Loose Lips is a politics column published in the ''
Washington City Paper,'' an alternative weekly newspaper serving the
Washington, D.C., metropolitan area. It is billed as "The definitive guide to hometown politics in the nation's capital."
History
In 1983, when Ken Cummins started writing it, "Loose Lips" began as a political gossip column, encompassing both local and national politics. Over the next decade, the format eventually became entirely devoted to
Washington, D.C., local politics, focusing on intrigue in the mayor's office, the
D.C. Council
The Council of the District of Columbia is the legislative branch of the local government of the District of Columbia, the capital of the United States. As permitted in the United States Constitution, the district is not part of any U.S. state ...
, and the city bureaucracy.
In January 1999, Cummins retired; contributing editor
Erik Wemple replaced him. In November 2000, Wemple left the post to become senior editor and was replaced by Jonetta Rose Barras, a longtime contributor to the paper. Barras resigned from the paper on August 13, 2001, and
Elissa Silverman held the position from January 2002 until December 2004, when her employment with the newspaper was terminated.
["Taking Note ... : Quieted Lips"]
''The Common Denominator'', January 24, 2005, accessed August 29, 2007. Former
WAMU-FM
WAMU (88.5 FM) is a public news/talk station that services the greater Washington, D.C. metropolitan area. It is owned by American University, and its studios are located near the campus in northwest Washington. WAMU has been the primary National ...
reporter James Jones wrote the column from March 2005 through June 21, 2007, when he posted his "last column" as "Loose Lips" and stated that a successor to him would be appointed soon.
[Jones, Jones.]
"LL Goes Astray: Recounting a Column's Greatest Misses"
'' Washington City Paper'', June 20, 2007, accessed August 29, 2007. Mike DeBonis, formerly ''City Papers senior editor, was named the sixth Loose Lips columnist in July 2007. His first column appeared that September.
[Austermuhle, Martin.]
"City Paper Chooses New Loose Lips Columnist"
, '' DCist'', July 16, 2007, accessed August 31, 2007. Mike DeBonis left the position to join ''
The Washington Post''.
2010-present
In 2010, Alan Suderman became the seventh Loose Lips, after leaving a position as a ''Washington Examiner'' reporter.
In 2013, Suderman left to work for the
Center for Public Integrity.
The next Loose Lips, Will Sommer, was previously a City Desk writer for the Washington City Paper.
Veteran journalist and former
Washington Times reporter Jeffrey Anderson wrote the column starting in 2016.
Andrew Giambrone took over the column in 2018 for a brief period.
A former reporter for the Pacific Northwest Inlander, Mitch Ryals, started writing for Loose Lips in October 2018.
Conventions
"Loose Lips" is typically 1,200 to 2,000 words long.
The column is written in the
third person; the columnist refers to himself or herself as "LL." From its inception until Barras wrote the column, then again until October 2003, the column was unsigned, lending the a column a gossipy, "hush-hush" feel. Since then, the writer of "Loose Lips" provides a
byline.
Cummins coined the
sobriquet "Mayor-for-Life" for former D.C. mayor
Marion Barry. Until Barry returned to the D.C. Council in 2005, "LL" columns have almost always referred to him as "Mayor-for-Life Marion S. Barry Jr." Barry's third wife, Cora Masters Barry, received a similar treatment: "Cora Masters Lady MacBarry."
The first occurrence of the name of each person mentioned in the column appears in bold face.
Notes
{{Reflist, 2
External links
"Loose Lips" Index page. Includes hyperlinks to previous columns in "Recent Loose Lips" and features last column posted by James Jones. June 20, 2007. Accessed August 29, 2007.
Columns (periodical)