Government, Federal, Coverage of

Origin of the Washington Press Corps

In the late eighteenth century, press coverage of national politics was dominated by news organizations sponsored by government officials and financially subsidized by federal agencies (see Cook 1998). Federalist newspapers like The Gazette of the United States and its rival National Gazette[Page 676]were published by partisans supported by government printing contracts and political patronage jobs. The President designated an official administration newspaper, such as the National Intelligencer, which provided President Jefferson (1801–09) with a mouthpiece for official news as well as information not attributed directly to him. When reporters sought to cover the proceedings of the House of Representatives, their access was granted on an individual basis and could be revoked as political revenge. The Senate, members of which were (until 1913) appointed by state legislatures, made no provision for reporters in its chamber until 1802.

The Washington press corps began to take a more recognizable shape in the mid-nineteenth century, with the expansion of the penny press and its dependence on a mass audience, rather than narrower partisan audiences. The federal government established the Government Printing office in 1860, reducing patronage opportunities for partisan printers. During the Civil War, news content shifted from terse reports and ideological arguments to expanded coverage of specific events, delivering what mass communications researcher Timothy E. Cook calls “the coup de grâce to the old partisan system.”

In the late nineteenth century, “Newspaper Row” developed along 14th Street between F Street and Pennsylvania Avenue, allowing the press corps to establish a stronger sense of internal camaraderie. The interactions among reporters and officials also became more institutional with these changes, with both sides developing a clearer set of routines and establishing a set of Washington newsbeats. Rather than initiating sporadic and ad hoc interviews with officials, specialized reporters began covering the various branches and agencies of government.

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