Publication analysis
About the publication
Title: The Washington Post
ISSN: 0190-8286 (Print).1
Website: https://www.washingtonpost.com/
Purpose, objective, or mission: “The Washington Post engages, informs and entertains the most influential minds. We shape the world through our news coverage and analysis. Our tradition of journalistic excellence and unparalleled access, paired with cutting-edge engineering, make The Washington Post the trusted source for our audience.”2
Target audience: Local Washington D.C. readers, regional readers, national readers, and global readers.
Publisher: Nash Holdings, LLC.3
Peer reviewed? No.
Type: Civilian newspaper.
Medium: Print and online.
Content: The Washington Post covers a variety of topics from politics, technology, sports, arts and entertainment, and business, to world news and more.
Frequency of publication: Daily print publication and a website with content that is updated frequently.
About the publication’s submission guidelines
Location of submission guidelines: Submission guidelines for op-eds can be found at https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/submit-an-op-ed/ and submission guidelines for letters to the editor can be found at https://helpcenter.washingtonpost.com/hc/en-us/articles/236004788-Send-a-letter-to-the-editor
Types of contributions accepted: Op-eds and letters to the editor are the accepted submission types.
Submission and review process:
Op-eds should be submitting using the op-ed submission form found on The Washington Post’s website. Information required in the submission form is as follows: author’s name, contact email address, contact phone number, the subject of the op-ed, and the op-ed text. The maximum length of the op-ed is 800 words and should be input in the text box as plain text without brackets.4
Letters to the editor can be sent to The Washington Post via mail, however, The Washington Post mentions that they strongly encourage authors to send their submission via email instead. Email submissions can be sent to letters [at] washpost.com (include the text of the letter in the email’s body; letters sent as email attachments will not be opened) and mailed letters can be addressed to Letters to the Editor, The Washington Post, 1301 K Street NW, Washington DC 20071.5
Letters should be 200 words or less, must include the writer’s name, and cannot have been published elsewhere. Additionally, “for verification purposes, they must include the writer’s home address, email address and telephone numbers, including a daytime telephone number.”6 Letters may be edited for length or clarity if necessary and, time permitting, editors at The Washington Post will confer with the author regarding the changes. For the best chance at getting your letter published, “Letters editor Jamie Riley looks for concise letters that offer a new perspective or add depth to the discussion of an issue.”7 If you haven’t heard back from editors at The Washington Post within 2 weeks, your letter most likely did not get selected for publication.
Editorial tone: A review of the current articles reflects an informal but informational tone.
Style guide used: Several articles alluded to a Washington Post style guide existing, however, it could not be located.
Conclusion: Evaluation of the publication’s potential for LIS authors
Publishing a piece in The Washington Post would be an excellent way for authors to present LIS issues and topics to a global audience and a great addition to an author’s resume or CV. Pieces can focus on LIS topics and issues on a national level, global level, or be specific to the Washington D.C. area. Examples of LIS articles published in The Washington Post are “COVID-19 took away our family’s second home: The library” and “Six ways to get to know D.C.’s beautifully renovated MLK Library — from a distance”.
For tips on how to get your piece published in The Washington Post, take a look at this guide that The Washington Post released in January of 2020.
Audience analysis
About the publication’s readers
Publication circulation: 1.6 million print readers per week, 104 million unique monthly visitors nationwide and 38 million international unique monthly visitors.8
Audience location and language or cultural considerations: The Washington Post has a national and global readership and is published in English.
Reader characteristics: The Washington Post divides its readers into four audience groups: Global, Leadership, Local/Washington, D.C. Market and International/Non-US.9
Global:
As stated by The Washington Post Media Kit, their publication is the “fastest growing news site in the world.”10.
Leadership:
The Media Kit for the Washington Post asserts that the paper is “. . . the #1 news source for reaching opinion leaders and decision makers in the beltway.”11
Local/Washington, D.C. Market:
1.6 million people in the D.C. market area read the print version of The Washington Post weekly and there are 2 million unique digital visitors from the D.C. market area per month.12
International/Non-US:
The Washington Post sees 38 million unique international visitors per month. “This international coverage unfolds around the clock seven days a week with timely, accessible and original coverage from bureaus on every continent.”13
Readers’ knowledge of LIS subject matter: Authors should assume that readers do not have knowledge of, and/or are not familiar with, LIS topics, issues or jargon.
Conclusion: Analysis of reader characteristics and their potential impact on authors
The Washington Post provides authors with the potential to reach a large audience with diverse viewpoints, lifestyles, and cultures. Pieces tailored to one (or more) of the four audience groups will do well, for instance, leadership in the LIS field, how COVID-19 has affected libraries in the US or library accessibility in other countries.
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