Washington City Paper Reporter Volunteers as Washington Post Ombudsman

Washington City Paper staff writer Will Sommer has named Will Sommer as the next ombudsman of the Washington Post.

Post publisher Katharine Weymouth announced last week that the paper would eliminate the position after 43 years and appoint a “reader representative” in its place. When the Post first announced it was considering the move, a former ombudsman lamented, “From the outset, the role has been to provide readers with access to an independent agent empowered to investigate charges that The Post has not lived up to its high journalistic standards.”

Enter Sommer, independent agent in the truest sense, who will volunteer his services pro bono:


Starting today, I am your new Washington Post ombudsman. Concerned about a potential plagiarist? Mad about the Post‘s search engine? Something about Ezra Klein just rub you the wrong way? Email me at postombudsman@washingtoncitypaper.com, or call me at 703-594-9142. (It’s a 703 number because the Post these days feels a lot like a suburban paper.) Check back for my first column later this afternoon.

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