A Rising Star in Our Nation’s Capital

The Washington Star, a legendary newspaper established in 1852, is back.

Ronald Reagan lamented the “great silence today in Washington” in the Star’s last print edition. The paper’s voice is silent no more. Photo: Alamy

It’s an iconic image from June 1981 — Ronald Reagan relaxing on the Truman Balcony of the White House, the D.C. skyline sprawling over his shoulder.

Just a few short months had passed since he was nearly assassinated. In his hands he’s holding a newspaper, a daily must-read: The Washington Star.

Unknown to the public at the time, the paper, founded in 1852, was facing its own threat of demise. When it shuttered its doors only a few months later, Reagan wrote a personal note of regret, describing the Star as “one of the most admired newspapers in America.”

Now, more than four decades later, we’re scaling back up the Star’s daily publication. It’s been some years in the making. We’ve long been of the view that our nation’s capital has been poorer without the Star’s distinctive voice.