'''The Washington Post''' is a dominant newspaper in Washington, D.C. with a circulation of 5 4 million. It was founded in 1877 and it's parent company, The Washington Post Company, is a publicly traded [[NYSE]] company. The family of Katharine Graham remain large shareholders, and ensures the paper never strays far from its [[Liberal]] point of view.
In 1981, Janet Cooke, a reporter hired by [[Ben Bradlee]], wrote a series of articles entitled, [http://www.uncp.edu/home/canada/work/markport/lit/litjour/spg2002/cooke.htm Jimmy's World], the profile of an eight year old [[heroin]] addict. Cooke was nominated by [[Bob Woodward]] for the [[Pulitzer Prize]], which she subsequently won after it was established the story was a complete fiction. ''Post'' Ombudsman Bill Green concluded an investigation with several comments and recommendations, including "The scramble for journalistic prizes is poisonous. The obligation is to inform readers, not to collect frameable certificates, however prestigious." [http://academics.smcvt.edu/dmindich/Jimmy%27s%20World.htm] The Ombudsman said of Bradlee, "Ensuring accuracy was the editor's job, and he had failed miserably." Woodward said of his nomination for the Pulitzer Prize, “It would be absurd for me or any other editor to review the authenticity or accuracy of stories that are nominated for prizes.”
*[http://www.editorandpublisher.com/eandp/news/article_display.jsp?vnu_content_id=1003600242 Bob Woodward: Yes, I Should Have Probed Iraqi WMD More Closely], ''Editor & Publisher'', June 18, 2007.
[[Category:US U.S. Newspapers|Washington Post]]