DEMOCRACY DIES IN HACKNEYED CLICHES: The Washington Post’s New Mission: Reach ‘All of America.’ This week, the Post began trying out a new mission statement: “Riveting Storytelling for All of America.”
After Donald J. Trump entered the White House in 2017, The Washington Post adopted a slogan that underscored the newspaper’s traditional role as a government watchdog: “Democracy Dies in Darkness.”
This week, as Mr. Trump prepares to re-enter the White House, the newspaper debuted a mission statement that evokes a more expansive view of The Post’s journalism, without death or darkness: “Riveting Storytelling for All of America.”
The statement is meant to be an internal rallying point for employees, according to two people with knowledge of the decision. Executives are not planning to replace its more strident public slogan. Suzi Watford, The Post’s chief strategy officer, has been previewing it to some employees this week.
To be fair, the Bezos Post will have to have some seriously “riveting” storytelling to make up for the Graham family’s earlier attempts to really push the envelope. Come back Janet Cooke and Mark Felt, all is forgiven!