The Washington Post

==History==
===Founding and early period===
[[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), and 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>

===19th century===
In April 1878, about four months into publication, ''The Washington Post'' purchased ''The Washington Union'', a competing newspaper which was founded by 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. Few women had run prominent national newspapers in the United States. Katharine Graham described her own anxiety and lack of confidence as she stepped into a leadership role in her autobiography. 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 />

In 1975, [[1975–76 Washington Post pressmen's strike|the pressmen's union went on strike]]. The ''Post'' hired 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. |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 |access-date=November 26, 2018 |newspaper=The New York Times |date=February 29, 1976 |language=en |archive-date=November 26, 2018 |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 |url-status=live }}</ref>

[[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 (2013–present)===
[[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 current home of the ''Post'']]
In late September 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=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://articles.washingtonpost.com/2013-09-04/lifestyle/41765347_1_jeff-bezos-tablet-computers-readers |access-date=September 4, 2013 |newspaper=The Washington Post |date=September 28, 2013 |url-status = dead|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'' 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 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}}</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]'', ''Presswatchers'', October 13, 2023</ref>

In November 2023, the ''Post'' joined with the [[International Consortium of Investigative Journalists]], [[Paper Trail Media]] and 69 media partners including [[Distributed Denial of Secrets]] and the [[Organized Crime and Corruption Reporting Project]] (OCCRP) and more than 270 journalists in 55 countries and territories<ref name=":02">{{Cite web |date=November 14, 2023 |title=Inside Cyprus Confidential: The data-driven journalism that helped expose an island under Russian influence - ICIJ |url=https://www.icij.org/investigations/cyprus-confidential/leaked-data-journalism-methodology/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231130214812/https://www.icij.org/investigations/cyprus-confidential/leaked-data-journalism-methodology/ |archive-date=November 30, 2023 |access-date=December 24, 2023 |language=en-US}}</ref><ref name=":12">{{Cite web |date=November 14, 2023 |title=About the Cyprus Confidential investigation - ICIJ |url=https://www.icij.org/investigations/cyprus-confidential/about-cyprus-confidential-investigation/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231121093552/https://www.icij.org/investigations/cyprus-confidential/about-cyprus-confidential-investigation/ |archive-date=November 21, 2023 |access-date=December 24, 2023 |language=en-US}}</ref> to produce the '[[Cyprus Confidential]]' report on the financial network which supports the regime of [[Vladimir Putin]], mostly with connections to Cyprus, and showed Cyprus to have strong links with high-up figures in the Kremlin, some of whom have been sanctioned.<ref>{{cite news |date=November 15, 2023 |title=Cyprus Confidential: Leaked Roman Abramovich documents raise fresh questions for Chelsea FC: ICIJ-led investigation reveals how Mediterranean island ignores Russian atrocities and western sanctions to cash in on Putin's oligarchs |language=en |newspaper=The Irish Times |url=https://www.irishtimes.com/business/financial-services/2023/11/15/cyprus-confidential-leaked-roman-abramovich-documents-raise-fresh-questions-for-chelsea-fc/ |access-date=November 15, 2023}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |date=November 14, 2023 |title=Cyprus Confidential - ICIJ |url=https://www.icij.org/investigations/cyprus-confidential/ |access-date=November 14, 2023 |website=www.icij.org}}</ref> Government officials including Cyprus president [[Nikos Christodoulides]]<ref name=":72">{{Cite web |date=November 15, 2023 |title=Cypriot president pledges government probe into Cyprus Confidential revelations - ICIJ |url=https://www.icij.org/investigations/cyprus-confidential/cypriot-president-pledges-government-probe-into-cyprus-confidential-revelations/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231214203142/https://www.icij.org/investigations/cyprus-confidential/cypriot-president-pledges-government-probe-into-cyprus-confidential-revelations/ |archive-date=December 14, 2023 |access-date=December 24, 2023 |language=en-US}}</ref> and European lawmakers<ref>{{Cite web |date=November 23, 2023 |title=Lawmakers call for EU crackdown after ICIJ's Cyprus Confidential revelations - ICIJ |url=https://www.icij.org/investigations/cyprus-confidential/lawmakers-call-for-eu-crackdown-after-icijs-cyprus-confidential-revelations/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231224114123/https://www.icij.org/investigations/cyprus-confidential/lawmakers-call-for-eu-crackdown-after-icijs-cyprus-confidential-revelations/ |archive-date=December 24, 2023 |access-date=December 24, 2023 |language=en-US}}</ref> began responding to the investigation's findings in less than 24 hours,<ref name=":72" /> calling for reforms and launching probes.<ref name=":5">{{Cite web |date=November 14, 2023 |title=Cyprus ignores Russian atrocities, Western sanctions to shield vast wealth of Putin allies - ICIJ |url=https://www.icij.org/investigations/cyprus-confidential/cyprus-russia-eu-secrecy-tax-haven/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231214002320/https://www.icij.org/investigations/cyprus-confidential/cyprus-russia-eu-secrecy-tax-haven/ |archive-date=December 14, 2023 |access-date=December 24, 2023 |language=en-US}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Solutions |first=BDigital Web |title=Finance Minister perturbed over 'Cyprus Confidential' |url=https://knews.kathimerini.com.cy/en/news/finance-minister-perturbed-over-cyprus-confidential |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231224114126/https://knews.kathimerini.com.cy/en/news/finance-minister-perturbed-over-cyprus-confidential |archive-date=December 24, 2023 |access-date=December 24, 2023 |website=knews.com.cy}}</ref>