The Washington Post's New Mission: Reach 'All of America'

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The Washington Post’s New Mission: Reach ‘All of America’
This week, The Post began trying out a new mission statement: “Riveting Storytelling for All of America.”


The Washington Post’s new mission statement is being delivered as the newsroom is in turmoil. Ahmed Gaber for The New York Times

By Benjamin Mullin
Published Jan. 16, 2025
Updated Jan. 17, 2025, 10:24 a.m. ET

After Donald J. Trump entered the White House in 2017, The Washington Post adopted a slogan that underscored the newspaper’s traditional role as a government watchdog: “Democracy Dies in Darkness.” ... This week, as Mr. Trump prepares to re-enter the White House, the newspaper debuted a mission statement that evokes a more expansive view of The Post’s journalism, without death or darkness: “Riveting Storytelling for All of America.”

The statement is meant to be an internal rallying point for employees, according to two people with knowledge of the decision. Executives are not planning to replace its more strident public slogan. Suzi Watford, The Post’s chief strategy officer, has been previewing it to some employees this week. ... The new mission statement comes amid turmoil in the newsroom. Since June, The Post has been reeling from a series of crises that has resulted in widespread dissatisfaction with Will Lewis, the company’s chief executive. On Wednesday, more than 400 employees sent a letter to Jeff Bezos, the paper’s billionaire owner, requesting a meeting to discuss leadership decisions that they said “led readers to question the integrity of this institution” and that “prompted some of our most distinguished colleagues to leave.”

Mr. Bezos, the founder of Amazon, has made comments in line with the new mission statement in conversations with Post journalists in recent years, according to two people familiar with those discussions. Mr. Bezos has expressed hopes that The Post would be read by more blue-collar Americans who live outside coastal cities, mentioning people like firefighters in Cleveland. He has also said that he is interested in expanding The Post’s audience among conservatives, the people said.

The Post has already begun to consider ways to sharply increase the amount of opinion commentary published on its website, according to two people with knowledge of the talks. An adviser to The Post, Lippe Oosterhof, has conducted brainstorming sessions about a new initiative that would make it easier to receive and publish opinion writing from outside contributors. ... The Post has also tried to draw a sharper distinction between its news and opinion content. ... A spokesman for Mr. Bezos did not respond to a request for comment.

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A correction was made on Jan. 16, 2025: An earlier version of this article misidentified the month that Suzi Watford joined The Washington Post. It was May, not April.

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Benjamin Mullin reports on the major companies behind news and entertainment. Contact him securely on Signal at [phone] or at [e-mail]. More about Benjamin Mullin

A version of this article appears in print on , Section B, Page 1 of the New York edition with the headline: Post Updates Aim: Target All America. Order Reprints | Today’s Paper | Subscribe