- Thursday, October 19, 2017

Dear readers,

For 35 years, The Washington Times has stood sentinel along the banks of the Potomac River, shining a bright light into all corners of the federal government.

During Republican administrations and Democratic administrations alike, the paper has been unflinching in keeping its responsibility to inform readers and expose government shenanigans.

Long before “fair and balanced” became a battle cry and the proliferation of websites spanning the political spectrum, there was The Washington Times, beholden to no one and no party.

When Ronald Reagan stormed into Washington on a promise to “make America great again,” The Washington Times was there and chronicled the historic collapse of the Soviet Union.

When George H.W. Bush won the Gulf War, only to later stumble on his pledge of “no new taxes,” The Washington Times was there.

When a young, smooth-talking governor from Arkansas stunned the political world, The Washington Times was there. And for eight years, the paper produced award-winning political coverage that ended in President Clinton’s impeachment and investigations that to this day leave many questions unanswered.

During the epic 2000 presidential election recount in Florida, The Times was there, counting chads and recording every legal argument all the way to the Supreme Court.

On Sept. 11, 2001, The Washington Times was there. And never forgot.

The Times stood watch from the triumphant march into Baghdad to the bitter end of George W. Bush’s presidency.

The Times was there for the hopeful dawn of President Obama’s inauguration to the rejection of his presidency with the election of Donald Trump.

Of course, politics is the bread and butter of any newspaper based in Washington. But The Times has also invested unparalleled energies into covering the First Amendment, religious freedom, American culture, gun rights and social issues that many other newspaper shy from.

The only agenda of The Washington Times is the agenda of its readers. If it is important to you, it is important to us. It has always been that way.

Over the past 3 decades, tumultuous changes have wracked the newspaper industry.

Today, there is greater competition among news outlets — both in print and over the internet — than ever before in human history. The most vaunted and venerated publications must now compete with any outlet that has a web address and a keyboard.

But to this day, The Washington Times has never surrendered its independence, its dedication to accuracy and its devotion to the interests of our readers.

Thank you for reading. We hope you will keep reading for the next 35 years.

— Executive Editor Christopher Dolan and Opinion Editor Charles Hurt

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