The Washington Examiner

The Washington Examiner
Type Daily newspaper
Format Tabloid
Owner Clarity Media Group
Publisher Michael Phelps
Editor Stephen G. Smith
Founded 2005
Headquarters 1015 15th St. NW
Suite 500
Washington, D.C. 20005
United States
Circulation 100,000-300,000[1]
Official website www.washingtonexaminer.com

The Washington Examiner is a free daily newspaper published in Springfield, Virginia, and distributed in the Washington, D.C. metropolitan area. It is owned by Denver billionaire Philip Anschutz.[2]

The newspaper was formerly distributed only in the suburbs of Washington, under the titles of Montgomery Journal, Prince George's Journal, and Northern Virginia Journal. Anschutz purchased their parent company, Journal Newspapers Inc., in October 2004. On February 1, 2005, the paper's name changed to the Washington Examiner, and it adopted a logo and format similar to that of another newspaper owned by Anschutz, the San Francisco Examiner.[3] The Examiner's parent company, Clarity Media Group, also owns the conservative opinion magazine The Weekly Standard.[4]

The Examiner co-sponsored the Republican presidential debate in Ames, Iowa on August 11, 2011.[5]

Contents

Distribution

The newspaper is supported entirely by advertisements and is distributed in the Washington, DC, area. The paper is available at most Washington Metro subway stations. It is delivered to 300,000 houses on Thursdays and 250,000 on Sundays. It is printed in a "compact" format, also known as a tabloid format. The Examiner covers world, national, and local news and sports. The Examiner's executive editor is Stephen G. Smith. The newspaper employs staff writers, news services, syndicated writers, and freelance writers.

In the past, some people complained of difficulty unsubscribing from the paper, despite in many cases never having subscribed.[6] In response to more than 100 citizens' complaints, Alexandria, Virginia initially proposed a "Do Not Deliver" list in 2006,[7] but that measure was deemed unworkable or possibly in violation of the First Amendment. In March 2009, the Alexandria City Council, at the urging of the City Manager's Office, passed Alexandria City Code §9-14,[8] as a Model Newspaper Delivery Ordinance.[9]

Format

Generally, the format of the Examiner starts with a cover page with local headlines, as opposed to national headlines. The next 8-10 pages are devoted to local news. National/political news follows, with pieces about things such as entertainment, real estate, etc. mixed in. There are typically four pages of op-eds with both syndicated and exclusive articles. Several pages of legal advertisements follow, and the last pages are for sports news.

Political views

When Anschutz started the Examiner in its current format, he envisioned creating a conservative competitor to The Washington Post. According to Politico.com, "When it came to the editorial page, Anschutz’s instructions were explicit — he 'wanted nothing but conservative columns and conservative op-ed writers,' said one former employee." The Examiner's conservative writers include Byron York (National Review), Michael Barone (American Enterprise Institute, Fox News), and David Freddoso (National Review, author of The Case Against Barack Obama). [10]

The paper endorsed John McCain in the 2008 presidential election[11] and Adrian Fenty in the Democratic primary for mayor in 2010.[12] On December 14, 2011, it endorsed Mitt Romney for the 2012 Republican presidential nomination, saying he was the only Republican who could beat Barack Obama in the general election.[13]

See also

References

  1. ^ Phil Anschutz's conservative agenda
  2. ^ Forbes profile on Philip Anschutz
  3. ^ Armstrong, David (February 11, 2005). "Examiner tests the waters in Washington, D.C.". San Francisco Chronicle. http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2005/02/11/BUG9EB9EI81.DTL. 
  4. ^ Weekly Standard acquired by Washington Examiner parent company, Washington Examiner, June 17, 2009.
  5. ^ Jacobs, Jennifer. "Eight GOP candidates on final lineup for Thursday’s debate in Iowa". Des Moines Register. http://caucuses.desmoinesregister.com/2011/08/09/eight-gop-candidates-on-final-lineup-for-thursdays-debate-in-iowa/. Retrieved 12 August 2011. 
  6. ^ Corrigan, G. M. (January 25, 2008). "Delegate seeks end to unwanted paper deliveries". The Washington Examiner. http://www.washingtonexaminer.com/economy/delegate_seeks_end_to_unwanted_paper_deliveries2008-01-25T08_00_00.html?c=y. Retrieved June 22, 2010. 
  7. ^ http://dockets.alexandriava.gov/fy06/061306rm/di21.pdf
  8. ^ http://www.scn.org/~bk269/alexandria_code_9-14.pdf
  9. ^ http://www.scn.org/~bk269/alexandria_code_9-14.html
  10. ^ Calderone, Michael (October 16, 2009). "Phil Anschutz's Conservative Agenda". The Politico. http://www.politico.com/news/stories/1009/28355.html. 
  11. ^ "The Examiner endorses McCain-Palin". The Washington Examiner. September 24, 2008. http://www.washingtonexaminer.com/opinion/The_Examiner_endorses_McCain-Palin_dc.html. Retrieved 2009-11-24. 
  12. ^ "Why Fenty deserves -- and D.C. needs -- four more years" (editorial). The Washington Examiner. September 7, 2010. http://www.washingtonexaminer.com/opinion/Why-Fenty-deserves-and-DC-needs-four-more-years--102302259.html. 
  13. ^ Influential Conservative Newspaper Backs Romney for GOP Nomination

External links