''The GW Hatchet'' is the

student newspaper A student publication is a media outlet such as a newspaper, magazine, television show, or radio station Graduate student journal, produced by students at an educational institution. These publications typically cover local and school-related new ...

of the

George Washington University The George Washington University (GW or GWU) is a Private university, private University charter#Federal, federally-chartered research university in Washington, D.C., United States. Originally named Columbian College, it was chartered in 1821 by ...

. Founded in 1904, The Hatchet is the second-oldest continuously running newspaper in

Washington, D.C. Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly known as Washington or D.C., is the capital city and federal district of the United States. The city is on the Potomac River, across from Virginia, and shares land borders with ...

, only behind ''

The Washington Post ''The Washington Post'', locally known as ''The'' ''Post'' and, informally, ''WaPo'' or ''WP'', is an American daily newspaper published in Washington, D.C., the national capital. It is the most widely circulated newspaper in the Washington m ...

''. The Hatchet is often ranked as one of the best college newspapers in the

United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

and has consistently won awards from the

Society of Professional Journalists The Society of Professional Journalists (SPJ), formerly known as Sigma Delta Chi, is the oldest organization representing journalists in the United States. It was established on April 17, 1909, at DePauw University,2009 SPJ Annual Report, lette ...

and from the Associated Collegiate Press. Alumni of the GW Hatchet include numerous

Pulitzer Prize The Pulitzer Prizes () are 23 annual awards given by Columbia University in New York City for achievements in the United States in "journalism, arts and letters". They were established in 1917 by the will of Joseph Pulitzer, who had made his fo ...

winners,

Emmy Award The Emmy Awards, or Emmys, are an extensive range of awards for artistic and technical merit for the television industry. A number of annual Emmy Award ceremonies are held throughout the year, each with their own set of rules and award categor ...

winners, politicians, news anchors, and

editors Editing is the process of selecting and preparing written, visual, audible, or cinematic material used by a person or an entity to convey a message or information. The editing process can involve correction, condensation, organization, a ...

of major publications.

History

The paper derives its name from the story of U.S. President

George Washington George Washington (, 1799) was a Founding Fathers of the United States, Founding Father and the first president of the United States, serving from 1789 to 1797. As commander of the Continental Army, Washington led Patriot (American Revoluti ...

(founding father of the university) involving his chopping down a cherry tree with a hatchet. The first edition of ''The GW Hatchet'' was published on 5 October 1904. In 1993, ''The GW Hatchet'' was incorporated as an independent 501(c)(3) non-profit, and the paper has been editorially and financially independent of the university since then. It is run by a board of directors composed of ''Hatchet'' editors, former staff members, a GW student, a GW professor and professionals in the media industry. Daily operations are overseen by the Editor-in-Chief. All business and editorial positions are filled by current GW students and the Editor-in-Chief serves as the corporation's president GW Hatchet offices on a sunny October afternoon

GW Hatchet offices on a sunny October afternoon

In 1998, ''The Hatchet'' launched its website, which has won many awards including a National Pacemaker Award in 2006 and 2010. For many years, the university only charged the paper $1 in rent for their fully controlled townhouse in Washington, D.C., but began charging monthly rent at reduced rates as of 2006. In 2012, ''The Hatchet'' moved out of the university owned townhouse at 2140 G St. NW and into their own building at 2148 F St. NW. In 2017, ''The Hatchet'' sold the building on F St. and began renting from the university again at 609 21st St. NW, known as Davis-Hodgkins House. In March 2015, the nonprofit real estate arm of ''The Hatchet'' sued the city of

, in D.C. Superior Court over a disputed property tax bill of $17,000, arguing that a request for a property tax exemption had been wrongfully denied (under D.C. law, schools, colleges and universities are exempt from property taxes). The city itself took the stance that neither ''The Hatchet'' nor its real estate arm qualify as educational organizations under D.C. law. As of December 2016 the lawsuit is still ongoing.

Organization

Copies of the Hatchet free for the taking at Carvings Deli

The newspaper is produced by Hatchet Publications, Inc., an independent,

501(c)(3) A 501(c)(3) organization is a United States corporation, Trust (business), trust, unincorporated association or other type of organization exempt from federal income tax under section 501(c)(3) of Title 26 of the United States Code. It is one of ...

nonprofit corporation. The publication's

mission statement A mission statement is a short statement of why an organization exists, what its overall goal is, the goal of its operations: what kind of product or service it provides, its primary customers or market, and its geographical region of operation ...

is "to follow, educate, and inform members of The George Washington University and Foggy Bottom communities." It also serves as the newspaper of record for the university's archives. ''The GW Hatchet'' publishes 2,500 copies every Monday throughout the school semesters and a special freshman orientation issue during the summer recess. All issues of ''The Hatchet'' are accessible through the Special Collections Research Center at the Estelle and Melvin Gelman Library, located at 2130 H Street NW, Washington, D.C.Guide to the GW Hatchet Records, 1904-2007
Special Collections Research Center, Estelle and Melvin Gelman Library, The George Washington University

Awards

''The Hatchet'' has won numerous journalism awards, including: *

Finalist for Best All-Around Non-Daily Student Newspaper in the Nation and National Finalist for General Photography in 2011 *

Mark of Excellence Award for Best All-Around Non-Daily Newspaper in the Nation in 2003, 2004 and 2007 *

Mark of Excellence Award for Best All-Around Non-Daily Newspaper in the Region in 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2011, and 2021 *

Mark of Excellence Award for Spot News Reporting in 2003 *

Regional Editorial Writing Award (first place), Regional Feature Photography Award (first place), Regional General News Photography Award (first place), Regional Best Affiliated Web Site (first place), and Regional Online Sports Reporting Award (third place) in 2011 *

Regional Sports Photography Award (third place), Regional Editorial Writing Award (first place), Regional Sports Writing Award (second place) *

Regional Best Affiliated Web Site (first place) in 2010 *

national finalist for sports writing in 2009 (Regional first-place winner), Regional Photo Illustration Award (third place), Regional Feature Writing Award (third place), Regional General Column Writing Award (first place), Regional Best Affiliated Website (second place), Regional Online Sports Reporting (second place) in 2009 *

Regional Breaking News Reporting Award (second and third place), Regional Sports Writing Award (first and third place), Regional Editorial Writing Award (third place), Regional General Column Writing (first and third place), Regional Breaking News Photography Award (second and third place), Regional Online News Reporting Award (third place), Regional Online Feature Reporting (first place), Regional Online Sports Reporting Award (first place), Regional Best Affiliated Web Site (second place) in 2008 *

National Finalist for Online Sports Reporting, and 18 Regional Awards in 2007 *

National Finalist for General News Reporting, and 19 Regional Awards in 2006 *

Mark of Excellence 13 regional awards in 2005 *

National Finalist for Feature Writing, Best All-Around Daily Newspaper in the Nation in 2004 *

Mark of Excellence 7 regional awards in 2002 *

National Finalist Online Spot News Reporting and 13 Regional Awards in 2001 * Associated Collegiate Press National Newspaper Pacemaker Award in 2005, 2008 and 2011 * Associated Collegiate Press National Newspaper Pacemaker Award finalist in 2005, 2007, 2008 and 2011 * Associated Collegiate Press Online Pacemaker Award in 2006, 2008 and 2010 * Associated Collegiate Press Online Pacemaker Award finalist in 2006, 2007, 2008 and 2010 * Associated Collegiate Press Individual Awards: 2 in 2010 and 1 in 2011 * 15 SPJ Mark of Excellence regional awards, the most for any newspaper in the region, in 2009

Notable alumni

Some notable ''Hatchet'' alumni include: *

Deborah Solomon Deborah Solomon (born August 9, 1957) is an American art critic, journalist and biographer. She writes for ''The New York Times'', where she was previously a columnist. Her weekly column, "Questions For" ran in ''The New York Times Magazine'' fr ...

, part of a ''

Wall Street Journal ''The Wall Street Journal'' (''WSJ''), also referred to simply as the ''Journal,'' is an American newspaper based in New York City. The newspaper provides extensive coverage of news, especially business and finance. It operates on a subscriptio ...

'' team that won the 2002 Pulitzer Prize for Explanatory Reporting * Mireya Navarro, part of a ''New York Times'' team that won the 2001 Pulitzer Prize for National Reporting * Anders Gyllenhaal, vice president, news and Washington editor for

The McClatchy Company McClatchy Media Company, or simply McClatchy and MCC, is an American publishing company incorporated under Delaware's General Corporation Law. Originally based in Sacramento, California, United States, and known as The McClatchy Company, it b ...

and former chairman of the

Board * Mark Schleifstein, winner of the 2006 Pulitzer Prize for Public Service and Pulitzer Prize for Breaking News Reporting and part of a New Orleans '' Times-Picayune'' team that won the 1997 Pulitzer Prize for Public Service * Hadas Gold, European politics, media and global business reporter for CNN * Diana B. Henriques, ''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''NYT'') is an American daily newspaper based in New York City. ''The New York Times'' covers domestic, national, and international news, and publishes opinion pieces, investigative reports, and reviews. As one of ...

'' reporter and winner of the 2004 Polk Award * Joyce Brown and B.D. Colen, winners of the 1984 Pulitzer Prize for Local Reporting at '' New York Newsday'' * Mark Olshaker, winner of a 1994 Emmy Award for Outstanding Animated Program and author of two ''The New York Times'' bestsellers * Dick Polman, political columnist at ''

The Philadelphia Inquirer ''The Philadelphia Inquirer'', often referred to simply as ''The Inquirer'', is a daily newspaper headquartered in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Founded on June 1, 1829, ''The Philadelphia Inquirer'' is the third-longest continuously operating da ...

'' * David Holt, an Oklahoma State Senator and Mayor of Oklahoma City * Mosheh Oinounou, executive producer of CBSN; senior producer for CBS News' ''

CBS This Morning ''CBS This Morning'' (''CTM'') is an American morning television program that aired on CBS from November 30, 1987 to October 29, 1999, and again from January 9, 2012 to September 6, 2021. On November 1, 1999, the original incarnation was repla ...

'' where he won a 2013 Emmy Award for Outstanding Investigative Journalism * Jake Sherman, co-founder of '' Punchbowl News''; former correspondent for ''

Politico ''Politico'' (stylized in all caps), known originally as ''The Politico'', is an American political digital newspaper company founded by American banker and media executive Robert Allbritton in 2007. It covers politics and policy in the Unit ...

'' and ''

MSNBC MSNBC is an American cable news channel owned by the NBCUniversal News Group division of NBCUniversal, a subsidiary of Comcast. Launched on July 15, 1996, and headquartered at 30 Rockefeller Plaza in Manhattan, the channel primarily broadcasts r ...

'' * Jeremy Diamond, CNN political reporter *

Reena Ninan Reena Ninan (born April 18, 1979) is an Indian American television journalist who has been an award-winning news anchor for the national mainstream media, including ABC News and CBS News. She is also the founder of the news media company G ...

, former anchor for

CBS News CBS News is the news division of the American television and radio broadcaster CBS. It is headquartered in New York City. CBS News television programs include ''CBS Evening News'', ''CBS Mornings'', news magazine programs ''CBS News Sunday Morn ...

( CBSN and Saturday edition of '' CBS Weekend News'') * L. Ron Hubbard, founder of Scientology

References

External links

''GW Hatchet'' website''GW Hatchet'' TwitterGuide to the ''GW Hatchet'' Records, 1904-2007, Special Collections Research Center, Estelle and Melvin Gelman Library, The George Washington University
{{DEFAULTSORT:GW Hatchet Student newspapers published in Washington, D.C. Newspapers established in 1904 1904 establishments in Washington, D.C.