The DC Write-Up

A few publications’ names resound through the hallowed halls of journalism. The Wall Street Journal is one. The New York Times is another. Washington, D.C. offers up its own contribution in the form of The Washington Post, the largest and currently oldest paper in the district. The Post has been published since 1877 and is circulated daily in D.C., Maryland, and Virginia.Historians remember the Washington Post thanks to reporters Bob Woodward and Carl Bernstein, who broke the news of the Watergate scandal to the American public. The paper also published numerous investigative reports on the Walter Reed Army Medical Center in 2007. Apart from those two national events, The Post has continuously been known for its prescient political coverageno surprise, given its proximity to the heart of American politics.Stilson Hutchins founded the paper in 1877. With the introduction of the Sunday edition in 1880, the paper became the first in the city to be published each day of the week. The first change in leadership came when Hutchins sold the paper to former Postmaster General Frank Hatton and retired Congressman Beriah Wilkins in 1899. This was also when the paper hired composer John Philip Sousa to compose a march for an essay contest awards ceremony. This march was also called “The Washington Post,” and has become an enduring work, especially thanks to its association with the popular “two-step” dance.Over the years, the paper has been recognized with 47 Pulitzer Prizes. 25 of those have been awarded since 1991, when Leonard Downie, Jr. was named executive editor. In 2008, the paper received six separate Pulitzers, which is the second-highest record for a single year. In 2010, four of the paper’s writers received Pulitzers: Anthony Shadid for “International Reporting,” Gene Weingarten for “Feature Writing,” Kathleen Parker for “Commentary,” and Sarah Kaufman for “Criticism.”368 White House News Photographers Association awards and 18 Nieman Fellowships also decorate The Post‘s refrigerator door (figuratively speaking, of course). In 2009, The Post was still the fifth-largest newspaper in the country, despite the decreasing circulation rates of all major papers. If you’ve got an interest in the D.C. area, the national political scene, or just impressive writing, check out The Washington Post and see what D.C. residents have been reading for over 130 years. If you want to visit The Post‘s headquarters during your trip, they’re located at 1150 15^th Street N.W.