NOTUS Hires Washington Post Veterans, Unveils Expansion and Rebrand Plan

Overview

• NOTUS said nine journalists are joining its newsroom, seven formerly at The Washington Post, including Dana Milbank, Paul Kane, and Jeff Stein, alongside Politico defense reporter Joe Gould.
• The outlet plans to nearly double its roughly 50-person staff by the end of 2026, adding beats across federal agencies, defense and national security, health care, energy and environment, local D.C. issues, and D.C. sports.
• The memo stated the newsroom will not cover the Washington suburbs, concentrating local reporting on how political and business power shapes the District.
• Leaders said the expanded operation will be funded through government affairs sponsorships of news products plus subscription revenue from local and national audiences.
• A new name is slated for later in 2026, with Robert Allbritton indicating he wants "Washington" in the title as observers note recent Washington Star and Washington Sun trademark filings, following a wave of Post layoffs and public criticism from some departing staff; the Post thanked exiting employees for their work.