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Leonard Downie Jr. papers, 1961-2020

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BOX 9-14 Washington Post, 1966-2019
The Washington Post series is comprised of correspondence, staff memos, policy documents, clippings, photographs, proposals and reports, and budget materials related to the internal operations of the Washington Post newspaper and newsroom. This series is divided into two groups: the Career file and the Subject file. The Career file reflects the activities Downie participated in or contributed to while holding various positions during his career at the Washington Post, maintaining the arrangement of material as received. The Subject file includes material on topics such as individual newspaper features and sections, guidance on story and editorial decisions, newsroom operations and diversity, committee reports, and organizational infrastructure. A significant amount of files cover Downie’s attendance at “Pugwash,” the annual planning retreat for top management and senior editors of the Washington Post. These include meeting agendas and minutes, presentation slides and notes, correspondence, planning proposals and reports, travel documents, statistics, and budget materials.
Material types include correspondence, staff memos, policy documents, clippings, photographs, proposals and reports, budget materials, meeting agendas and minutes, and presentation slides and notes.
Arranged alphabetically by subject.
BOX 9 Career file
BOX 9 Executive editor, 1991-2008, 2016-2019
(3 folders)
BOX 9 London correspondent, 1979-1982, undated
BOX 9 Managing editor, 1984-1989
(2 folders)
BOX 9 Metro editor, 1976-1979, undated
BOX 9 Subject file
BOX 9 Abortion coverage, 1989-1992
BOX 9 Accuracy in media, 1976, 1985, 1991-1998
BOX 9 Bennett, Philip, strategy proposal, circa 2008
BOX 9 Bradlee, Benjamin C., newsroom farewell photographs, undated
(2 folders)
BOX 10 Budget, 1982-1983, 1990-1994, 2002-2006
(4 folders)
BOX 10 Career development, 1986-1993, 2004
(2 folders)
BOX 10 Copy editing, 1966, 1973, 1980-1983, 1994, 2004, undated
BOX 10 Digital news idea memo, 1990-1992, 2012, 2018
BOX 10 Disaster plans and procedures, 1980-1985, 2001
BOX 10 Diversity, 1970-1972, 1986-2007
(2 folders)
BOX 10 Election night coverage, 2008
BOX 10 Electronic Washington Post coverage, CompuServe, 1981
BOX 10 Ethics and policies, 1980-1999
BOX 11 FBI phone surveillance, 2008, 2016
BOX 11 Female Readership Committee report, 2008
BOX 11 Financial, 1985-1988, 2005-2007
BOX 11 Foreign correspondence, 1990-1998, 2004-2008
BOX 11 Graham, Donald E., memos, 1979-1991
BOX 11 Hispanic coverage, 1986-1995
BOX 11 Horizon: The Learning Section, 1993
BOX 11 Infrastructure, 1983, 1994-1998
BOX 11 Interns on staff, circa 1979, 1995, undated
BOX 11 Investigative reporting, 1992-1998, 2007
BOX 11 Laurence Stern Fellowship, 1999, 2006, undated
BOX 11 LGBT coverage, Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation (GLAAD), 1989-1995
BOX 11 Los Angeles Times-Washington Post News Service, 1982-1992
BOX 11 Managing editors, 1998-2005, 2019
BOX 11 Managing editor search memos, 2004
BOX 11 Metro section, 1985-1998, 2005
BOX 12 Metro section zoning, 1987-1989
BOX 12 Miscellaneous memos, 1979-2001
BOX 12 National news coverage, 1995
BOX 12 News desk, 1989-1996, 2007
BOX 12 News strategy, 1991-1992, 1998, 2004-2007, 2015
BOX 12 Ombudsman, 1979-2005
BOX 12 Outlook section, 1978, 1985
BOX 12 Photography and design, 1995-1998, 2005
BOX 12 Poindexter, John, trial, phone calls to jurors, 1990
BOX 12 Proposed business ideas, 1989-1993
BOX 12 Pugwash planning retreat, 1976-1986
(3 folders)
BOX 13 Pugwash planning retreat, 1986-2005
(7 folders)
BOX 14 Pugwash planning retreat, 2006-2007
(3 folders)
BOX 14 Solomon, George, 1984, 2015
BOX 14 Source attributions and backgrounders, 1971, 1982-1983
BOX 14 Sports section, 1998
BOX 14 Staff buyout plans, 2008
BOX 14 Staff evaluation policies, 1972, 1984-1987
BOX 14 Style section, 1988-1996, 2004-2006
BOX 14 Systems, 1989-1992
BOX 14 Taste and sensibilities, undated
BOX 14 Washington Post Magazine, 1995-1998
BOX 14 Washington Post Radio, 2006-2007
BOX 14 Website, dot comm, 1999-2007
BOX 14 Weekly sections, 1979-1991, 1998
(2 folders)
BOX 14 WNVC television agreement, 1995
BOX 15-20 Writings, 1961-2020
The Writings series contains drafts, notes and research, press clippings, printed matter, reviews, and correspondence with publishers and editors. These include articles and essays written for the Washington Post and other publications, book reviews, manuscript notes, reports, and speeches and lectures. As part of Downie’s research for his book News About the News, he conducted lengthy interviews with major television broadcast journalists and executives, including Tom Brokaw, Peter Jennings, Andrew Lack, Chris Matthews, and Dan Rather. Also featured in this series are transcripts of recorded dialogues between Downie and Katharine Graham in which they discuss Washington Post coverage and editorial decisions as well as the impact of the economy on journalism.
Material types include drafts, transcripts, notes and research, press clippings, printed matter, reviews, and correspondence.
Arranged by type of material and alphabetically therein.
BOX 15 Articles and essays
BOX 15 The Alicia Patterson Fund/Foundation, 1971-1972
BOX 15 Investigative series for the Washington Post, 1964-1969 See also Container OV 2, Oversize bound prints of "The People’s Tribunal"
BOX 15 The Lantern, The Ohio State University, 1961-1963
BOX 15 Miscellaneous articles and essays on journalism, 2008-2018
BOX 15 The Nation, 1972-1974
BOX 15 "The Recreation Land Racket," The Progressive, 1974
BOX 15 Washington Post articles, 1973-1978, 2012, 2018
(2 folders)
BOX 15 Book reviews, 2009-2012
BOX 15 Books
BOX 15 All About the Story: News, Power, Politics, and the Washington Post
BOX 15 Chapter drafts and notes, 2019
BOX 15 Editing, 2020
BOX 15 Feedback, 2019
(2 folders)
BOX 16 Feedback, 2019
(2 folders)
BOX 16 Interviews, 2003-2007, 2016-2020
(2 folders)
BOX 16 Notes and research, 1973-1977, 1983, 1989-1997, 2003-2019, undated
(4 folders)
BOX 16 Page proofs, 2020
BOX 16 Reviews, 2020
BOX 16 Justice Denied: The Case for Reform of the Courts, 1970-1971
BOX 17 Mortgage on America, 1971-1975
BOX 17 The New Muckrakers: An Inside Look at America's Investigative Reporters, 1974-1976, 2009-2010
BOX 17 The News About the News
BOX 17 Events and press, 2002-2003
BOX 17 Interviews with television broadcasters, 2000-2002
BOX 17 Reviews and press, 2002-2003
BOX 17 The News Media: What Everyone Needs to Know, 2013-2017
BOX 17 The Rules of the Game
BOX 17 Appearances and events, 2008-2009
BOX 17 Reviews, 2008-2011
BOX 18 Dialogues with Katharine Graham
BOX 18 Economic club speech, 1990
BOX 18 Editor decisions, undated
BOX 18 June 27, 1984
BOX 18 October 3, undated
BOX 18 Interviews, 2013-2020
BOX 18 Master's thesis, "Mass Coverage of Major News Events," The Ohio State University, 1965
BOX 18 Reports
BOX 18 The Obama Administration and the Press, Committee to Protect Journalists, 2013-2014
(5 folders)
BOX 19 The Reconstruction of American Journalism, Columbia Journalism School, 2009
(3 folders)
BOX 19 The Trump Administration and the Media, Committee to Protect Journalists, 2019-2020
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