Washington City Paper
Encyclopedia
The Washington City Paper is a U.S.
alternative weekly
newspaper serving the Washington, D.C.
, metropolitan area.
Founded in 1981, and published for its first year under the masthead 1981, taking the City Paper name in volume 2, by Russ Smith, it shared ownership with the Chicago Reader from 1982 until July 2007, when both papers were sold to the Tampa
-based Creative Loafing
chain. The former Chicago Reader Corp., now named Quarterfold, still owns the buildings that house the papers and minority stakes in other alternative newsweeklies.
The City Paper is distributed on Thursdays; its average circulation in 2006 was 85,588. The paper's editorial mix is focused exclusively on local news and arts.
Michael Schaffer
was named editor in April, 2010, two months after Erik Wemple
resigned to run the new local startup TBD
. Amy Austin, the longtime general manager, was promoted to publisher in 2003.
The owner of the Washington Redskins
Daniel Snyder
filed a lawsuit against the City Paper for a cover story that portrayed him in a negative light.
Also published are a number of syndicated features:
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
alternative weekly
Alternative weekly
An alternative newspaper is a type of newspaper, that eschews comprehensive coverage of general news in favor of stylized reporting, opinionated reviews and columns, investigations into edgy topics and magazine-style feature stories highlighting local people and culture. Their news coverage is more...
newspaper serving the Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....
, metropolitan area.
Founded in 1981, and published for its first year under the masthead 1981, taking the City Paper name in volume 2, by Russ Smith, it shared ownership with the Chicago Reader from 1982 until July 2007, when both papers were sold to the Tampa
Tampa, Florida
Tampa is a city in the U.S. state of Florida. It serves as the county seat for Hillsborough County. Tampa is located on the west coast of Florida. The population of Tampa in 2010 was 335,709....
-based Creative Loafing
Creative Loafing
CL Inc. is the Tampa, Florida-based publisher of three city newsweeklies and their associated websites. Each of the papers focuses on local news, politics, arts and entertainment, and restaurants...
chain. The former Chicago Reader Corp., now named Quarterfold, still owns the buildings that house the papers and minority stakes in other alternative newsweeklies.
The City Paper is distributed on Thursdays; its average circulation in 2006 was 85,588. The paper's editorial mix is focused exclusively on local news and arts.
Michael Schaffer
Michael Schaffer
Michael Schaffer is an American journalist who is currently editor of Washington City Paper.- Biography :Schaffer began his career as a writer at City Paper, where he eventually became editor David Carr 's deputy. He later worked at U.S. News and World Report, where he covered national politics as...
was named editor in April, 2010, two months after Erik Wemple
Erik Wemple
Erik Wemple is the editor of the alternative weekly Washington City Paper. He was raised in Schenectady, New York and attended Hamilton College in Clinton, New York, graduating in 1986. In 1986-87 Wemple taught and coached sports at Trinity Pawling School, in Pawling, New York. In the fall of...
resigned to run the new local startup TBD
TBD (website)
TBD is a website that covers Washington, D.C. news. Launched on August 9, 2010, it is owned by Allbritton Communications Company, with offices in Rosslyn, Virginia.-History:Plans for the site were first announced in October 2009...
. Amy Austin, the longtime general manager, was promoted to publisher in 2003.
The owner of the Washington Redskins
Washington Redskins
The Washington Redskins are a professional American football team and members of the East Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League . The team plays at FedExField in Landover, Maryland, while its headquarters and training facility are at Redskin Park in Ashburn,...
Daniel Snyder
Daniel Snyder
Daniel M. Snyder is the current owner of the Washington Redskins American football team, owner of the Dick Clark Productions television production company, and primary investor in Red Zebra Broadcasting, which is home to the Redskins Radio Network. Snyder has a net worth of $1.05 billion...
filed a lawsuit against the City Paper for a cover story that portrayed him in a negative light.
Contents
Regular City Paper features include:- a cover feature, 2,500 to 12,000 words in length
- an arts feature, 1,200 to 2,000 words in length
- The District Line, a section of shorter news features about D.C.
- Loose LipsLoose LipsLoose Lips is a politics column published in the Washington City Paper, a United States of America alternative weekly newspaper serving the Washington, D.C., metropolitan area...
, a news column and blog devoted to D.C. local politics, written by Alan Suderman - Dept. of Media, an irregular news column devoted to Washington-based media
- Cheap Seats, a feature column devoted to sports in D.C., written by Dave McKenna
- Young & Hungry, a food column and blog written by Chris Shott
- Housing Complex, a real estate column and blog, written by Lydia DePillis
- Artifacts, a pair of short arts features
- Film reviews by Tricia Olszewski
- Theater reviews by critics Trey Graham and Bob MondelloBob MondelloBob Mondello is an American film critic. He has worked for National Public Radio since 1984 — where he is the arts critic / film and theater commentator for All Things Considered. He has also been theater critic for Washington City Paper since 1987...
- Music and book reviews by various writers
- City Lights, a section comprising critics' events picks.
Also published are a number of syndicated features:
- Ink Well Crosswords, by Ben Tausig
- News of the WeirdNews of the WeirdNews of the Weird is a syndicated newspaper column edited by Chuck Shepherd that collects bizarre news stories. It was created in 1988. , it is syndicated by Universal Press Syndicate and published in more than 250 newspapers in the United States and Canada. As of July 2008, the daily internet...
, by Chuck Shepherd and Jim Sweeney - Savage LoveSavage LoveSavage Love is a syndicated sex-advice column by Dan Savage. The column appears weekly in several dozen newspapers, mainly free newspapers in the US and Canada, but also newspapers in Europe and Asia...
, by Dan SavageDan SavageDaniel Keenan "Dan" Savage is an American author, media pundit, journalist and newspaper editor. Savage writes the internationally syndicated relationship and sex advice column Savage Love. Its tone is frank in its discussion of sexuality, often humorous, and hostile to social conservatives, as in... - The Straight Dope, by Cecil AdamsCecil AdamsCecil Adams is a name, possibly a pseudonym, designating the American author of The Straight Dope, a popular question and answer column published in The Chicago Reader since 1973. Ed Zotti is Adams' current editor....