About Us

About The GW Hatchet

The GW Hatchet is an editorially and financially independent student newspaper serving The George Washington University community in downtown Washington, D.C. First published Oct. 5, 1904, it is the second-oldest continuously published newspaper in the District, after The Washington Post. The Hatchet publishes a print edition on Monday and an email edition every Thursday during the academic year.

In 2018, the Associated Collegiate Press named The Hatchet one of the best online college newspapers in the nation. The award, called the Newspaper Pacemaker, is one of the highest marks in college journalism, which recognizes solid overall coverage, high-quality writing, in-depth reporting, strong columns, top-notch design and compelling visuals. The newspaper is produced by Hatchet Publications, Inc., an independent, 501(c)(3) nonprofit corporation. It is headquartered in a townhouse at 609 21st St. NW in the heart of Foggy Bottom. To contact The Hatchet, please see our contact page.

Our mission

The Hatchet is a learning institution, and we strive to fairly report news that informs the Foggy Bottom community while teaching the next generation of journalists to the best of our abilities. We aim to report accurately and be transparent in collecting and presenting news to meet and exceed best practices in the journalism industry. The Hatchet aspires to serve every member of the GW community, regardless of an individual’s race, religion, ethnicity, nationality, sexual orientation, gender, ability or socioeconomic identity.

Independence

While The Hatchet is staffed by GW students, it is financially and editorially independent from the University. Editorial decisions are made solely by The Hatchet’s staff and Board of Directors. The paper receives no money directly from the University except revenue generated from any advertisements sold to the University.

Where to find the paper

Aside from keeping up to date at gwhatchet.com, you can find The Hatchet at nearly 37 locations across the Foggy Bottom and Mount Vernon campuses. The paper is available in most residence halls and campus buildings. A mobile version is also available on the App Store.

Publishing policy, copyright notice

The Hatchet is produced by Hatchet Publications, Inc., an independent, nonprofit corporation. All inquiries, comments and complaints should be addressed to the Board of Directors, which has sole authority over the content of this publication. Comments and other correspondence can be mailed to: The GW Hatchet Attn: Board of Directors 609 21st St. NW. Washington, D.C. 20037 Opinions expressed in signed columns and cartoons are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of The Hatchet. The Hatchet’s editorials represent the opinions of the newspaper’s Editorial Board. All content of The Hatchet is copyrighted and may not be reproduced without written authorization from the editor in chief. We extend readers the right to link to our stories and to provide the headline and the first paragraph of the story on their websites.

Board of Directors

Hatchet Publications, Inc. is overseen by a board of directors. The directors include the editor in chief, two other staff members, one GW student unaffiliated with The Hatchet, a journalism professor and professionals in the fields of law, business and journalism. The editor in chief serves as president of the corporation. The Hatchet’s business manager, who is the corporation’s treasurer, and general counsel serve ex officio on the Board of Directors. Current board members include:

Grace Chinowsky, The Hatchet’s editor in chief, president
Faith Wardwell, The Hatchet’s managing editor, treasurer
Rachel Moon, The Hatchet’s senior news editor, secretary
Lillianna Byington
Gabriel Muller
Aaron Myers
Sarah Roach
Steve Roberts, The Hatchet’s academic adviser

Join The Hatchet

The Hatchet accepts applicants on a rolling basis. Please fill out this form if you are interested in joining The Hatchet, and we will be in touch with you within two to three business days. You can learn more about joining The Hatchet here, and you can email [email protected] with any questions.

Story ideas

Please email [email protected] with story ideas. To pitch a story to a specific section of the paper, you can find every editor’s emails here.

Anonymity

When The Hatchet receives an anonymous tip, we do not share the source of the information in any story. However, the anonymous source must be verified with their full name through reporting before a story is published, and the source must provide a reason for anonymity. If and when information is published from an anonymous source, the person’s name is withheld.

The editorial divide

The Hatchet’s news section is entirely separate from the opinions section to ensure accurate and unbiased reporting. The editorial board, a group of eight non-news editors who provide their input on a topic each week, are not allowed to write for news, and news editors are not allowed to write opinion pieces.

Submissions

The Hatchet is happy to consider for publication both op-ed pieces (guest contributions to the opinions page) and letters to the editor (responses to pieces of content from any section published by The Hatchet). Please follow these guidelines to have a letter considered for publication on gwhatchet.com:

Letters should be between 400 and 500 words
The topic of the letter should be relevant to GW or the Foggy Bottom area
The Hatchet does not guarantee publication under any circumstances and reserves the right to edit all submissions for space, grammar and clarity. All material becomes the property of The Hatchet and may be reproduced only with the written consent of the editor in chief and the originator of the material.
Letters should be submitted to the opinions editors at [email protected]

Purchase photos

See a photo you like that was published by The Hatchet? You can buy them! Please visit our photo sales website, or email [email protected] if you are looking for a particular shot that isn’t posted.

To learn more about advertisements, please visit our online media kit.

Dates of publication

The Hatchet publishes a print edition once a week during the academic year on Mondays, a newsletter each Thursday, and online daily.

Print and online archives

The Hatchet’s volumes of print archives are maintained by Gelman Library, located at 2130 H St. NW. The Hatchet’s online archive currently dates back to Oct. 23, 1997, and includes digitized versions of some print editions and front pages.

Corrections and retractions

Please email [email protected] (the editor in chief) and [email protected] (the senior news editor) to report a correction.

The Hatchet will retract a story if the article is inaccurate or false in large part. The Hatchet may clarify or correct information but not entirely unpublish a story if the premise of the article is still true.

Corrections and clarifications

The Hatchet never publishes information it knows to be false. However, in the event of an error, The Hatchet will correct the article, editorial or column on The Hatchet’s website. The Hatchet welcomes comments or complaints about errors that warrant correction or clarification.

Corrections: The Hatchet will issue a correction to an article if information in the headline, text, photo caption or in any other part of the article is found to be factually inaccurate.
Clarifications: The Hatchet will issue a clarification to an article if a portion or portions of the article require additional details or alternative language to clarify the meaning of those sections.
Editor’s Notes: The Hatchet’s editor in chief or senior news editors may issue an editor’s note to address concerns about the ethics or premise of an article, especially one involving a sensitive subject matter. The Hatchet may also issue editor’s notes to explain updates to articles that are neither corrections or clarifications (e.g., updating an article with a comment from a source.)

The issuance of a correction, a clarification or an editor’s note will be accompanied by a timestamp at the top of the article indicating when The Hatchet updated the article. We will also not remove, hide, alter or edit content from the online archive unless there is a proven substantial inaccuracy that would require a published correction. It is at the editor’s discretion to clarify or otherwise amend the published article in the archive. All stories found to be reported fairly, accurately and truthfully shall remain as part of the historical record.

Communication with sources

Sources may communicate with The Hatchet in one of three ways: on the record, off the record, and on background.
- On the record: Unless otherwise stated, all communication between a source and a Hatchet reporter or editor is on the record. Information given on the record can be used in reporting and attributed to its source.
- On background: Information given on background may be quoted and used in reporting, but cannot be attributed to a single individual. Reporters may attribute information received on background with a non-identifying label – e.g., “a person familiar with the conversation,” or an “employee in the department.”
- Off the record: Information given off the record may neither be quoted nor used in reporting, nor can it be attributed to any individual. Reporters may follow up on information given off the record with other sources, but may not attribute the information to its original source.
Reporters are encouraged to clarify with sources whether interviews are on or off the record. If the status of the interview is not clarified or stated ahead of time, the interview is assumed to be on the record.
Reporters should readily identify themselves by name and affiliation with The Hatchet when asked. Reporters should not attempt to hide their identity or misidentify themselves for any purpose.
Sources are encouraged to record their own interviews for their own reference. Sources may also request to view quotes attributed to them in stories for the sake of accuracy before publication, but may not review the entire story.
The Hatchet does not alter quotes – barring for minor grammar issues – unless there is a factual inaccuracy in the quote.
Interviews conducted with sources for articles are generally transcribed in their entirety, and fact-checkers verify quotes from transcripts before publication.

Fairness

The Hatchet aims to give readers a complete and honest account of the most relevant facts in each news article. Editors and reporters are expected to refrain from editorializing in news articles. We strive to give a voice to every side of an issue reported. Reporters are expected to reach out to any people mentioned in a news story to receive their account of the article’s subject matter. Reporters are expected to reach out to sources multiple times if they do not return an initial request for comment.

Title IX and harassment

The Hatchet does not tolerate any form of sexual misconduct. This includes, but is not limited to, sexual harassment, sexual assault, sexual violence and stalking. The Hatchet does not tolerate nor condone sex-based discrimination. We reserve the right to dismiss any staff member who violates GW’s Title IX & harassment and discrimination policies. You can find the policy here.

The Hatchet will connect any staff member with appropriate resources upon request. This includes but is not limited to GW’s Title IX office, the GW Police Department, the Metropolitan Police Department, the Rape, Abuse and Incest National Network, etc.

Discrimination

The Hatchet does not discriminate on the basis of race, ethnicity, sex, gender expression or identity, sexual orientation, religion, physical or intellectual disability and socioeconomic status.

Diversity

The Hatchet is committed to representing diverse voices and building a diverse staff. We respect all individuals regardless of race, ideology, religion, ethnicity, sexual or gender identity, and physical or intellectual ability.

Naming criminal suspects

The Hatchet does not name alleged suspects, perpetrators or assailants if they are not made public (e.g. through a police report). We do not alter past stories to add the name of an alleged suspect, perpetrator or assailant even if the name of that person becomes public (e.g. through a public police report).

Privacy policy

Readers can find our privacy policy here.

Awards and history

In 2018, the Associated Collegiate Press named The Hatchet one of the 10 best four-year, non-daily college newspapers in the nation. The award, called the Newspaper Pacemaker, is one of the highest marks in college journalism, which recognizes solid overall coverage, high-quality writing, in-depth reporting, strong columns, top-notch design and compelling visuals. The Hatchet also won the ACP Newspaper Pacemaker award in 2005, 2008, 2011 and 2013. It earned the Online Pacemaker award in 2006, 2008, 2010, 2018 and was named a finalist in 2012 and 2019.

Alumni Association

Did you previously work for The Hatchet? Keep in touch with us and your favorite collegiate co-workers through The Hatchet’s Alumni Association. Follow us on Twitter and join our email list by sending a note to [email protected] to be notified about future events.