The Washington Post facts for kids
| Democracy Dies in Darkness | |
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Front page for June 10, 2020
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| Type | Daily newspaper |
|---|---|
| Format | Broadsheet |
| Owner(s) | Nash Holdings |
| Founder(s) | Stilson Hutchins |
| Publisher | William Lewis |
| Founded | December 6, 1877 |
| Language | English |
| Headquarters | One Franklin Square, 1301 K Street NW, Washington, D.C., U.S. |
| Country | United States |
| Circulation | 139,232 average print circulation |
| ISSN | 0190-8286 |
| OCLC number | 2269358 |
The Washington Post, often called "the Post" or WaPo, is a daily newspaper published in Washington, D.C., the capital city of the United States. It is the most popular newspaper in the Washington metropolitan area and is read by people across the country.
The Post started in 1877. In its early years, it had different owners and faced money problems. In 1933, a rich person named Eugene Meyer bought it when it was in trouble. He helped it become successful and well-respected. His daughter, Katharine Graham, and her husband, Phil Graham, continued this work.
In 1971, the Post printed the Pentagon Papers. These papers helped people understand more about the Vietnam War. Later, reporters Bob Woodward and Carl Bernstein investigated a break-in at the Democratic Party offices. This led to the Watergate scandal, which caused President Richard Nixon to resign in 1974.
As of 2023, the newspaper has won the Pulitzer Prize 73 times for its excellent reporting. This is the second-highest number of awards for any newspaper. It is known for its political reporting and has offices in many countries around the world.
Contents
What is The Washington Post?
The Washington Post is one of the most important daily newspapers in the United States. It is known for its detailed reporting on the White House, Congress, and other parts of the U.S. government. It is considered a "newspaper of record," meaning it publishes important official news and documents.
The Post mainly serves readers in Washington, D.C., and its nearby areas in Maryland and Northern Virginia. It does not print a special edition for other parts of the country.
The newspaper has 21 offices in different countries, including London, Beijing, Mexico City, and Tokyo. It also has local offices in Maryland and Virginia. As of March 2023, about 139,232 copies of the Post are printed each weekday. This makes it the third-largest newspaper in the U.S. by circulation.
For many years, the Post had its main office at 1150 15th Street NW. In 2014, the newspaper moved to a new building at One Franklin Square on K Street in Washington, D.C.
The Post even has its own special Zip Code, 20071.
Publishing Technology
Arc XP is a special part of The Washington Post. It creates a publishing system and software that other news organizations use. For example, the Chicago Tribune and the Los Angeles Times use this technology.
History of The Post
How The Post Started
The newspaper was started in 1877 by Stilson Hutchins. In 1880, it became the first newspaper in Washington, D.C., to publish seven days a week by adding a Sunday edition.
In April 1878, the Post bought another newspaper called The Washington Union. For about two weeks, the combined newspaper was called The Washington Post and Union.
In 1889, Hutchins sold the newspaper to Frank Hatton and Beriah Wilkins. To help promote the newspaper, the new owners asked John Philip Sousa, the leader of the United States Marine Band, to write a song for an awards ceremony. Sousa wrote "The Washington Post" march, which became very famous.
In 1893, the newspaper moved to a new building that brought all its operations, like the newsroom and printing, into one place.
During the Spanish–American War in 1898, the Post printed a famous drawing by Clifford K. Berryman called Remember the Maine. This drawing became a popular saying for American sailors during the war. In 1902, Berryman drew another famous cartoon for the Post called Drawing the Line in Mississippi. This cartoon showed President Theodore Roosevelt being kind to a small bear cub. This drawing inspired someone to create the teddy bear.
The 20th Century and Major Events
After Wilkins died in 1903, his sons ran the Post for a short time before selling it to John Roll McLean in 1905. When McLean died in 1916, his son, Edward "Ned" McLean, took over. Under Ned's leadership, the newspaper struggled.
In 1933, Eugene Meyer bought the Post at an auction. He worked hard to improve the newspaper's quality and reputation. In 1946, his son-in-law, Philip Graham, became the publisher.
In 1954, the Post bought and merged with another newspaper called the Times-Herald. For a while, the combined paper was called The Washington Post and Times-Herald.
After Philip Graham's death in 1963, his wife, Katharine Graham, took over. She was one of the few women to lead a major national newspaper in the U.S. She was publisher from 1969 to 1979.
Katharine Graham made the company public in 1971. This was during the time of the Pentagon Papers controversy. The Post published these secret government documents about the Vietnam War, which helped increase public opposition to the war.
Executive editor Ben Bradlee strongly supported reporters Bob Woodward and Carl Bernstein. They wrote many articles about the 1972 break-in at the Democratic National Committee offices in the Watergate complex. The Post's determined reporting on this story helped lead to President Richard Nixon's resignation. For this work, the newspaper won a Pulitzer Prize in 1973.
In 1975, the newspaper faced a strike by its printing workers. The Post hired new workers to continue printing.
Donald E. Graham, Katharine's son, became publisher in 1979. In 1995, the Post launched its first website.
The Jeff Bezos Era
In 2013, Jeff Bezos, who founded Amazon, bought The Washington Post for $250 million. He bought it through his private investment company, Nash Holdings LLC. Bezos said he wanted to bring back the idea of reading the Post as a complete package, not just separate stories.
In 2015, the Post moved to its current location at One Franklin Square. Since 2014, the Post has launched new online sections, blogs, and podcasts. In 2020, it won a Webby Award for News & Politics.
In 2017, the newspaper hired Jamal Khashoggi as a columnist. Sadly, Khashoggi was murdered in 2018.
In October 2023, the Post announced it would reduce its staff by offering voluntary separation packages. The newspaper had seen a decrease in subscribers and was expecting a financial loss.
In November 2023, the Post worked with many other news organizations on a report called 'Cyprus Confidential'. This report looked into a financial network that supports the government of Vladimir Putin and showed strong links to Cyprus.
Political Views
20th Century Views
When Eugene Meyer bought the Post in 1933, he promised that the newspaper would not favor any political party. However, Meyer was a leading Republican, and his views often influenced the paper's editorials. His wife, Agnes Ernst Meyer, also wrote for the Post.
The Post is known for creating the term "McCarthyism" in a 1950 editorial cartoon by Herbert Block. This term made fun of Senator Joseph McCarthy's methods of making accusations against people.
Ben Bradlee became the editor-in-chief in 1968, and Katharine Graham became the publisher in 1969. This led to the newspaper's strong reporting on the Pentagon Papers and Watergate scandal. The Post's reporting helped strengthen public opposition to the Vietnam War in 1971.
21st Century Views
In the years leading up to the Iraq War in 2003, the Post published many articles that supported the Bush administration's decision to invade Iraq.
In 2007, some people described The Washington Post as a "neocon newspaper," meaning it had conservative views on foreign policy. The paper regularly publishes opinion pieces from both left-leaning and right-leaning writers.
Since 2011, the Post has a column called "The Fact Checker." This column checks if statements made by politicians and public figures are true.
In 2017, the Post adopted the slogan "Democracy Dies in Darkness" for its masthead.
Political Endorsements
In most U.S. elections, The Washington Post's editorial board supports Democratic candidates. The editorial board's decisions are separate from the newsroom.
The Post did not regularly endorse candidates in presidential elections until 1976. Since then, it has always endorsed Democratic candidates for president. For example, it endorsed Barack Obama in 2008 and 2012, Hillary Clinton in 2016, and Joe Biden in 2020.
While the newspaper mostly supports Democrats in other elections, it has sometimes endorsed Republican candidates. For instance, it endorsed Republican U.S. Senator John Warner of Virginia multiple times.
Leaders of The Post
Major Owners
- Stilson Hutchins (1877–1889)
- Frank Hatton and Beriah Wilkins (1889–1905)
- John R. McLean (1905–1916)
- Edward (Ned) McLean (1916–1933)
- Eugene Meyer (1933–1948)
- The Washington Post Company (1948–2013)
- Nash Holdings (Jeff Bezos) (2013–present)
Publishers
- Stilson Hutchins (1877–1889)
- Beriah Wilkins (1889–1905)
- John R. McLean (1905–1916)
- Edward (Ned) McLean (1916–1933)
- Eugene Meyer (1933–1946)
- 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)
- Frederick J. Ryan Jr. (2014–2023)
- William Lewis (2024–present)
Executive Editors
- James Russell Wiggins (1955–1968)
- Ben Bradlee (1968–1991)
- Leonard Downie Jr. (1991–2008)
- Marcus Brauchli (2008–2012)
- Martin Baron (2012–2021)
- Sally Buzbee (2021–present)
See also
- 1975–76 Washington Post pressmen's strike
- All the President's Men, a 1974 book about the Watergate scandal
- All the President's Men, a 1976 movie based on the book
- List of prizes won by The Washington Post
- The Post, a 2017 movie about the publication of the Pentagon Papers
- The Washington Star (1852–1981)
- The Washington Times (1982–present)
