Washington

The Washington Post Is Running Out Of Readers Willing To Pay

Published

8 months ago

June 21, 2025

The Washington Post Is Running Out Of Readers Willing To Pay

WASHINGTON, DC – JUNE 5: The Washington Post Building at One Franklin Square in Washington, DC. … More (Photo by Andrew Harnik/Getty Images)

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I could hardly believe it when I saw The Washington Post’s new average daily paid circulation figure that made the rounds in recent days — a number so low that I first thought it must surely be missing a digit.

97,000.

That figure comes via the Alliance for Audited Media, and it reveals that The Washington Post’s average paid daily circulation has dropped below 100,000 for the first time in 55 years. To put that in perspective: 97,000 is the sort of figure you’d expect to see from a mid-size regional paper like The Minnesota Star Tribune or The Seattle Times. Not from a globally recognized newsroom with a billionaire owner and multiple Pulitzers to its name.

The Washington Post’s vanishing readership

Well, who cares about print anymore anyway, you might think. But there’s a difference between being the most important thing – and simply being important. Print falls in the latter category, because not only does the physical version of a newspaper or magazine still brings in revenue – an outlet’s circulation is also a kind of proxy metric that reflects the strength of a media brand’s connection to its audience.

Five years ago, the Post was selling 250,000 papers a day. On Sundays, it now barely crosses 160,000 (both numbers, again, from the Alliance for Audited Media data). Those numbers suggests that, at a time when trust and relevance are more important than ever for media institutions, the Jeff Bezos-owned newspaper seemingly comes up short on both counts – based on the declining number of readers who are willing to pay for it.

What’s more, the timing of this latest data coincides with a new bout of contraction: The Post is also eliminating its Metro section, folding local news coverage into a hybrid that combines Metro, Sports, and Style.

You don’t need a memo to understand what’s happening here.

The Post is shrinking, both physically and in terms of its relevance. Once a D.C. powerhouse with national ambition, it’s now in retreat, dealing with a collapse in readership and constant editorial instability. You could also argue there’s something of a disconnect that remains between the paper’s mission and its audience. As one reader wrote on X, “Local coverage of Virginia is a joke, and Politico, Axios and others eat their lunch” on Capitol Hill reporting. Another noted that the Post tried to become a national rival to The New York Times and failed — abandoning its identity as a regional and D.C. insider paper in the process.

One theory worth considering: The problem may very well be baked into the newspaper’s brand itself.

For all its Pulitzer-winning political journalism and ambitious national coverage, The Washington Post still carries the weight and limitations of, well, its name. My suspicion is that, because of its name, it probably remains too closely associated with Beltway politics, federal institutions, and D.C. power players. That makes it an obvious read for lawmakers and lobbyists, but a tougher sell for someone in, say, Des Moines.

The New York Times has certainly rebranded itself as a national lifestyle enterprise, with features like games and cooking-related content that augment its journalism. But while New York is a hub for media, entertainment, politics, and business, Washington D.C. is kind of a one-note town.

Making matters worse, the Post has been hemorrhaging top talent in recent months, including Metro veterans and key editors. It’s also dealing with sagging newsroom morale and tension surrounding Bezos’s editorial direction. Long story short: The paper is facing a reader crisis, a branding problem, and a leadership challenge all at once. It’s hard to see how the Post pulls itself out of this nosedive – and the circulation numbers suggest it’s running out of time.

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Washington

Tulip Day Washington draws buzz as sign-up site goes down

Published

14 hours ago

March 2, 2026

Press Room

WASHINGTON – Coming up this month, spring’s most colorful new event: Tulip Day Washington.

What we know:

On March 15, 2026, Tulip Day Washington will transform DC’s National Mall into a vibrant tulip-picking garden beautiful views of U.S. Capitol

This one-day event will take place from 11:15 AM – 4:15 PM, offering a floral showcase of approximately 150,000 tulips; visitors are invited to pick their choice of 10 tulips for free upon arrival.

Dig deeper:

The registration site for Tulip Day is currently down, showing users “This site is currently unavailable. If you’re the owner of this website, please contact your hosting provider to get this resolved.”

Users on social media say the event may be sold out.

Check tulipday.eu for updates.

The backstory:

The event is organized by the Embassy of the Netherlands and Royal Anthos, a Dutch trade association, in honor of America’s 250th birthday. The display of tulips will be in the shape of the number 250.

The bulbs come from the Netherlands, but are being grown in Virginia and New Jersey.

These won’t be the first tulips on the National Mall, however. The Floral Library, also known as the Tulip Library, features 93 beds of flowers near the Tidal Basin. The Floral Library was established in 1969, and is maintained by the National Park Services. These flowers, though, are to be enjoyed only – not to be picked.

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Washington

PHOTOS: Long Beach State Dirtbags vs. Washington State, Baseball

Published

1 day ago

March 2, 2026

Press Room

PHOTOS: Long Beach State Dirtbags vs. Washington State, Baseball

The562’s coverage of Dirtbags Baseball for the 2026 season is sponsored by P2S, Inc. Visit p2sinc.com to learn more.

Long Beach State dropped a 9-7 decision against Washington State on Sunday afternoon, closing out a busy weekend on Bohl Diamond at Blair Field.

The visiting Cougars took the lead for good in the eighth inning when Long Beach Poly grad Ryan Skjonsby delivered a game-winning two-run single with two outs and the bases loaded. Skjonsby was 2-for-4 with a walk, a run scored and three RBIs for Washington State in their road victory.

For the Dirtbags, catcher Damon Valdez scored twice and had a key two-run single in the sixth to help lead a Long Beach comeback. Trevor Goldenetz had a pair of hits at the top of the order, including an RBI triple. Camden Gasser walked twice and singled, improving his on-base percentage to .574 on the season.

Long Beach State (4-7) will be back in action at home on Tuesday with an exhibition match against Waseda University from Japan. The Dirtbags will then visit San Diego State on Wednesday and open Big West play at UC Santa Barbara this weekend.

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Washington

Week Ahead in Washington: March 1

Published

2 days ago

March 1, 2026

Press Room

WASHINGTON (Gray DC) – Operation “Epic Fury” — the weekend military operations carried out by the U.S. and Israel against targets in Iran — tops the agenda for Congress as lawmakers return to Washington.

Sunday, President Donald Trump said the new leadership in Iran wants to talk to the Trump Administration.

Democrats in both chambers called for Congress to return as soon as possible for classified briefings on Iran, followed by a move to vote on the War Powers Act. The Constitution gives Congress the power to declare war on another country.

Congress’ return to Washington was originally delayed due to the start of the 2026 midterm elections cycle.

Tuesday, voters in Arkansas, North Carolina and Texas head to the polls for primary elections.

North Carolina and Texas are drawing significant attention, as both states are facing congressional redistricting and competitive primary races for Senate seats.

In Texas, incumbent Sen. John Cornyn (R) is facing primary challenges from state Attorney General Ken Paxton and Rep. Wesley Hunt. On the Democratic side, Rep. Jasmine Crockett is facing state Rep. James Talarico.

In North Carolina, candidates are vying to replacing retiring Sen. Thom Tillis (R) . They include former Governor Roy Cooper (D) and former Republican National Committee Chair Michael Whatley.

Also this week, the Rev. Jesse Jackson is laid to rest. He will be honored Wednesday in Washington before a final memorial service Saturday. Jackson died Feb. 17.

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