The Washington Post's new mission: Reaching 'all of America'

When Donald J. Trump entered the White House in 2017, the Washington Post adopted the slogan “Democracy Dies in the Dark,” emphasizing the paper's traditional role as a government watchdog. did.

This week, as Mr. Trump prepares to re-enter the White House, the paper debuted its mission statement, “Delivering compelling storytelling across America,” evoking a broader view of the Post's journalism without death or darkness. Published.

The statement is intended to be a rallying point for employees, two people familiar with the decision said. Management has no intention of replacing it with a more forceful public slogan. Susie Watford, the Post's chief strategy officer, is previewing it to some employees this week.

The new mission statement comes amid turmoil in the newsroom. Since June, the Post has been rocked by a series of crises that have resulted in widespread dissatisfaction with CEO Will Lewis. On Wednesday, more than 400 employees sent a letter to the paper's billionaire owner, Jeff Bezos, saying that “our readers have begun to question the integrity of this institution” and that “our most prominent colleagues… “I urged some of them to hold a meeting to discuss management's decision.'' To leave. ”

Amazon founder Bezos has made comments in recent conversations with Post reporters that are consistent with the new mission statement, two people familiar with the discussions said. Bezos mentioned people like firefighters in Cleveland and expressed hope that the post would be read by more blue-collar Americans living outside coastal cities. He also said he was interested in expanding the Post's readership among conservatives, the people said.

The Post has already begun considering ways to significantly increase the amount of commentary it publishes on its website, two people familiar with the talks said. Lippe Oosterhoff, a consultant to the Post, conducted a brainstorming session about a new initiative to make it easier to receive and publish opinion pieces from outside contributors.

The Post is also trying to make a clearer distinction between news and opinion content.

A spokesperson for Mr. Bezos did not respond to a request for comment.

A slide deck Ms. Watford presented to executives this week explains in more detail the origins of the Post's new mission statement. According to two people who saw the presentation, “Storytelling” is about “bringing a relentless spirit of research, backed by trusted sources, to deliver impactful stories in the formats the world needs.” ” states that it should be done. In order to reach the entire country, the newspaper said it needed to “understand and represent the interests of all Americans” and “provide a forum for perspective, expert perspective, and conversation.” states.

Watford, who joined the Post in April, also had big-picture goals for the company. Among them is reaching 200 million paying users. The slide deck describes this as a “big, audacious goal” or “BHAG.”

The slide deck compares the 200 million person goal to the moon landing effort, which is an ambitious goal. The Post currently has fewer than 3 million digital subscribers. The industry leader, The Times, has about 11 million people.

Most publications in the Washington Post's peer group have fewer than 200 million readers, according to data from analytics firm ComScore. The New York Times, Washington Post, Axios, and Politico all had less than 100 million total monthly viewers, both paid and unpaid, in the first half of 2024, but viewer numbers sharply increased around the presidential election. .

The paper's new target specifically refers to “users” rather than “subscribers,” suggesting the company may pursue different ways to get paid from readers. The Post reaches millions of consumers through platforms such as Apple News, social media and podcasts, according to internal data circulated by the Post. These audiences tend to be younger, but they are also very difficult to monetize as most of the advertising and subscription fees go to other platforms.

A slide deck presented by Mr. Watford described artificial intelligence as a key factor in the Post's success, the people said. The magazine describes The Post as an “AI-powered news platform” that delivers “the news, ideas and insight that every American needs, wherever and however they need it, and whenever they need it.” It also lays out the three pillars of the Post's overall plan: “Great Journalism,'' “Satisfied Customers,'' and “Profitability.'' The Post lost about $77 million in 2023.

But many aspects of the post's new mission have nothing to do with emerging technology. The slide deck includes a list of seven principles first articulated in 1935 by influential Post Company owner Eugene Meyer. Among them are: “Newspapers should tell the whole truth” and “The duty of newspapers is to their readers and the general public.” And not for the private benefit of its owner. ”