The Washington Post's new slogan, "Democracy Dies in Darkness," is not a reference to President Donald Trump, a spokeswoman told the Washington Examiner.
The Post debuted the slogan Tuesday night on its website, as a subhead under the paper's title. Spokeswoman Kris Coratti said it represented the paper's journalistic mission, and was not a reference to Trump's attacks on the media.
"This is actually something we've said internally for a long time in speaking about our mission," said Coratti.
"We thought it would be a good, concise value statement that conveys who we are to the many millions of readers who have come to us for the first time over the last year."
Post reporter Robert Costa said that the phrase has been a guiding principle for journalist Bob Woodward.
The "Late Show" host Stephen Colbert joked about the slogan Wednesday night, saying the Post had entered its "goth phase."
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