The Washington Post (Washington Post)

Owned by Jeff Bezos, the Washington Post is a daily newspaper based in Washington, DC.

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4.1/5

Updated:

Aug. 12, 2021

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Employee Satisfaction

2.0/5

Accessibility to training resources

Employers should provide their employees with the proper resources to improve and be well versed in their specialties. As the human resources department of a company controls the training resources that are available to employees, employees should be sufficiently satisfied with the opportunities for improvement that the department provides and the department should be ranked highly against similarly sized companies.

1.0/1

The Washington Post’s training resources are managed by their Human Resources department. Overall, employees are extremely satisfied by the opportunities for improvement that HR provides, as they are rated within the top 5% of similarly sized companies.

Employee benefits in comparison to industry standards

Every business should provide their employees with benefits to improve their working life and the health of themselves and their family. Standard benefits that should be offered include health insurance, life insurance, dental insurance, paid time off or sick time, paid medical leave, education assistance, and 401k. Employees should have a good sentiment around the perks and benefits their company provides, and the benefits should rank highly against similarly sized companies.

0.0/1

The Washington Post’s perks and benefits rank them in the bottom 20% of similarly sized companies. They provide benefits such as Dental Insurance, Vision Insurance, Health Insurance, Life Insurance, Paid Time Off, and 401K, however, only 50% of employees are satisfied with their benefits.

Overall work environment

A healthy work environment provides several perks such as increasing productivity and creativity and boosting motivation and company morale. Employees should be comfortable working with their peers and feel that they have an adequate amount of freedom to improve. As a result, a company should cultivate a work environment that is highly rated by both employees and against similar companies, and employees should also be pleased with the company's leadership and the opportunities they provide.

1.0/1

The Washington Post facilitates a very accepting work environment, that rates within the top 5% of similarly sized companies. In fact, it promotes teamwork, collaboration, and trying new things, in an environment where everyone is treated equally. Additionally, the leadership and management are very supportive and open to new ideas.

Salaries in comparison to industry standards

Higher salaries and compensation allow employees to be more invested in their jobs and feel that they are valued by the company. It also allowed companies to expect that employees are more productive and that they produce high-quality work. As a result, employers should provide salaries that rate them highly in comparison to similarly-sized companies and employees should be satisfied with their compensation.

0.0/1

The Washington Post pays salaries that rank within the bottom 15% of similarly sized companies. The average reporter only makes $66,000 per year and the average editor only makes $66,134 per year, while the average designer only makes $76,000 per year. Moreover, only 61% of employees are satisfied with their compensation.

Work from home and response to the pandemic

Allowing employees to work from home, gives them the opportunity to work in a more comfortable setting and have fewer distractions. Especially during the COVID-19 pandemic, being able to work from home is important to keep safe and still be productive. Thus, employees should be satisfied with the company's response and leadership during the pandemic, and a minimal number of employees should be expected to work in the office.

0.0/1

In response to the pandemic, The Washington Post required an average of 60% of their employees to be in the office. Furthermore, though 67% of employees were satisfied with the company’s leadership during the pandemic, only 44% were given the opportunity to take paid sick days off.

Independence

5.0/6

Avoids conflicts of interest

A news outlet's primary allegiance should be to the public, and conflicts of interest threaten the accuracy of news. Journalists should never be stakeholders in their reporting and must disclose any unavoidable conflicts.

2.0/2

The Washington Post is “pledged to avoid conflicts of interest or the appearance of conflicts of interest wherever and whenever possible.” This includes avoiding gifts; involvement in partisan causes; and payment from governments, political groups, or controversial organizations.

Decline gifts, favors, free travel, and special treatment

Responsible journalists should be impartial to the people they cover, so should not accept any special treatment from them, especially from political parties or candidates.

1.0/1

According to their Policies and Standards, Washington Post journalists should accept no gifts from news sources, free trips, or preferential treatment or admission. Exceptions are made for “occasional and innocent” gifts or invitations, though.

Doesn’t pay for information

Paying sources for information, also known as checkbook journalism, is detrimental to the independence of news outlets and threatens the veracity of that information. Sources may be incentivized to embellish stories to increase their pay, people may be motivated to stage or invent dramatic news, and journalists may be less likely to search for conflicting information if they've already paid for a source.

1.0/1

According to their Policies and Standards, Washington Post reporters and editors “cannot accept payment from any person, company, or organization that he or she covers.” This includes not accepting any freelance assignments or honoraria that could be disguised payments.

Labels sponsored content

Advertisements and sponsored content on news outlet websites that look and feel like journalism should be clearly marked, as it's very easy for users to confuse them with actual editorial content.

0.5/1

Washington Post advertising is not clearly marked, though it is distinguishable from normal editorial content.

Uses original photos

For a news source to be independent, their own photographers should produce the photos in the paper. This also ensures that the events are verified and the photos are accurate and unedited.

0.5/1

While there are many original photos taken for the Washington Post, several are from other sources like the Associated Press. All photos are properly credited.

Objectivity & Fact Checking

9.0/10

Avoids editorializing news stories

The publisher must clearly distinguish news and opinion in the paper and website. There should be no ambiguity about whether an article is in the news or opinion section.

2.0/2

Opinion and News are clearly separate, with a separate section on the website. In addition, the word "Opinion" is in a distinct color from the rest of the article and clearly displayed at the top. Journalists are also prohibited from actively supporting partisan clauses.

Avoids publishing incorrect information

The publication has rigorous processes for verifying all information before publishing. This includes having multiple people review each story.

2.0/2

The Washington Post requires multiple editors to review each article to ensure accuracy.

Corrections are clear

Publications should have a corrections page that links to corrected articles with an explanation of what was changed. In addition, the corrected article should have a note explaining the correction.

1.0/2

On their corrections page, articles are not linked and the correction is only vaguely described.

Don’t purposefully bait emotions

Stories should use neutral language where appropriate. Some stories will naturally evoke certain emotions like pride or sadness, but journalists should not intentionally bait these.

2.0/2

Neutral language is used in news reports, and strong emotions are not evoked when reading the articles.

Open minded to publishing unpopular stories and studies

The publication considers a wide range of opinions, both in the people they interview for their news articles and opinion writers.

2.0/2

The Washington Post has opinion writers writing opinions with a wide range of arguments. Recent writers include Chuck Schumer and Mitch McConnell.

Quality of Sources

8.0/8

Anonymous sources

Judges stories on how many anonymous sources are used. Fewer are better.

2.0/2

For an anonymous source to be used, both the reporter and an editor must know the identity. In addition, multiple sources independent of each other must be used, with their motives disclosed.

Credible research

Excluding breaking news stories, articles must have credible studies and statistics that are linked to them.

2.0/2

Credible sources relevant to a story are linked, and reporters sometimes share portions of stories before publications to ensure information is being portrayed accurately.

Interviews with relevant/credible people

Interviews are conducted with various people. This includes eyewitnesses at the sites of breaking stories, experts, and people with diverse views on new policy proposals or studies.

2.0/2

According to their policy, the Washington Post will interview people with diverse views of a story to paint a full picture. These people could include experts and eyewitnesses of events.

Photographic and/or video evidence for breaking stories

Original photos and/or videos are provided to better show the reader the site of a breaking story.

2.0/2

The Washington Post regularly shows relevant photos and videos to give the reader a better context of what is happening.

User Experience

4.5/6

Affordability

Providing high-quality news at an affordable price is important for the average user. News outlets should offer news subscriptions that are comparable to the average price for a news subscription, such that the general audience can afford their subscription.

1.0/1

Given that the average news subscription costs $120 per year ($10 per month), The Washington Post provides an affordable subscription price that costs 59.9% of the average cost, at $71.88 per year ($5.99 per month).

Article layout in actual paper

The layout of articles in a newspaper makes the article more interesting for the reader. A good article layout can keep them on their toes and make them excited to continue reading. Hence, newspapers should not follow a standard article layout, but should instead alter the format to highlight important details and make the article more understandable for the average reader.

0.5/1

The Washington Post follows a standard layout for its newspaper, with a format that rarely changes. Nonetheless, it is formatted to highlight important details and be as reader-friendly as possible.

Clarity of articles for general audience

Writing news articles that are understandable for the general audience is vital for a publication, simply so that anyone can read their articles. News outlets should not cater their articles for a specific demographic, but should instead use language and visuals that are clear for someone with an average education and demographic background.

0.0/1

Upon inspecting The Washington Post’s reader demographic, it becomes apparent that their articles are catered for and target well-educated individuals. 72% of their readers are college graduates, and 42% have post-graduate degrees. Moreover, 54% of their readers earn a household income greater than $75,000, and 35% earn a household income greater than $100,000. As The Washington Post says themselves they cater for “smart, engaged, [and] influential individuals”, indicating that their articles may not be comprehensible or accessible for the general audience.

Graphics, visuals, and videos are included where necessary

Graphics, visuals, and videos all enhance the degree to which an article can be appealing to a reader. Not only can they pull them in, but they can also add to the article, and express points that cannot be properly expressed in words. Publications should use several relevant graphics, visuals, and videos in their articles, and alter the form they appear in, whether it be relevant Twitter posts, up-close photographs, and original drawings.

1.0/1

The Washington Post’s graphics, visuals, and videos are all meant to add to the story that the article is telling. Whether it be photographs, Twitter posts, or informative graphics, all of their graphics, visuals, and videos tell a story in themselves that improves the reader’s experience and allows them to gather even more information than what is provided in the article.

Lack of intrusive ads

Ads are a major form of income for multiple different news outlets, but they can also take away from the reader's experience if they are not placed in appropriate locations or are too distracting. News outlets should format ads, on both their website and their paper (if applicable), such that they are in places that naturally flow with the user's read, there are a minimal number of them, and so that they do not take away from the user's experience.

1.0/1

On both their website and paper, The Washington Post for one has a very minimal amount of ads but also formats them in such a manner that they are non-intrusive and placed in locations that flow with the paper and website’s layouts and don’t take away from the reader’s experience.

Website UI

A good user interface can make it easy for users to navigate a site and more likely to continue reading news on the publication's site. It also provides them the necessary information to understand the quality of the news and if they would be interested in reading an article. A publication's website should have clearly defined news sections and headings, and have article previews that include a relevant visual, a clear title, and a brief summary that gives the user an overview of what the article discusses.

1.0/1

The Washington Post has a great website that is formatted in such a way that each section is easily accessible and engaging for the average reader. Furthermore, it has a minimal number of ads, with the ones that they do display, only being between sections in such a manner that they do not take away from the reader’s experience.