Washington Examiner (op-ed)
U.S. right
Background
The Washington Examiner traces its roots to Journal Newspapers, a group of suburban Washington-area papers that Philip Anschutz purchased in 2004. In February 2005, the papers were consolidated and rebranded as the Washington Examiner—a free daily tabloid distributed across the D.C. metro area and intended to compete with The Washington Post from a conservative angle. Anschutz's editorial direction was explicit: according to Politico, he wanted the opinion pages filled exclusively with conservative columnists and op-ed writers. From 2005 to 2013, it ran as a free-circulation daily; in June 2013, it shut down its local print edition and pivoted to national political coverage, becoming a weekly print magazine and digital outlet. The publication hired significant talent from The Washington Times as it repositioned. Media bias trackers—including AllSides (Lean Right, high confidence) and Media Bias/Fact Check (Right-Center)—consistently rate it on the right. In 2020, CNN published a report in which current and former staff described a culture of 'workplace terror and bullying.' The op-ed section publishes overwhelmingly conservative commentary but has at times included pointed criticisms of the Trump administration, among them a 2025 John Bolton piece calling Trump's Ukraine strategy 'incoherent' and a 2026 column headlined 'Donald Trump is losing his mind' during a public dispute with Pope Leo.
Sources
- Washington Examiner – Wikipedia
- Washington Examiner – Media Bias/Fact Check
- Washington Examiner Media Bias – AllSides
- Washington Examiner Bias and Reliability – Ad Fontes Media
- Washington Examiner employees describe climate of 'workplace terror and bullying' – CNN
- Philip Anschutz – Wikipedia
Profile compiled 2026-06-29; refreshed when ownership, funding, or the administration changes.