“Riveting Storytelling for All of America” is WaPo’s new mission statement
The Washington Post, which adopted the slogan “Democracy Dies in Darkness” after Donald Trump’s first inauguration, is now pushing a new mission statement to its employees as Trump prepares to take office for a second time, The New York Times reported.
Created as an “internal rallying point” for staff and not currently meant to replace the paper’s public slogan, the new statement reads: “Riveting Storytelling for All of America.”
According to the Independent, “once the Times reported on the new corporate strategy for the Post, whose newsroom has been embroiled in turmoil for months, the mission statement was immediately mocked online by critics and journalists.”
“Quick don’t look is this the statement for Disney Plus, Max, or The Washington Post,” The Bulwark’s Tim Miller tweeted. Forbes tech and innovation executive editor John Paczkowski, meanwhile, connected the motto with that of Amazon, whose founder Jeff Bezos also owns the Post. “Wapo: ‘Work Hard, Have Fun, Make History,’” he posted.
“Regular storytelling isn’t gonna cut it folks. Gotta rivet people in Texas and Minnesota,” The Hollywood Reporter’s media reporter Alex Weprin noted.
The Times also reported that a slide deck presented to executives detailing the genesis of the mission statement described how artificial intelligence would help bring more readers and subscribers to the paper.
“It describes The Post as ‘an A.I.-fueled platform for news’ that delivers ‘vital news, ideas and insights for all Americans where, how and when they want it,’” the Times notes. “It also lays out three pillars of The Post’s overall plan: ‘great journalism,’ ‘happy customers’ and ‘make money.’”
More here.
