed-david-shipley-rcna193817 "Jeff Bezos Overhauls Washington Post Opinion Section, Says It will Focus on 'Personal Liberties and Free Markets,' Opinion Editor David Shipley decided to "step away" after Bezos offered him the chance to continue in his role but under this new editorial focus]</ref><ref name=":5">{{Cite news |last=Mullin |first=Benjamin |date=February 26, 2025 |title=Bezos' Directive for Washington Post Opinion Pages Leads to Editor David Shipley's Exit |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2025/02/26/business/media/washington-post-bezos-shipley.html |access-date=February 26, 2025 |work=The New York Times |language=en-US |issn=0362-4331}}</ref> [[David Shipley]], ''The Post''{{'}}s opinion editor, resigned after trying to persuade Bezos to reconsider the new direction.<ref name=":5" /> Within two days of the announcement, it was reported that over 75,000 digital subscribers had canceled their subscriptions.<ref name = Folkenflik2025>{{cite news|url = https://www.npr.org/2025/02/28/nx-s1-5312819/washington-post-bezos-subscriptions-cancellations|title = Bezos' changes at 'Washington Post' lead to mass subscription cancellations — again|last = Folkenflik|first = David|author-link=David Folkenflik|date = February 28, 2025|access-date = February 28, 2025|work = [[NPR]]}}</ref> In March 2025, Ruth Marcus, columnist and editor for ''The Washington Post''{{'}}s opinion section, resigned after 40 years with the organization when the paper's publisher, Will Lewis, killed a column she wrote that was critical of the new direction.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Mullin |first=Benjamin |date=March 10, 2025 |title=Washington Post Columnist Quits After Article Criticizing Jeff Bezos Is Shelved |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2025/03/10/business/media/washington-post-ruth-marcus-resigns.html |access-date=March 12, 2025 |work=The New York Times |language=en-US |issn=0362-4331}}</ref> The ''Post'' also fired columnist [[Karen Attiah]] in September 2025.<ref name="guard-15sep2025">{{cite news |last1=Helmore |first1=Edward |date=September 15, 2025 |title=Washington Post Columnist Says She Was Fired Over Posts After Charlie Kirk's Killing |url=https://www.theguardian.com/media/2025/sep/15/karen-attiah-fired-washington-post-charlie-kirk |access-date=September 15, 2025 |work=[[The Guardian]]}}</ref>

== Political positions ==
{{Liberalism US|media}}

=== 20th century ===
[[File:Waterboarding a captured North Vietnamese soldier near Da Nang.jpeg|thumb|Two United States soldiers and a [[South Vietnam]]ese soldier [[Waterboarding|waterboard]] a captured [[North Vietnam]]ese prisoner during the [[Vietnam War]]; the image, which appeared on the front cover of ''The Washington Post'' on January 21, 1968, led to the court-martial of a United States soldier, although ''The Washington Post'' described waterboarding as "fairly common".<ref name=nprweiner20071103>{{cite news |first=Eric |last=Weiner |author-link=Eric Weiner |title=Waterboarding: A Tortured History |date=November 3, 2007 |publisher=[[NPR]] |url=https://www.npr.org/2007/11/03/15886834/waterboarding-a-tortured-history |access-date=December 19, 2007 |archive-date=December 5, 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131205074814/http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=15886834 |url-status=live }}</ref><ref name=walter20061005>{{cite news |first=Walter |last=Pincus |author-link=Walter Pincus |date=October 5, 2006 |title=Waterboarding Historically Controversial |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/10/04/AR2006100402005.html |newspaper=The Washington Post |access-date=April 20, 2009 |page=A17 |archive-date=July 6, 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140706171507/http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/10/04/AR2006100402005.html |url-status=live }}</ref>]]

In 1933, financier Eugene Meyer bought the bankrupt ''Post'', and assured the public that neither he nor the newspaper would be beholden to any political party.<ref>{{cite book|author=Chalmers McGeagh Roberts|title=The Washington Post: The First 100 Years|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=OY61AAAAIAAJ&q=%22In+purchasing+The+Post,+I+acted+entirely+on+my+own+behalf%22&pg=PT198|year=1977|publisher=Houghton Mifflin|isbn=978-0-395-25854-5|page=198|access-date=January 2, 2022|archive-date=October 4, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221004065511/https://books.google.com/books?id=OY61AAAAIAAJ&q=%22In+purchasing+The+Post,+I+acted+entirely+on+my+own+behalf%22&pg=PT198|url-status=live}}</ref> But as a leading Republican who had been appointed Chairman of the Federal Reserve by [[Herbert Hoover]] in 1930, his opposition to [[Franklin D. Roosevelt|Roosevelt]]'s [[New Deal]] colored the paper's editorials and news coverage, including [[opinion piece|editorializing]] news stories written by Meyer under a pseudonym.<ref>{{cite book|author=Tom Kelly|title=The Imperial Post: The Meyers, the Grahams, and the Paper that Rules Washington|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=NhhlAAAAMAAJ&q=%22anonymous%20reporting%22|year=1983|publisher=Morrow|pages=63–64|isbn=978-0-688-01919-8|access-date=May 22, 2020|archive-date=June 14, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210614005907/https://books.google.com/books?id=NhhlAAAAMAAJ&q=%22anonymous+reporting%22|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|author=Ernest Lamb|title=New Deal a Mistake, Says Glass, Holding U.S. Will Regret It: Senator, in Interview, Tells 'Unvarnished Truth' |agency=The Washington Post|publisher=Eugene Meyer |date=April 8, 1934|pages=1, 4}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |author=Ernest Lamb|title=Council Fought Security Act, Records Show: Statements by Wagner and Winant Are Refuted by Hearing Transcript. |agency=The Washington Post|publisher=Eugene Meyer |date=October 8, 1936|pages=1, 12}}</ref> His wife [[Agnes Ernst Meyer]] was a journalist from the other end of the spectrum politically. The ''Post'' ran many of her pieces including tributes to her personal friends [[John Dewey]] and [[Saul Alinsky]].<ref>{{cite news|author=Agnes Ernst Meyer|title=In Defense of Dr. Dewey|agency=The Washington Post|date=December 10, 1939|page=B8}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|author=Carol Felsenthal|title=Power, Privilege and the Post: The Katharine Graham Story|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=x0lNDwAAQBAJ&q=%22The+Meyers%27+homes%2C+which+he+visited+often+24+Alinsky%22|year=1993|publisher=Seven Stories Press|pages=19, 127|isbn=978-1-60980-290-5|access-date=September 30, 2018|archive-date=July 2, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190702021347/https://books.google.com/books?id=x0lNDwAAQBAJ&q=%22The+Meyers%27+homes%2C+which+he+visited+often+24+Alinsky%22|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|author=Agnes Ernst Meyer|title=Orderly Revolution|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=h3utnQEACAAJ|year=1945|newspaper=The Washington Post|access-date=September 30, 2018|archive-date=March 23, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190323125143/https://books.google.com/books?id=h3utnQEACAAJ|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|author=Sanford D. Horwitt|title=Let Them Call Me Rebel: Saul Alinsky, His Life and Legacy|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=j44DAQAAIAAJ&q=%22Alinsky%27s+get-togethers+with+Agnes+Meyer%22|year=1989|publisher=Knopf|page=195|isbn=978-0-394-57243-7|access-date=September 30, 2018|archive-date=July 3, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190703020746/https://books.google.com/books?id=j44DAQAAIAAJ&q=%22Alinsky%27s+get-togethers+with+Agnes+Meyer%22|url-status=live}}</ref>

In 1946, Meyer was appointed head of [[World Bank]], and he named his son-in-law Phil Graham to succeed him as ''Post'' publisher. The post-war years saw the developing friendship of Phil and Kay Graham with the Kennedys, the Bradlees and the rest of the "[[Georgetown Set]]", including many [[Harvard University]] [[alumni]] that would color the ''Post's'' political orientation.<ref>{{cite news |author=Gregg Herken |title=The Georgetown Set |url=https://www.politico.com/magazine/story/2014/10/the-georgetown-set-112125/ |access-date=September 20, 2018 |publisher=Politico |date=October 22, 2014 |archive-date=September 20, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180920195425/https://www.politico.com/magazine/story/2014/10/the-georgetown-set-112125 |url-status=live }}</ref> Kay Graham's most memorable Georgetown soirée guest list included British diplomat and communist spy [[Donald Maclean (spy)|Donald Maclean]].<ref name="Philipps2018">{{cite book|author=Roland Philipps|title=A Spy Named Orphan: The Enigma of Donald Maclean|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=osM6DwAAQBAJ&q=%22Katharine%20Graham%20proprietor%20of%20the%20Washington%20Post%22|year=2018|publisher=W. W. Norton|isbn=978-0-393-60858-8|page=134|access-date=October 12, 2018|archive-date=March 23, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190323125144/https://books.google.com/books?id=osM6DwAAQBAJ&q=%22Katharine%20Graham%20proprietor%20of%20the%20Washington%20Post%22|url-status=live}}</ref><ref name=Graham1997>{{cite book|author=Katharine Graham|title=Personal History|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=jkxz77hC_48C&q=katharine%20graham&pg=PA156|year=1997|publisher=A.A. Knopf|isbn=978-0-394-58585-7|page=156|access-date=September 30, 2020|archive-date=March 20, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210320093040/https://books.google.com/books?id=jkxz77hC_48C&q=katharine%20graham&pg=PA156|url-status=live}}</ref>

The ''Post'' is credited with coining the term "[[McCarthyism]]" in a 1950 [[editorial cartoon]] by [[Herbert Block]].<ref>{{cite book|author=Chalmers McGeagh Roberts|title=The Washington Post: The First 100 Years|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=OY61AAAAIAAJ&q=%22Herblock+in+fact+who+coined+the+term%22|year=1977|publisher=Houghton Mifflin|isbn=978-0-395-25854-5|page=280|access-date=September 18, 2018|archive-date=March 23, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190323125145/https://books.google.com/books?id=OY61AAAAIAAJ&q=%22Herblock+in+fact+who+coined+the+term%22|url-status=live}}</ref> Depicting buckets of tar, it made fun of Sen. [[Joseph McCarthy]]'s "tarring" tactics, i.e., [[smear campaign]]s and character assassination against those targeted by his accusations. Sen. McCarthy was attempting to do for the Senate what the [[House Un-American Activities Committee]] had been doing for years—investigating [[Soviet espionage in the United States|Soviet espionage in America]]. The [[HUAC]] made Richard Nixon nationally known for his role in the [[Alger Hiss|Hiss]]/[[Whittaker Chambers|Chambers]] case that exposed communist spying in the [[State Department]]. The committee had evolved from the [[John William McCormack|McCormack]]-[[Samuel Dickstein (congressman)|Dickstein]] Committee of the 1930s.<ref name=Duffy>{{cite news| author = Peter Duffy| title = The Congressman Who Spied for Russia: The Strange Case of Samuel Dickstein| publisher = Politico| url = https://www.politico.com/magazine/story/2014/10/samuel-dickstein-congressman-russian-spy-111641/| date = October 6, 2014| access-date = September 20, 2018| archive-date = September 20, 2018| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20180920195522/https://www.politico.com/magazine/story/2014/10/samuel-dickstein-congressman-russian-spy-111641?paginate=false| url-status = live}}</ref>

Phil Graham's friendship with [[John F. Kennedy]] remained strong until their deaths in 1963.<ref>{{cite book|author=Chalmers McGeagh Roberts|title=The Washington Post: The First 100 Years|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=OY61AAAAIAAJ&q=%22The+Phil+Graham+I+have+so+much+admiration+for%22|access-date=September 9, 2018|year=1977|publisher=Houghton Mifflin|isbn=978-0-395-25854-5|page=363|archive-date=February 2, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210202104741/https://books.google.com/books?id=OY61AAAAIAAJ&q=%22The+Phil+Graham+I+have+so+much+admiration+for%22|url-status=live}}</ref> [[Director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation|FBI Director]] [[J. Edgar Hoover]] reportedly told the new President [[Lyndon B. Johnson]], "I don't have much influence with the ''Post'' because I frankly don't read it. I view it like the ''[[Daily Worker]]''."<ref>{{cite book|author=Michael R. Beschloss|title=Taking Charge: The Johnson White House Tapes, 1963–1964|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=gI54AAAAMAAJ|year=1997|page=32|publisher=Simon & Schuster|isbn=978-0-684-80407-1|access-date=September 30, 2018|archive-date=March 23, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190323125146/https://books.google.com/books?id=gI54AAAAMAAJ|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|author=Taylor Branch|title=Pillar of Fire: America in the King Years 1963–65|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=JIi6qNbcoMgC&q=%22I+view+it+like+the+Daily+Worker%22|year=1997|publisher=Simon & Schuster|page=180|isbn=978-1-4165-5870-5|access-date=September 18, 2018|archive-date=March 23, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190323125147/https://books.google.com/books?id=JIi6qNbcoMgC&q=%22I+view+it+like+the+Daily+Worker%22|url-status=live}}</ref>{{Anchor|Pravda on the Potomac}}

Ben Bradlee became the editor-in-chief in 1968, and Kay Graham officially became the publisher in 1969, paving the way for the aggressive reporting of the ''Pentagon Papers'' and Watergate scandals. The ''Post'' strengthened public opposition to the Vietnam War in 1971 when it published the ''Pentagon Papers''.<ref>{{cite news |title=Pentagon Papers |url=https://www.britannica.com/topic/Pentagon-Papers |work=Encyclopædia Britannica |access-date=July 12, 2020 |archive-date=June 22, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200622112034/https://www.britannica.com/topic/Pentagon-Papers |url-status=live }}</ref> In the mid-1970s, some conservatives referred to the ''Post'' as "''[[Pravda]]'' on the [[Potomac River|Potomac]]" because of its perceived left-wing bias in both reporting and editorials.<ref>Bruce Bartlett (March 13, 2007), [http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2007/mar/13/20070313-090315-7881r/ "Partisan Press Parity"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110510011750/http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2007/mar/13/20070313-090315-7881r/ |date=May 10, 2011 }}. ''The Washington Times''.</ref> Since then, the appellation has been used by both liberal and conservative critics of the newspaper.<ref>James Kirchick (February 17, 2009), [http://www.tnr.com/article/pravda-the-potomac "Pravda on the Potomac"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110905065212/http://www.tnr.com/article/pravda-the-potomac |date=September 5, 2011 }}. ''The New Republic''.</ref><ref>William Greider (March 6, 2003), [http://www.thenation.com/article/washington-post-warriors "Washington Post Warriors"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110515044255/http://www.thenation.com/article/washington-post-warriors |date=May 15, 2011 }}, ''The Nation''</ref>

=== 21st century ===
In the [[PBS]] documentary ''Buying the War'', journalist [[Bill Moyers]] said in the year prior to the [[Iraq War]] there were 27 editorials supporting the [[Presidency of George W. Bush|Bush administration]]'s desire to invade Iraq. National security correspondent [[Walter Pincus]] reported that he had been ordered to cease his reports that were critical of the administration.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.pbs.org/moyers/journal/btw/transcript1.html|title=Transcript: "Buying the War"|date=April 25, 2007|work=PBS|access-date=December 13, 2009|archive-date=October 1, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171001004459/http://www.pbs.org/moyers/journal/btw/transcript1.html|url-status=live}}</ref> According to author and journalist [[Greg Mitchell]]: "By the ''Post''{{'s}} own admission, in the months before the war, it ran more than 140 stories on its front page promoting the war, while contrary information got lost".<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.thenation.com/article/eleven-years-how-washington-post-helped-give-us-iraq-war/ |title=Eleven Years On: How 'The Washington Post' Helped Give Us the Iraq War |date=March 12, 2014|work= [[The Nation]]|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170304190318/https://www.thenation.com/article/eleven-years-how-washington-post-helped-give-us-iraq-war/ |archive-date=March 4, 2017 |url-status = dead}}</ref>

On March 23, 2007, [[Chris Matthews]] said on his television program, "''The Washington Post'' is not the liberal newspaper it was [...] I have been reading it for years and it is a [[neoconservatism|neocon]] newspaper".<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.nbcnews.com/id/wbna17798805|title=Hardball with Chris Matthews for March 23|date=March 26, 2007|work=[[NBC News]]|access-date=April 4, 2009|archive-date=May 5, 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140505001030/http://www.nbcnews.com/id/17798805|url-status=live}}</ref> It has regularly published a mixture of op-ed columnists, with some of them left-leaning (including [[E.&nbsp;J. Dionne]], [[Dana Milbank]], Greg Sargent, and [[Eugene Robinson (journalist)|Eugene Robinson]]), and some of them right-leaning (including [[George Will]], [[Marc Thiessen]], [[Michael Gerson]] and [[Charles Krauthammer]]).

Responding to criticism of the newspaper's coverage during the run-up to the [[2008 United States presidential election|2008 presidential election]], former ''Post'' [[ombudsman]] [[Deborah Howell]] wrote: "The opinion pages have strong conservative voices; the editorial board includes centrists and conservatives; and there were editorials critical of Obama. Yet opinion was still weighted toward Obama."<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/11/14/AR2008111403057.html|title=Remedying the Bias Perception|date=November 16, 2008|newspaper=The Washington Post|author=Howell, Deborah|author-link=Deborah Howell|access-date=February 5, 2016|archive-date=March 5, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160305001212/http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/11/14/AR2008111403057.html|url-status=live}}</ref> According to a 2009 [[Oxford University Press]] book by Richard Davis on the impact of blogs on American politics, liberal bloggers link to ''The Washington Post'' and ''The New York Times'' more often than other major newspapers; however, conservative bloggers also link predominantly to liberal newspapers.<ref>{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=PWZ2-5wla3MC&pg=PA79|title=Typing Politics: The Role of Blogs in American Politics|publisher=Oxford UP|year=2009|page=79|author=Richard Davis|isbn=978-0-19-970613-6|access-date=July 2, 2015|archive-date=September 11, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150911091803/https://books.google.com/books?id=PWZ2-5wla3MC&pg=PA79|url-status=live}}</ref>

Since 2011, the ''Post'' has been running a column called "The Fact Checker" that the ''Post'' describes as a "truth squad".<ref name="About the Fact Checker">Glenn Kessler (January 1, 2017), [https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2019/01/07/about-fact-checker/ "About the Fact Checker"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190306013444/https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2019/01/07/about-fact-checker/ |date=March 6, 2019 }}, ''The Washington Post''</ref> The Fact Checker received a $250,000 grant from [[Google News Initiative]]/YouTube to expand production of video [[fact-checking|fact checks]].<ref name="About the Fact Checker" />

In mid-September 2016, Matthew Ingram of ''[[Forbes]]'' joined [[Glenn Greenwald]] of ''[[The Intercept]]'', and Trevor Timm of ''[[The Guardian]]'' in criticizing ''The Washington Post'' for "demanding that [former National Security Agency contractor Edward] Snowden&nbsp;... stand trial on espionage charges".<ref>{{cite web|author=Glenn Greenwald|date=September 18, 2016|website=The Intercept|url=https://theintercept.com/2016/09/18/washpost-makes-history-first-paper-to-call-for-prosecution-of-its-own-source-after-accepting-pulitzer/|title=WashPost Makes History: First Paper to Call for Prosecution of Its Own Source (After Accepting Pulitzer)|access-date=October 9, 2016|archive-date=November 10, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161110182839/https://theintercept.com/2016/09/18/washpost-makes-history-first-paper-to-call-for-prosecution-of-its-own-source-after-accepting-pulitzer/|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|last1=Ingram|first1=Matthew|title=Here's Why The Washington Post Is Wrong About Edward Snowden|url=https://fortune.com/2016/09/19/washington-post-snowden/ |url-access=subscription |date=September 19, 2016 |website=Fortune |access-date=October 9, 2016|archive-date=October 11, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161011193529/http://fortune.com/2016/09/19/washington-post-snowden/|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|last1=Disis|first1=Jill|url=https://money.cnn.com/2016/09/18/media/washington-post-criticism-snowden-pardon/ |website=CNN Business |title=Washington Post criticized for opposing Snowden pardon|date=September 18, 2016|access-date=August 3, 2020|archive-date=May 27, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200527004403/https://money.cnn.com/2016/09/18/media/washington-post-criticism-snowden-pardon/|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|last1=Trimm|first1=Trevor|url=https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2016/sep/19/washington-post-wrong-edward-snowden-pardon|title=The Washington Post is wrong: Edward Snowden should be pardoned|website=[[TheGuardian.com]]|date=September 19, 2016|access-date=October 9, 2016|archive-date=October 22, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161022102758/https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2016/sep/19/washington-post-wrong-edward-snowden-pardon|url-status=live}}</ref>

In February 2017, the ''Post'' adopted the slogan "[[Democracy Dies in Darkness]]" for its masthead.<ref name="OldSaying">{{Cite news|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/style/the-washington-posts-new-slogan-turns-out-to-be-an-old-saying/2017/02/23/cb199cda-fa02-11e6-be05-1a3817ac21a5_story.html|title=The Washington Post's new slogan turns out to be an old saying|last=Farhi|first=Paul|date=February 23, 2017|newspaper=The Washington Post|access-date=February 26, 2017|archive-date=January 11, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200111001213/https://www.washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/style/the-washington-posts-new-slogan-turns-out-to-be-an-old-saying/2017/02/23/cb199cda-fa02-11e6-be05-1a3817ac21a5_story.html|url-status=live}}</ref>

In February 2025, Jeff Bezos announced that the paper's opinion pages would endorse "personal liberties and free markets" to the exclusion of other views. According to the NPR, the announcement suggested the ''Post'' was adopting a [[libertarianism in the United States|libertarian]] line.<ref name = Folkenflik2025/>

==== Political endorsements ====
In the vast majority of U.S. elections, for federal, state, and local office, the ''Post'' editorial board has endorsed [[Democratic Party (United States)|Democratic]] candidates.<ref name=Pexton2012>{{cite news |author=Patrick B. Pexton |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/patrick-pexton-the-posts-endorsements-historically-tend-democratic/2012/11/02/6890a49a-250a-11e2-ba29-238a6ac36a08_story.html |title=Patrick Pexton: The Post's endorsements historically tend Democratic |newspaper=The Washington Post |language=en |date=November 2, 2012 |access-date=July 5, 2018 |archive-date=July 5, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180705150603/https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/patrick-pexton-the-posts-endorsements-historically-tend-democratic/2012/11/02/6890a49a-250a-11e2-ba29-238a6ac36a08_story.html |url-status=live }}</ref> The paper's editorial board and endorsement decision-making are separate from newsroom operations.<ref name=Pexton2012 /> Until 1976, the ''Post'' did not regularly make endorsements in presidential elections. Since it endorsed [[Jimmy Carter]] in 1976, the ''Post'' has endorsed Democrats in presidential elections, and has never endorsed a Republican for president in the general election,<ref name=Pexton2012 /> although in the [[1988 United States presidential election|1988 presidential election]], the ''Post'' declined to endorse either Governor [[Michael Dukakis]] (the Democratic candidate) or Vice President [[George H. W. Bush]] (the Republican candidate).<ref name=Pexton2012 /><ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1988/11/02/us/post-makes-no-endorsement.html |title=Post Makes No Endorsement |work=The New York Times |date=November 2, 1988 |agency=[[Associated Press]] |access-date=September 19, 2021 |archive-date=November 5, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211105025222/https://www.nytimes.com/1988/11/02/us/post-makes-no-endorsement.html |url-status=live }}</ref> The ''Post'' editorial board endorsed [[Barack Obama]] in 2008<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/10/16/AR2008101603436.html |title=Barack Obama for President |newspaper=The Washington Post |date=October 17, 2008 |access-date=April 4, 2009 |archive-date=April 22, 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090422090843/http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/10/16/AR2008101603436.html |url-status=live }}</ref> and 2012;<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/washington-post-endorsement-four-more-years-for-president-obama/2012/10/25/6ca309a2-1965-11e2-bd10-5ff056538b7c_story.html |title=Washington Post Endorsement: Four More Years for President Obama |newspaper=The Washington Post |date=October 25, 2012 |access-date=October 28, 2012 |archive-date=October 27, 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121027202419/http://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/washington-post-endorsement-four-more-years-for-president-obama/2012/10/25/6ca309a2-1965-11e2-bd10-5ff056538b7c_story.html |url-status=live }}</ref> [[Hillary Clinton]] in [[2016 United States presidential election|2016]];<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/hillary-clinton-for-president/2016/10/12/665f9698-8caf-11e6-bf8a-3d26847eeed4_story.html |title=Hillary Clinton for President |newspaper=The Washington Post |date=October 13, 2016 |access-date=October 13, 2016 |archive-date=October 13, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161013112353/https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/hillary-clinton-for-president/2016/10/12/665f9698-8caf-11e6-bf8a-3d26847eeed4_story.html |url-status=live }}</ref> and [[Joe Biden]] in [[2020 United States presidential election|2020]].<ref>{{Cite news |date=September 28, 2020 |title=Joe Biden for president |language=en |newspaper=The Washington Post |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2020/09/28/editorial-board-endorsement-joe-biden/ |access-date=October 19, 2020 |archive-date=October 5, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201005211345/https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2020/09/28/editorial-board-endorsement-joe-biden/?arc404=true |url-status=live }}</ref> In 2024, the ''Post'' controversially announced that it would no longer publish presidential endorsements.<ref name=":2" /><ref name=":3" /><ref name=":4" />

While the newspaper predominantly endorses Democrats in congressional, state, and local elections, it has occasionally endorsed [[Republican Party (United States)|Republican]] candidates.<ref name="Pexton2012" /> It endorsed [[Governor of Maryland|Maryland Governor]] [[Robert Ehrlich]]'s unsuccessful bid for a second term in 2006.<ref name="Pexton2012" /><ref>{{cite news |date=October 26, 2006 |title=Wrong Choice for Governor |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/10/25/AR2006102501668.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110629002651/http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/10/25/AR2006102501668.html |archive-date=June 29, 2011 |access-date=April 4, 2009 |newspaper=The Washington Post}}</ref> In 2006, it repeated its historic endorsements of every Republican incumbent for Congress in [[Northern Virginia]].<ref>{{cite news |date=October 30, 2006 |title=For Congress in Virginia |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/10/29/AR2006102900552.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110821080558/http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/10/29/AR2006102900552.html |archive-date=August 21, 2011 |access-date=April 4, 2009 |newspaper=The Washington Post}}</ref> The ''Post'' editorial board endorsed [[Virginia]]'s Republican U.S. Senator [[John Warner]] in his Senate reelection campaign in 1990, 1996 and 2002; the paper's most recent endorsement of a [[Maryland]] Republican for U.S. Senate was in the 1980s, when the paper endorsed Senator [[Charles Mathias|Charlies "Mac" Mathias Jr.]]<ref name="Pexton2012" /> In U.S. House of Representatives elections, [[Moderate Republicans (modern United States)|moderate Republicans]] in [[Virginia]] and [[Maryland]], including [[Wayne Gilchrest]], [[Thomas M. Davis]], and [[Frank Wolf (politician)|Frank Wolf]], have enjoyed the support of the ''Post''; the ''Post'' also endorsed Republican [[Carol Schwartz]] in her campaign in Washington, D.C.<ref name="Pexton2012" />

===== 2024 discontinuation of presidential endorsements =====
{{Further|News media endorsements in the 2024 United States presidential election#Newspaper non-endorsements}}

Eleven days prior to the [[2024 United States presidential election|2024 presidential election]], CEO and publisher William Lewis announced that the ''Post'' would not endorse a candidate for 2024. It was the first time since the 1988 presidential election that the paper did not endorse the Democratic candidate. Lewis also said that the paper would not make endorsements in any future presidential election. Lewis stated that the paper was "returning to our roots" of not endorsing candidates, and explained that the move was "a statement in support of our readers' ability to make up their own minds", and "consistent with the values the ''Post'' has always stood for and what we hope for in a leader: character and courage in service to the American ethic, veneration for the rule of law, and respect for human freedom in all its aspects." Sources familiar with the situation stated that the ''Post'' editorial board had drafted an endorsement for [[Kamala Harris]], but that it had been blocked by order of the ''Post''{{'}}s owner Jeff Bezos.<ref name=":2" /><ref name=":3" /><ref name=":4" />

The move was criticized by former executive editor Martin Baron, who considered it "disturbing spinelessness at an institution famed for courage",<ref name=":2" /> and suggested that Bezos was fearing retaliation from 2024 Republican candidate Donald Trump that could impact Bezos's other businesses if Trump were elected.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Gold |first=Hadas |date=October 26, 2024 |title=The Washington Post is in deep turmoil as Bezos remains silent on non-endorsement |url=https://www.cnn.com/2024/10/26/media/washington-post-jeff-bezos-endorsement-turmoil/index.html |access-date=October 26, 2024 |website=CNN |language=en}}</ref> Editor-at-large [[Robert Kagan]] and columnist [[Michele Norris]] resigned in the wake of the decision, and editor [[David Maraniss]] said that the paper was "dying in darkness", a reference to the paper's current slogan. ''Post'' opinion columnists jointly authored an article calling the decision to not endorse a "terrible mistake", and it was condemned by the Washington Post Guild, a union unit representing ''Post'' employees.<ref name=":2">{{Cite web |last2=Stelter |first1=Hadas |last1=Gold |first2=Brian |date=October 25, 2024 |title=Washington Post won't endorse candidate in 2024 presidential election after Bezos decision |url=https://www.cnn.com/2024/10/25/media/washington-post-wont-endorse-presidential-candidate/index.html |access-date=October 25, 2024 |website=CNN |language=en}}</ref><ref name=":3">{{Cite news |last1=Roig-Franzia |first1=Manuel |last2=Wagner |first2=Laura |date=October 25, 2024 |title=The Washington Post says it will not endorse a candidate for president |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/style/media/2024/10/25/washington-post-endorsement-president/ |access-date=October 25, 2024 |newspaper=The Washington Post}}</ref><ref name=":4">{{Cite web |last=Mangan |first=Dan |date=October 25, 2024 |title=Jeff Bezos killed Washington Post endorsement of Kamala Harris, paper reports |url=https://www.cnbc.com/2024/10/25/jeff-bezos-killed-washington-post-endorsement-of-kamala-harris-.html |access-date=October 26, 2024 |website=CNBC |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Chitwood |first=Adam |date=October 27, 2024 |title=Washington Post Columnist Michele Norris Resigns Over Bezos Scrapping Harris Endorsement: 'A Terrible Mistake' |url=https://www.thewrap.com/washington-post-columnist-michele-norris-resigns/ |access-date=October 27, 2024 |website=TheWrap |language=en-US}}</ref> More than 250,000 people (about ten percent of the ''Post''{{'}}s subscribers) cancelled their subscriptions, and three members of the editorial board left the board, though they remain with the ''Post'' in other positions.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Folkenflik |first=David |date=October 29, 2024 |title=More than 250,000 subscribers have left 'Washington Post' over withheld endorsement |url=https://www.npr.org/2024/10/29/nx-s1-5170939/more-than-250-000-subscribers-have-left-washington-post-over-withheld-endorsement |access-date=October 29, 2024 |work=NPR}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Gold |first=Hadas |date=October 28, 2024 |title=Three Washington Post editorial board members step down amid wave of canceled subscriptions over non-endorsement |url=https://www.cnn.com/2024/10/28/media/washington-post-endorsement-subscribers-resign/index.html |access-date=October 29, 2024 |website=CNN |language=en}}</ref><ref name="w850">{{cite web |last=Helmore |first=Edward |date=October 29, 2024 |title=Washington Post cancellations hit 250,000 – 10% of subscribers |url=https://www.theguardian.com/media/2024/oct/29/washington-post-subscriber-cancellations |access-date=October 30, 2024 |website=The Guardian}}</ref> An endorsement of Harris was subsequently published by the paper's humorist [[Alexandra Petri]], who explained that "if I were the paper, I would be a little embarrassed that it has fallen to me, the humor columnist, to make our presidential endorsement", and that "I only know what's happening because our actual journalists are out there reporting, knowing that their editors have their backs, that there's no one too powerful to report on, that we would never pull a punch out of fear."<ref>{{Cite news |last=Petri |first=Alexandria |date=October 26, 2024 |title=It has fallen to me, the humor columnist, to endorse Harris for president |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2024/10/26/washington-post-endorses-kamala-harris-satire/ |archive-url=https://archive.today/20241027014812/https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2024/10/26/washington-post-endorses-kamala-harris-satire/ |archive-date=October 27, 2024 |access-date=October 26, 2024 |newspaper=The Washington Post}}</ref>

Condemning the ''Post''{{'}}s decision, several columnists, including Will Bunch, [[Jonathan V. Last|Jonathan Last]], Dan Froomkin, [[Donna Ladd]] and [[Sewell Chan]], described it as an example of what historian [[Timothy Snyder]] calls anticipatory obedience.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Bunch |first=Will |date=October 27, 2024 |title=Billionaire cowards at Washington Post, L.A. Times show what life under a dictator is really like |url=https://www.inquirer.com/opinion/commentary/washington-post-la-times-endorsements-trump-harris-20241027.html |access-date=October 27, 2024 |work=The Philadelphia Inquirer}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Froomkin |first=Dan |date=October 25, 2024 |title=Billionaires have broken media: Washington Post's non-endorsement is a sickening moral collapse |url=https://www.salon.com/2024/10/25/billionaires-have-broken-media-washington-posts-non-endorsement-is-a-sickening-moral-collapse/ |access-date=October 27, 2024 |website=Salon |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Last |first=Jonathan V. |date=October 25, 2024 |title=The Guardrails Are Already Crumpling |url=https://www.thebulwark.com/p/bezos-kills-washington-post-endorsement-guardrails-falling |access-date=October 27, 2024 |website=The Bulwark |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Chan |first=Sewell |date=October 25, 2024 |title=The Washington Post opinion editor approved a Harris endorsement. A week later, Jeff Bezos killed it. |url=https://www.cjr.org/political_press/the-washington-post-opinion-editor-approved-a-harris-endorsement-a-week-later-the-papers-publisher-killed-it.php |access-date=October 27, 2024 |website=Columbia Journalism Review |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Ladd |first=Donna |date=October 26, 2024 |title=Editor's Note {{!}} As Fascism Looms, A Free Press Must Stand Up |url=https://www.mississippifreepress.org/democracy-as-fascism-looms-the-free-press-must-stand-and-report-in-the-breach/ |access-date=October 27, 2024 |website=Mississippi Free Press |language=en-US}}</ref> Snyder himself criticized the decision, asserting that "'do not obey in advance' is the main lesson of the twentieth century."<ref>{{Cite web |last=Snyder |first=Timothy |date=October 26, 2024 |title=Obeying in advance |url=https://snyder.substack.com/p/obeying-in-advance |access-date=October 27, 2024 |website=Thinking about...}}</ref> [[Andrew Koppelman]], in an opinion piece for ''[[The Hill (newspaper)|The Hill]]'', praised the ''Post'' for revealing its cowardice.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Koppelman |first=Andrew |date=October 28, 2024 |title=In praise of the Washington Post's cowardice   |access-date=October 30, 2024 |url=https://thehill.com/opinion/campaign/4956389-in-praise-of-the-washington-posts-cowardice/ |website=The Hill}}</ref>

== Criticism and controversies ==
{{Criticism section|date=March 2025}}

=== "Jimmy's World" fabrication ===
{{Further|Janet Cooke}}
In September 1980, a Sunday feature story appeared on the front page of the ''Post'' titled "Jimmy's World" in which reporter [[Janet Cooke]] wrote a profile of the life of an eight-year-old heroin [[Substance dependence|addict]].<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/politics/1980/09/28/jimmys-world/605f237a-7330-4a69-8433-b6da4c519120/|title=Jimmy's World|author=Janet Cooke|date=September 28, 1980|newspaper=The Washington Post|page=A1|access-date=July 9, 2016|author-link=Janet Cooke|archive-date=August 22, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160822081435/https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/politics/1980/09/28/jimmys-world/605f237a-7330-4a69-8433-b6da4c519120/|url-status=live}}</ref> Although some within the ''Post'' doubted the story's veracity, the paper's editors defended it, and assistant managing editor Bob Woodward submitted the story to the [[Pulitzer Prize#Board|Pulitzer Prize Board]] at [[Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism|Columbia University]] for consideration.<ref>Bill Green (April 19, 1981), [https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/politics/1981/04/19/the-players-it-wasnt-a-game/545f7157-5228-47b6-8959-fcfcfa8f08eb/ "THE PLAYERS: It Wasn't a Game"], ''The Washington Post'': ""I was blown away by the story," Woodward said. . . . "Jimmy" was created, lived and vanished in Woodward's shop. . . . Woodward supported the [Pulitzer] nomination strongly. . . ."I think that the decision to nominate the story for a Pulitzer is of minimal consequence. I also think that it won is of little consequence. It is a brilliant story -- fake and fraud that it is. It would be absurd for me [Woodward] or any other editor to review the authenticity or accuracy of stories that are nominated for prizes."" {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210526031337/https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/politics/1981/04/19/the-players-it-wasnt-a-game/545f7157-5228-47b6-8959-fcfcfa8f08eb/ |date=May 26, 2021 }}.</ref> Cooke was awarded the [[Pulitzer Prize for Feature Writing]] on April 13, 1981. The story was subsequently found to be a complete fabrication, and the Pulitzer was returned.<ref>Mike Sager (June 1, 2016), [https://www.cjr.org/the_feature/the_fabulist_who_changed_journalism.php "The fabulist who changed journalism"], ''[[Columbia Journalism Review]]''. {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181004133952/https://www.cjr.org/the_feature/the_fabulist_who_changed_journalism.php |date=October 4, 2018 }}.</ref>

=== Private "salon" solicitation ===
In July 2009, in the midst of an intense debate over [[Health care reforms proposed during the Obama administration|health care reform]], ''[[Politico]]'' reported that a health-care lobbyist had received an "astonishing" offer of access to the ''Post''{{'}}s "health-care reporting and editorial staff".<ref>Michael Calderone and Mike Allen (July 2, 2009), [https://www.politico.com/story/2009/07/wapo-cancels-lobbyist-event-024441 "WaPo cancels lobbyist event"], ''Politico''. {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181011214548/https://www.politico.com/story/2009/07/wapo-cancels-lobbyist-event-024441 |date=October 11, 2018 }}.</ref> ''Post'' publisher [[Katharine Weymouth]] had planned a series of exclusive dinner parties or "salons" at her private residence, to which she had invited prominent lobbyists, trade group members, politicians, and business people.<ref name="nytimes.com">Richard Pérez-Peña (July 2, 2009), [https://www.nytimes.com/2009/07/03/business/media/03post.html "Pay-for-Chat Plan Falls Flat at Washington Post"], ''The New York Times'': "Postscript: Oct. 17, 2009 . . . Mr. [[Marcus W. Brauchli|Brauchli]] now says that he did indeed know that the dinners were being promoted as "off the record," . . . " {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180903051439/https://www.nytimes.com/2009/07/03/business/media/03post.html |date=September 3, 2018 }}.</ref> Participants were to be charged $25,000 to sponsor a single salon, and $250,000 for 11 sessions, with the events being closed to the public and to the non-''Post'' press.<ref name=NageshAtlantic>Gautham Nagesh (July 2, 2009) [https://www.theatlantic.com/personal/archive/2009/07/wapo-salons-sell-access-to-lobbyists/20535/ "WaPo Salons Sell Access to Lobbyists"], ''The Atlantic''. {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181011214904/https://www.theatlantic.com/personal/archive/2009/07/wapo-salons-sell-access-to-lobbyists/20535/ |date=October 11, 2018 }}.</ref> ''Politico''{{'}}s revelation gained a somewhat mixed response in Washington<ref>{{cite news |url-status=dead |first1=Ezra |last1=Klein |date=July 6, 2009 |url=http://voices.washingtonpost.com/ezra-klein/2009/07/can_the_washington_post_salons.html |title=Can The Washington Post Salons Be a Good Thing? |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211018051935/http://voices.washingtonpost.com/ezra-klein/2009/07/can_the_washington_post_salons.html |archive-date=October 18, 2021 |newspaper=The Washington Post |quote=The Washington Post really shouldn't need [[lobbyists]] for the health-care industry to act as our [[ombudsmen]].}}</ref><ref>Dan Kennedy (July 8, 2009), [https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/cifamerica/2009/jul/08/washington-post-weymouth-salon "Selling out the Washington Post"], ''The Guardian'': "Perhaps the most shocking thing about Washington Post publisher [[Katharine Weymouth]]'s misbegotten plan to sell access to her journalists at off-the-record dinners in her own home is that so many found it so shocking." {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211009063911/https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/cifamerica/2009/jul/08/washington-post-weymouth-salon |date=October 9, 2021 }}.</ref><ref>Dan Kennedy (October 20, 2009), [https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/cifamerica/2009/oct/20/marcus-brauchli-washington-post-salons "Truth, lies and the Washington Post"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211024133233/https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/cifamerica/2009/oct/20/marcus-brauchli-washington-post-salons |date=October 24, 2021 }}, ''The Guardian'':
"If only we'd known that Washington Post executive editor [[Marcus Brauchli]] was talking about the '[[Chatham House Rule|Chatham House rule]]' last summer when he was explaining what he knew about those now-infamous salons."</ref> as it gave the impression that the parties' sole purpose was to allow insiders to purchase face time with ''Post'' staff.

Almost immediately following the disclosure, Weymouth canceled the salons, saying, "This should never have happened." White House counsel [[Gregory B. Craig]] reminded officials that under [[Honest Leadership and Open Government Act|federal ethics rules]], they need advance approval for such events. ''Post'' Executive Editor [[Marcus Brauchli]], who was named on the flier as one of the salon's "Hosts and Discussion Leaders", said he was "appalled" by the plan, adding, "It suggests that access to ''Washington Post'' journalists was available for purchase."<ref name=KurtzPost>Howard Kurtz (July 3, 2009), [https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/07/02/AR2009070201563.html?hpid=topnews "Washington Post Publisher Cancels Planned Policy Dinners After Outcry"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170102075901/http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/07/02/AR2009070201563.html?hpid=topnews |date=January 2, 2017 }}, ''The Washington Post''</ref><ref name="nytimes.com" />

=== ''China Daily'' advertising supplements ===
{{Further|China Daily|label1=''China Daily''}}
Dating back to 2011, ''The Washington Post'' began to include "China Watch" advertising supplements provided by ''[[China Daily]]'', an English language newspaper owned by the [[Publicity Department of the Chinese Communist Party]], on the print and online editions. Although the header to the online "China Watch" section included the text "A Paid Supplement to The Washington Post", [[James Fallows]] of ''[[The Atlantic]]'' suggested that the notice was not clear enough for most readers to see.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.theatlantic.com/international/archive/2011/02/official-chinese-propaganda-now-online-from-the-wapo/70690/|title=Official Chinese Propaganda: Now Online from the WaPo!|last=Fallows|first=James|work=The Atlantic|date=February 3, 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110207020433/https://www.theatlantic.com/international/archive/2011/02/official-chinese-propaganda-now-online-from-the-wapo/70690/|archive-date=February 7, 2011|url-status=live}}</ref> Distributed to the ''Post'' and multiple newspapers around the world, the "China Watch" advertising supplements range from four to eight pages and appear at least monthly. According to a 2018 report by ''The Guardian'', "China Watch" uses "a didactic, old-school approach to propaganda."<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.theguardian.com/news/2018/dec/07/china-plan-for-global-media-dominance-propaganda-xi-jinping|title=Inside China's audacious global propaganda campaign|last1=Lim|first1=Louisa|last2=Bergin|first2=Julia|work=The Guardian|date=December 7, 2018|access-date=March 21, 2020|archive-date=March 10, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200310193251/https://www.theguardian.com/news/2018/dec/07/china-plan-for-global-media-dominance-propaganda-xi-jinping|url-status=live}}</ref>

In 2020, a report by [[Freedom House]], titled "Beijing's Global Megaphone", criticized the ''Post'' and other newspapers for distributing "China Watch".<ref>{{cite web|url=https://freedomhouse.org/report/special-report/2020/beijings-global-megaphone|title=Beijing's Global Megaphone|last=Cook|first=Sarah|publisher=Freedom House|access-date=March 21, 2020|archive-date=March 21, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200321225216/https://freedomhouse.org/report/special-report/2020/beijings-global-megaphone|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/asia_pacific/china-is-waging-an-aggressive-propaganda-campaign-to-distort-media-landscape-report-warns/2020/01/15/30fd4d58-374a-11ea-a1ff-c48c1d59a4a1_story.html|title=China is waging a global propaganda war to silence critics abroad, report warns|last=Fifield|first=Anna|newspaper=The Washington Post|date=January 15, 2020|access-date=March 21, 2020|archive-date=October 27, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201027022601/https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/asia_pacific/china-is-waging-an-aggressive-propaganda-campaign-to-distort-media-landscape-report-warns/2020/01/15/30fd4d58-374a-11ea-a1ff-c48c1d59a4a1_story.html|url-status=live}}</ref> In the same year, 35 Republican members of the U.S. Congress wrote a letter to the U.S. Department of Justice in February 2020 calling for an investigation of potential [[Foreign Agents Registration Act|FARA]] violations by ''China Daily''.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3049627/us-lawmakers-push-justice-department-investigate-china-daily|title=US lawmakers push Justice Department to investigate China Daily, label the newspaper a foreign agent|last=Magnier|first=Mark|work=South China Morning Post|date=February 8, 2020|access-date=March 21, 2020|archive-date=August 11, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200811204030/https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3049627/us-lawmakers-push-justice-department-investigate-china-daily|url-status=live}}</ref> The letter named an article that appeared in the ''Post'', "Education Flaws Linked to Hong Kong Unrest", as an example of "articles [that] serve as cover for China's atrocities, including&nbsp;... its support for the [[2019–20 Hong Kong protests#Mainland China reactions|crackdown in Hong Kong]]."<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.rubio.senate.gov/rubio-joins-cotton-banks-colleagues-in-urging-doj-to-investigate-china-daily/|title=Rubio Joins Cotton, Banks, Colleagues in Urging DOJ to Investigate China Daily|publisher=Office of U.S. Senator Marco Rubio|access-date=March 21, 2020|date=February 7, 2020|archive-date=March 22, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200322053509/https://www.rubio.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/2020/2/rubio-joins-cotton-banks-colleagues-in-urging-doj-to-investigate-china-daily|url-status=live}}</ref> According to ''The Guardian,'' the ''Post'' had already stopped running "China Watch" in 2019.<ref>{{Cite news|last1=Waterson|first1=Jim|last2=Jones|first2=Dean Sterling|date=April 14, 2020|title=Daily Telegraph stops publishing section paid for by China|language=en-GB|work=The Guardian|url=https://www.theguardian.com/media/2020/apr/14/daily-telegraph-stops-publishing-section-paid-for-by-china|issn=0261-3077|access-date=November 23, 2020|archive-date=April 15, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200415012159/https://www.theguardian.com/media/2020/apr/14/daily-telegraph-stops-publishing-section-paid-for-by-china|url-status=live}}</ref>

=== Employee relations ===
In March 2022, reporter Paul Farhi was suspended for five days without pay after he tweeted about the publication's policy on bylines and datelines regarding Russian-based stories.<ref name="Guild2022">{{cite web |last=Beaujon |first=Andrew |title=The Washington Post Suspended a Media Reporter for Reporting on the Washington Post |url=https://www.washingtonian.com/2022/08/19/the-washington-post-suspended-a-media-reporter-for-reporting-on-the-washington-post/ |publisher=[[Washingtonian (magazine)|Washingtonian]] |date=August 19, 2022 |access-date=March 30, 2023 |archive-date=September 1, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230901085442/https://www.washingtonian.com/2022/08/19/the-washington-post-suspended-a-media-reporter-for-reporting-on-the-washington-post/ |url-status=live}}</ref>

==== Felicia Sonmez ====
{{Further|Felicia Sonmez}}
In 2020, ''The Post'' suspended reporter [[Felicia Sonmez]] after she posted a series of tweets about the [[Kobe Bryant sexual assault case|2003 rape allegation against basketball star Kobe Bryant]] after [[2020 Calabasas helicopter crash|Bryant's death]]. She was reinstated after over 200 ''Post'' journalists wrote an open letter criticizing the paper's decision.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Abrams |first=Rachel |date=January 27, 2020 |title=Washington Post Suspends a Reporter After Her Tweets on Kobe Bryant |language=en-US |work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2020/01/27/business/media/kobe-bryant-washington-post-felicia-sonmez.html |access-date=June 12, 2022 |issn=0362-4331 |archive-date=June 12, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220612042424/https://www.nytimes.com/2020/01/27/business/media/kobe-bryant-washington-post-felicia-sonmez.html |url-status=live }}</ref> In July 2021, Sonmez sued ''The Post'' and several of its top editors, alleging workplace discrimination; the suit was dismissed in March 2022, with the court determining that Sonmez had failed to make plausible claims.<ref name=Klein>Charlotte Klein, [https://www.vanityfair.com/news/2022/03/judge-tosses-reporter-felicia-sonmezs-discrimination-case-against-the-washington-post Judge Tosses Reporter Felicia Sonmez's Discrimination Case Against The Washington Post] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220608033647/https://www.vanityfair.com/news/2022/03/judge-tosses-reporter-felicia-sonmezs-discrimination-case-against-the-washington-post |date=June 8, 2022 }}, ''Vanity Fair'' (March 28, 2022).</ref>

In June 2022, Sonmez engaged in a Twitter feud with fellow ''Post'' staffers [[David Weigel]], criticizing him over what he later described as "an offensive joke", and Jose A. Del Real, who accused Sonmez of "engaging in repeated and targeted public harassment of a colleague".<ref name=BarrEditor>Jeremy Barr, [https://www.washingtonpost.com/media/2022/06/07/buzbee-memo-washington-post-sonmez-weigel-social-media/ Post editor Buzbee warns staff on Twitter strife: 'Be constructive and collegial'], ''Washington Post'' (June 7, 2022).</ref> Following the feud, the newspaper suspended Weigel for a month for violating the company's social media guidelines, and the newspaper's executive editor [[Sally Buzbee]] sent out a newsroom-wide memorandum directing employees to "Be constructive and collegial" in their interactions with colleagues.<ref name=BarrEditor /> The newspaper fired Sonmez, writing in an emailed termination letter that she had engaged in "misconduct that includes insubordination, maligning your co-workers online and violating ''The Post''{{'}}s standards on workplace collegiality and inclusivity."<ref name=SchwartzmanBarr>{{Cite news |author=Paul Schwartzman & Jeremy Barr |title=Felicia Sonmez terminated by The Washington Post after Twitter dispute |language=en-US |newspaper=The Washington Post |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/2022/06/09/felicia-sonmez-washington-post/ |access-date=June 12, 2022 |issn=0190-8286 |archive-date=June 10, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220610011233/https://www.washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/2022/06/09/felicia-sonmez-washington-post/ |url-status=live }}</ref> ''The Post'' faced criticism from the Post Guild after refusing to go to arbitration over the dismissal, stating that the expiration of the Post's contract "does not relieve the Post from its contractual obligation to arbitrate grievances filed prior to expiration."<ref name=Guild2022 />

=== Lawsuit by Covington Catholic High School student ===
{{Main|2019 Lincoln Memorial confrontation}}
In 2019, [[Covington Catholic High School]] student Nick Sandmann filed a defamation lawsuit against the ''Post'', alleging that it libeled him in seven articles regarding the [[January 2019 Lincoln Memorial confrontation]] between Covington students and the [[Indigenous Peoples March]].<ref>{{cite news|last=Farhi|first=Paul|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/style/the-washington-post-sued-by-family-of-covington-catholic-teenager/2019/02/19/aa252be4-349c-11e9-854a-7a14d7fec96a_story.html|title=The Washington Post sued by family of Covington Catholic teenager|newspaper=The Washington Post|date=February 19, 2019|access-date=February 19, 2019|archive-date=February 20, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190220065023/https://www.washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/style/the-washington-post-sued-by-family-of-covington-catholic-teenager/2019/02/19/aa252be4-349c-11e9-854a-7a14d7fec96a_story.html|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|last=Chamberlain|first=Samuel|title=Covington student's legal team sues Washington Post|url=https://www.foxnews.com/us/covington-high-students-legal-team-sues-washington-post|work=Fox News|date=February 19, 2019|access-date=February 20, 2019|archive-date=February 20, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190220150737/https://www.foxnews.com/us/covington-high-students-legal-team-sues-washington-post|url-status=live}}</ref> A federal judge dismissed the case, ruling that 30 of the 33 statements in the ''Post'' that Sandmann alleged were libelous were not, but allowed Sandmann to file an amended complaint as to three statements.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2019/10/28/cov-cath-judge-rules-lawsuit-against-washington-post-can-continue/2489395001/|title=Judge to allow portion of Nick Sandmann lawsuit against Washington Post to continue|last=Knight|first=Cameron|date=October 28, 2019|website=USA Today|language=en-US|access-date=October 29, 2019|archive-date=October 29, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191029013009/https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2019/10/28/cov-cath-judge-rules-lawsuit-against-washington-post-can-continue/2489395001/|url-status=live}}</ref> After Sandmann's lawyers amended the complaint, the suit was reopened on October 28, 2019.<ref>{{Cite web|last=Re|first=Gregg|date=October 28, 2019|title=Judge reopens Covington Catholic High student's defamation suit against Washington Post|url=https://www.foxnews.com/us/nick-sandmann-covington-catholic-case-reopened|access-date=October 29, 2019|website=Fox News|language=en-US|archive-date=October 29, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191029000008/https://www.foxnews.com/us/nick-sandmann-covington-catholic-case-reopened|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|last=Knight|first=Cameron|date=October 28, 2019|title=Judge to allow portion of Nick Sandmann lawsuit against Washington Post to continue|url=https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2019/10/28/cov-cath-judge-rules-lawsuit-against-washington-post-can-continue/2489395001/|access-date=October 29, 2019|website=USA Today|language=en-US|archive-date=October 29, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191029013009/https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2019/10/28/cov-cath-judge-rules-lawsuit-against-washington-post-can-continue/2489395001/|url-status=live}}</ref>

In 2020, ''The Post'' settled the lawsuit brought by Sandmann for an undisclosed amount.<ref name=":7">{{Cite web|title=Nick Sandmann settles $250M lawsuit with the Washington Post|url=https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/nick-sandmann-settles-250m-lawsuit-with-the-washington-post/ar-BB179mYc|access-date=July 24, 2020|website=MSN |archive-date=August 30, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200830212938/https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/nick-sandmann-settles-250m-lawsuit-with-the-washington-post/ar-BB179mYc|url-status=live}}</ref>

=== Controversial op-eds and columns ===
Several ''Washington Post'' [[op-ed]]s and columns have prompted criticism, including a number of comments on race by columnist [[Richard Cohen (columnist)|Richard Cohen]] over the years,<ref>Andrew Beaujon, [https://www.washingtonian.com/2019/09/23/richard-cohen-leaves-the-washington-post/ Richard Cohen Leaves the Washington Post] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200809103548/https://www.washingtonian.com/2019/09/23/richard-cohen-leaves-the-washington-post/ |date=August 9, 2020 }}, ''Washington Post'' (September 23, 2019): "In the years since he displayed a remarkable ability to survive at the paper despite ...frequently stepping in it with regard to race, like the time he wrote that 'People with conventional views must repress a gag reflex when considering the mayor-elect of New York — a white man married to a black woman and with two biracial children; or the time that he wrote sympathetically about the man who killed Trayvon Martin..."</ref><ref>Maya K. Francis, [https://www.phillymag.com/news/2013/11/13/richard-cohen-bill-de-blasio-family-race/ Richard Cohen's Been Gag-Worthy on Race for Years] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200804234944/https://www.phillymag.com/news/2013/11/13/richard-cohen-bill-de-blasio-family-race/ |date=August 4, 2020 }}, ''Philadelphia Magazine'' (November 13, 2013).</ref> and a controversial 2014 column on [[campus sexual assault]] by George Will.<ref>Hadas Gold, [https://www.politico.com/blogs/media/2014/06/george-will-slammed-for-sexual-assault-column-190088 George Will slammed for sexual assault column] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200809070844/https://www.politico.com/blogs/media/2014/06/george-will-slammed-for-sexual-assault-column-190088 |date=August 9, 2020 }}, ''Politico'' (June 10, 2014).</ref><ref>Alyssa Rosenberg, [https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/act-four/wp/2014/06/10/george-wills-distasteful-conclusions-about-sexual-assault/ George Will's distasteful conclusions about sexual assault] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210201053448/https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/act-four/wp/2014/06/10/george-wills-distasteful-conclusions-about-sexual-assault/ |date=February 1, 2021 }}, ''Washington Post'' (June 10, 2014).</ref>

The ''Post''{{'}}s decision to run an op-ed by [[Mohammed Ali al-Houthi]], a leader in [[Yemen]]'s [[Houthi movement]], was criticized by some activists on the basis that it provided a platform to an "anti-Western and [[antisemitic]] group supported by Iran."<ref name="slam2">{{cite news|url=https://www.jpost.com/diaspora/washington-post-slammed-for-op-ed-by-antisemitic-houthi-leader-571537|title='Washington Post' slammed for op-ed by antisemitic Houthi leader|date=November 10, 2018|publisher=The Jerusalem Post|access-date=May 31, 2020|archive-date=May 23, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200523085349/https://www.jpost.com/diaspora/washington-post-slammed-for-op-ed-by-antisemitic-houthi-leader-571537|url-status=live}}</ref>

The headline of a 2020 op-ed titled "It's time to give the elites a bigger say in choosing the president" was changed, without an editor's note, after backlash.<ref>{{Cite news|website=Fox News|title=Washington Post slammed, changes headline after op-ed calls for 'elites' to have 'bigger say in choosing the president'|url=https://www.foxnews.com/media/washington-post-changes-headline-after-op-ed-calls-for-elites-have-bigger-say-choosing-president|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211017100242/https://www.foxnews.com/media/washington-post-changes-headline-after-op-ed-calls-for-elites-have-bigger-say-choosing-president|date=February 19, 2020|archive-date=October 17, 2021|last=Wolfsuhn|first=Joseph}}</ref>

In 2022, actor [[Johnny Depp]] successfully sued ex-wife [[Amber Heard]] for an op-ed she wrote in ''The Washington Post'' where she described herself as a public figure representing domestic abuse two years after she had publicly accused him of domestic violence.<ref>{{cite news |last=Heard |first=Amber |title=Amber Heard: I spoke up against sexual violence — and faced our culture's wrath. That has to change |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/ive-seen-how-institutions-protect-men-accused-of-abuse-heres-what-we-can-do/2018/12/18/71fd876a-02ed-11e9-b5df-5d3874f1ac36_story.html |newspaper=The Washington Post |date=December 18, 2018 |access-date=March 23, 2023 |archive-date=April 12, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190412184930/https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/ive-seen-how-institutions-protect-men-accused-of-abuse-heres-what-we-can-do/2018/12/18/71fd876a-02ed-11e9-b5df-5d3874f1ac36_story.html |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last1=Bryant |first1=Kenzie |title=Johnny Depp Wins His Defamation Case Against Ex-Wife Amber Heard |website=[[Vanity Fair (magazine)|Vanity Fair]] |url=https://www.vanityfair.com/style/2022/06/johnny-depp-amber-heard-defamation-case-verdict |date=June 1, 2022 |access-date=March 23, 2023 |archive-date=September 1, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230901085450/https://www.vanityfair.com/style/2022/06/johnny-depp-amber-heard-defamation-case-verdict |url-status=live }}</ref>

=== Criticism by elected officials ===
[[File:President Trump Delivers Remarks (49498772251).jpg|thumb|[[Donald Trump]] holds up a copy of ''The Washington Post'' during remarks on February 6, 2020, in the East Room of the [[White House]].]]

Speaking on behalf of President Nixon, White House Press Secretary [[Ron Ziegler]] infamously accused ''The Washington Post'' of "shabby journalism" for their focus on [[Watergate]] only to apologize when the damning reporting on Nixon was proved correct.<ref>{{Cite news|date=May 2, 1973|title=Ziegler Apologizes to Washington Post on Watergate|work=The New York Times|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1973/05/02/archives/ziegler-apologizes-to-washington-post-on-watergate.html}}</ref>

45th/47th president Donald Trump repeatedly spoke out against ''The Washington Post'' on [[Donald Trump on social media|his Twitter account]],<ref>{{Cite news |last1=Shear |first1=Michael D. |last2=Haberman |first2=Maggie |last3=Confessore |first3=Nicholas |last4=Yourish |first4=Karen |last5=Buchanan |first5=Larry |last6=Collins |first6=Keith |date=November 2, 2019 |title=How Trump Reshaped the Presidency in Over 11,000 Tweets |language=en-US |work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2019/11/02/us/politics/trump-twitter-presidency.html |access-date=March 25, 2022 |issn=0362-4331 |archive-date=May 1, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200501184836/https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2019/11/02/us/politics/trump-twitter-presidency.html |url-status=live }}</ref> having "tweeted or retweeted criticism of the paper, tying it to Amazon more than 20 times since his campaign for president" by August 2018.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Montanaro |first=Dominico |date=August 13, 2019 |title=Bernie Sanders Again Attacks Amazon — This Time Pulling In 'The Washington Post' |language=en |work=[[NPR]] |url=https://www.npr.org/2019/08/13/750800062/sanders-again-attacks-amazon-this-time-pulling-in-the-washington-post |access-date=March 25, 2022 |archive-date=November 27, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191127104040/https://www.npr.org/2019/08/13/750800062/sanders-again-attacks-amazon-this-time-pulling-in-the-washington-post |url-status=live }}</ref> In addition to often attacking the paper itself, Trump used Twitter to blast various ''Post'' journalists and columnists.<ref>{{Cite news |last1=Lee |first1=Jasmine C. |last2=Quealy |first2=Kevin |date=January 28, 2016 |title=The 598 People, Places and Things Donald Trump Has Insulted on Twitter: A Complete List |language=en-US |work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2016/01/28/upshot/donald-trump-twitter-insults.html,%20https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2016/01/28/upshot/donald-trump-twitter-insults.html |access-date=March 25, 2022 |issn=0362-4331}}</ref>

During the [[2020 Democratic Party presidential primaries]], Senator [[Bernie Sanders]] repeatedly criticized ''The Washington Post'', saying that its coverage of his campaign was slanted against him and attributing this to Jeff Bezos' purchase of the newspaper.<ref>{{cite news|author-link=Katrina vanden Heuvel|first=Katrina |last=vanden Heuvel|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2019/08/20/bernie-sanders-has-smart-critique-corporate-media-bias/|date=August 20, 2019|title=Bernie Sanders Has a Smart Critique of Corporate Media Bias|newspaper=The Washington Post|access-date=December 22, 2019|archive-date=January 1, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200101015305/https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2019/08/20/bernie-sanders-has-smart-critique-corporate-media-bias/|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |title=Russia Is Said to Be Interfering to Aid Sanders in Democratic Primaries |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2020/02/21/us/politics/bernie-sanders-russia.html|first=Julian E. |last=Barnes |author2=Sydney Ember |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200221233009/https://www.nytimes.com/2020/02/21/us/politics/bernie-sanders-russia.html |archive-date=February 21, 2020 |url-access=subscription |url-status=live |work=The New York Times |date=February 21, 2020}}</ref> Sanders' criticism was echoed by the socialist magazine ''[[Jacobin (magazine)|Jacobin]]''<ref>{{Cite web |last=Higginbotham |first=Tim |date=August 27, 2019 |title=The Washington Post's War on Bernie Continues |url=https://jacobin.com/2019/08/washington-post-bernie-sanders-media-2020-coverage |access-date=March 25, 2022 |website=Jacobin |language=en-US |archive-date=March 25, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220325142202/https://jacobinmag.com/2019/08/washington-post-bernie-sanders-media-2020-coverage |url-status=live }}</ref> and the progressive journalist watchdog [[Fairness and Accuracy in Reporting]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.commondreams.org/views/2019/08/15/if-youre-looking-evidence-wapo-media-bias-against-bernie-sanders-here-it|title=If You're Looking for Evidence of WaPo Media Bias Against Bernie Sanders, Here It Is|website=Common Dreams|access-date=May 22, 2020|archive-date=May 15, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200515202750/https://www.commondreams.org/views/2019/08/15/if-youre-looking-evidence-wapo-media-bias-against-bernie-sanders-here-it|url-status=live}}</ref> ''Washington Post'' executive editor Martin Baron responded by saying that Sanders' criticism was "baseless and conspiratorial".<ref>{{cite news |last1=Darcy |first1=Oliver |last2=Grayer |first2=Annie |last3=Krieg |first3=Greg |date=August 13, 2019 |title=Washington Post editor responds to Bernie Sanders: Your 'conspiracy theory' is wrong |work=CNN |url=https://www.cnn.com/2019/08/12/politics/bernie-sanders-washington-post/index.html |access-date=November 17, 2019 |archive-date=November 30, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191130155249/https://www.cnn.com/2019/08/12/politics/bernie-sanders-washington-post/index.html |url-status=live }}</ref>

=== Fossil fuel advertising ===
An investigation by ''The Intercept'', ''[[The Nation]]'', and [[DeSmog]] found that ''The Washington Post'' is one of the leading media outlets that publishes advertising for the [[fossil fuel]] industry.<ref name=intercept20231205>{{cite news|date=December 5, 2023|author=Amy Westervelt & Matthew Green|url=https://theintercept.com/2023/12/05/fossil-fuel-industry-media-company-advertising/|title=Leading News Outlets Are Doing the Fossil Fuel Industry's Greenwashing|publisher=The Intercept|access-date=September 1, 2024}}</ref> Journalists who cover [[climate change]] for ''The Washington Post'' are concerned that [[conflicts of interest]] with the companies and industries that [[Causes of climate change|caused climate change]] and [[climate change denial|obstructed action]] will reduce the credibility of their reporting on climate change and cause readers to downplay the [[climate crisis]].<ref name=intercept20231205 />

== Organization ==

=== Executive officers and editors ===
'''Major stockholders'''
# [[Stilson Hutchins]] (1877–1889)
# Frank Hatton and [[Beriah Wilkins]] (1889–1905)
# [[John Roll McLean|John R. McLean]] (1905–1916)
# Edward (Ned) McLean (1916–1933)
# Eugene Meyer (1933–1948)
# [[Graham Holdings|The Washington Post Company]] (1948–2013)
# [[Jeff Bezos|Nash Holdings]] (Jeff Bezos) (since 2013)

'''Publishers'''
# [[Stilson Hutchins]] (1877–1889)
# [[Beriah Wilkins]] (1889–1905)
# [[John Roll McLean|John R. McLean]] (1905–1916)
# [[Edward Beale McLean|Edward (Ned) McLean]] (1916–1933)
# [[Eugene Meyer (financier)|Eugene Meyer]] (1933–1946)
# [[Phil Graham|Philip L. Graham]] (1946–1961)
# [[John W. Sweeterman]] (1961–1968)
# [[Katharine Graham]] (1969–1979)
# [[Donald E. Graham]] (1979–2000)
# [[Boisfeuillet Jones Jr.]] (2000–2008)
# [[Katharine Weymouth]] (2008–2014)
# [[Fred Ryan|Frederick J. Ryan Jr.]] (2014–2023)
# [[William Lewis (journalist)|William Lewis]] (since 2024)

'''Executive editors'''
# [[James Russell Wiggins]] (1955–1968)
# [[Ben Bradlee]] (1968–1991)
# [[Leonard Downie Jr.]] (1991–2008)
# [[Marcus Brauchli]] (2008–2012)<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.poynter.org/reporting-editing/2012/marcus-brauchli-leaves-washington-post/|title=Marcus Brauchli steps down as Washington Post executive editor, Marty Baron to take over|last=Beaujon|first=Andrew|date=November 13, 2012|access-date=May 12, 2016|publisher=[[Poynter Institute]]|archive-date=May 11, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160511025709/http://www.poynter.org/2012/marcus-brauchli-leaves-washington-post/195028/|url-status=live}}</ref>
# [[Martin Baron]] (2012–2021)<ref>{{Cite web|author=Brian Stelter|title=Washington Post editor Marty Baron announces his retirement|url=https://www.cnn.com/2021/01/26/media/marty-baron/index.html|access-date=March 22, 2021|website=CNN|date=January 26, 2021|archive-date=April 16, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210416015759/https://www.cnn.com/2021/01/26/media/marty-baron/index.html|url-status=live}}</ref>
# [[Sally Buzbee]] (2021–2024)<ref>{{Cite web|author=<!--Not stated-->|date=May 11, 2021|title=Washington Post names Sally Buzbee as executive editor, replacing Marty Baron|url=http://www.theguardian.com/media/2021/may/11/washington-post-sally-buzbee-new-executive-editor|access-date=May 11, 2021|website=The Guardian|language=en|archive-date=May 11, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210511173813/https://www.theguardian.com/media/2021/may/11/washington-post-sally-buzbee-new-executive-editor|url-status=live}}</ref>
# [[Matt Murray (journalist)|Matt Murray]] (since 2024)

=== Journalists ===
Current journalists at ''The Washington Post'' include: [[Yasmeen Abutaleb]], [[Dan Balz]], [[Will Englund]], [[Marc Fisher]], [[Robin Givhan]], [[David Ignatius]], [[Ellen Nakashima]], [[Ashley Parker]], [[Sally Quinn]], [[Michelle Singletary]], [[Ishaan Tharoor]], and [[Joe Yonan]].

Former journalists of ''The Washington Post'' include: [[Scott Armstrong (journalist)|Scott Armstrong]], [[Melissa Bell (journalist)|Melissa Bell]], [[Ann Devroy]], [[Edward T. Folliard]], [[Malvina Lindsay]], [[Mary McGrory]], [[Christine Emba]], Walter Pincus, and Bob Woodward.

=== Publishing service ===
Arc XP is a department of ''The Washington Post'', which provides a publishing system and software for news organizations such as the ''[[Chicago Tribune]]'' and the ''Los Angeles Times''.<ref>{{cite web |author=Shan Wang |date=February 2, 2018 |title=Here's how Arc's cautious quest to become the go-to publishing system for news organizations is going |url=https://www.niemanlab.org/2018/02/heres-how-arcs-cautious-quest-to-become-the-go-to-publishing-system-for-news-organizations-is-going/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180625161023/http://www.niemanlab.org/2018/02/heres-how-arcs-cautious-quest-to-become-the-go-to-publishing-system-for-news-organizations-is-going/ |archive-date=June 25, 2018 |access-date=June 25, 2018 |publisher=Nieman Lab, Harvard University}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Endangered but Not Too Late: The State of Digital News Preservation (forthcoming) |url=https://mospace.umsystem.edu/xmlui/bitstream/handle/10355/80931/StateOfDigitalNewsPreservation-2021-04-19.pdf?sequence=3 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210805065624/https://mospace.umsystem.edu/xmlui/bitstream/handle/10355/80931/StateOfDigitalNewsPreservation-2021-04-19.pdf?sequence=3 |archive-date=August 5, 2021 |access-date=August 5, 2021}}</ref>

=== Unions ===
In 1975, [[1975–1976 Washington Post pressmen's strike|the Washington Post pressmen's union went on strike]]. The ''Post'' hired [[Strikebreaker|replacement workers]] to replace the pressmen's union, and other unions returned to work in February 1976.<ref name="nyt19760229">{{cite news |last1=Franklin |first1=Ben A. |date=February 29, 1976 |title='Chastened' Unions Lick Their Wounds as Last Holdouts in 20-Week Washington Post Strike Return to Work |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1976/02/29/archives/chastened-unions-lick-their-wounds-as-last-holdouts-in-20week.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181126051103/https://www.nytimes.com/1976/02/29/archives/chastened-unions-lick-their-wounds-as-last-holdouts-in-20week.html |archive-date=November 26, 2018 |access-date=November 26, 2018 |newspaper=The New York Times |language=en}}</ref>

In 1986, during negotiations between the ''Post'' and the Newspaper Guild union over a new contract, five employees, including Newspaper Guild unit chairman Thomas R. Sherwood and assistant Maryland editor [[Claudia Levy]], sued the ''Post'' for overtime pay, stating that the newspaper had claimed that budgets did not allow for overtime wages.<ref>{{cite news |date=October 2, 1986 |title=Washington Post Faces Suit Charging Abuse of Overtime |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1986/10/02/us/washington-post-faces-suit-charging-abuse-of-overtime.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211215040116/https://www.nytimes.com/1986/10/02/us/washington-post-faces-suit-charging-abuse-of-overtime.html |archive-date=December 15, 2021 |access-date=December 15, 2021 |work=[[The New York Times]] |page=A20 |agency=[[Associated Press]]}}</ref>

In June 2018, over 400 employees of ''The Washington Post'' signed an open letter to the owner Jeff Bezos demanding "fair wages; fair benefits for retirement, family leave and health care; and a fair amount of job security." The open letter was accompanied by video testimonials from employees, who alleged "shocking pay practices" despite record growth in subscriptions at the newspaper, with salaries rising an average of $10 per week, which the letter claimed was less than half the rate of inflation. The petition followed on a year of unsuccessful negotiations between The Washington Post Guild and upper management over pay and benefit increases.<ref>{{cite web |author=Isobel Asher Hamilton |date=June 15, 2018 |title=More than 400 Washington Post staffers wrote an open letter to Jeff Bezos calling out his 'shocking' pay practices |url=https://www.businessinsider.com/washington-post-staff-sent-fair-pay-petition-to-jeff-bezos-2018-6 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180618082731/http://www.businessinsider.com/washington-post-staff-sent-fair-pay-petition-to-jeff-bezos-2018-6 |archive-date=June 18, 2018 |access-date=June 18, 2018 |website=Business Insider}}</ref>

As of 2023, the Washington Post Guild represented around 1,000 staff members at the ''Post.''<ref name=":8">{{Cite web |last=Reilly |first=Liam |date=December 22, 2023 |title=Washington Post union reaches tentative agreement with management after 18 months of negotiations |url=https://www.cnn.com/2023/12/22/media/washington-post-union-tentative-agreement |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240314194003/https://www.cnn.com/2023/12/22/media/washington-post-union-tentative-agreement/index.html |archive-date=March 14, 2024 |access-date=May 30, 2025 |website=[[CNN Business]]}}</ref> In December 2023, more than 750 journalist and staffers at the ''Post'' went on strike, accusing the company of refusing to "bargain in good faith" on issues including issues including pay increases, pay equity, remote work policies, and mental health resources.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Folkenflik |first=David |date=December 7, 2023 |title='Washington Post' journalists stage daylong strike under threat of job cuts |url=https://www.npr.org/2023/12/07/1217690720/washington-post-workers-strike |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250321001858/https://www.npr.org/2023/12/07/1217690720/washington-post-workers-strike |archive-date=March 21, 2025 |access-date=May 30, 2025 |work=[[NPR]]}}</ref> Later the same month, the Washington Post Guild won a new three-year contract with the paper, ending 18 months of negotiations.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Mastrangelo |first=Dominick |date=December 22, 2023 |title=Washington Post, union reach agreement on 3-year contract |url=https://thehill.com/homenews/media/4373988-washington-post-union-reach-3-year-contract/ |url-status=live |archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/20240105034803/https://thehill.com/homenews/media/4373988-washington-post-union-reach-3-year-contract/ |archive-date=January 5, 2024 |access-date=May 30, 2025 |work=[[The Hill (newspaper)|The Hill]]}}</ref><ref name=":8" />

In May 2025, a majority of technology workers at the ''Post'' voted to unionize as the Washington Post Tech Guild, representing more than 300 engineering, product design, and data workers at the ''Post''.<ref>{{Cite web |last= |first= |date=May 23, 2025 |title=Washington Post Tech Guild overwhelmingly votes to certify union in historic election |url=https://newsguild.org/washington-post-tech-guild-overwhelmingly-votes-to-certify-union-in-historic-election/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250524091858/https://newsguild.org/washington-post-tech-guild-overwhelmingly-votes-to-certify-union-in-historic-election/ |archive-date=May 24, 2025 |access-date=May 30, 2025 |website=[[NewsGuild-CWA]] |language=en-US}}</ref>

== See also ==
* [[1975–76 Washington Post pressmen's strike]]
* ''[[All the President's Men]]'', a 1974 book by Carl Bernstein and Bob Woodward about the Watergate scandal
* ''[[All the President's Men (film)|All the President's Men]]'', a 1976 film based on Bernstein's and Woodward's book
* [[List of prizes won by The Washington Post|List of prizes won by ''The Washington Post'']]
* [[The Post (film)|''The Post'']], a 2017 film based on the publication of the ''[[Pentagon Papers]]''
* ''[[The Washington Star]]'' (1852–1981)
* ''[[The Washington Times]]'' (since 1982)

== References ==
{{reflist}}

== Further reading ==
* {{Cite news |last=Stelter |first=Brian |author-link=Brian Stelter |date=June 27, 2024 |title=The Real Story of the Crisis at The Washington Post |url=https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/2024/06/washington-post-jeff-bezos-william-lewis/678799/ |work=The Atlantic}}
* Kelly, Tom. ''The imperial Post: The Meyers, the Grahams, and the paper that rules Washington'' (Morrow, 1983)
* Lewis, Norman P. "Morning Miracle. Inside the Washington Post: A Great Newspaper Fights for Its Life". ''Journalism and Mass Communication Quarterly'' (2011) 88#1 pp: 219.
* Merrill, John C. and Harold A. Fisher. ''The world's great dailies: profiles of fifty newspapers'' (1980) pp 342–52
* Roberts, Chalmers McGeagh. ''In the shadow of power: the story of the Washington Post'' (Seven Locks Pr, 1989)

== External links ==
{{Sister project links|1=''The Washington Post''|collapsible=true|wikt=no|voy=no|species=no|d=Q166032|c=Category:The Washington Post|n=Category:Washington Post|q=no|s=The Washington Post|b=no|v=no}}
{{Scholia|organization}}

* {{Official website}}
* [https://archive.org/search?query=subject%3A%22The+Washington+Post%22&sort=-date ''The Washington Post''] at the [[Internet Archive]]
* {{Newseum front page|DC_WP}}
* [https://ghco.gcs-web.com/history1875 ''The Washington Post'' Company history] at Graham Holdings Company
* [https://telegram.me/washingtonpost ''The Washington Post'' channel] in [[Telegram (software)|Telegram]]
* Scott Sherman, May 2002, [https://www.cjrarchive.org/img/posts/Sherman-SeptOct2002.pdf "Donald Graham's ''Washington Post''"] ''[[Columbia Journalism Review]]''. September / October 2002.
* {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070102001310/http://www.scribemedia.org/2006/12/20/imperial-life/|date=January 2, 2007|title="War Reporters – Imperial Life in the Emerald City"}}
* Jaffe, Harry. "[https://www.washingtonian.com/2008/02/26/post-watch-family-dynasty-continues-with-katharine-ii/ Post Watch: Family Dynasty Continues with Katharine II]", ''[[Washingtonian (magazine)|Washingtonian]]'', February 26, 2008.
* {{citation |work=[[Core.ac.uk]] |quote= [[Open access]] research papers |url= https://core.ac.uk/search?q=%22Washington%2BPost%22 |title= Washington+Post }} {{open access}}

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