ABOUT WashNews

We’re a lean & nimble news service dedicated to providing American consumers with solid advice and fact-based pointers on personal finance, consumer protection, real estate, & consumer health.

Our PURPOSE

Our motto is “Expertise You Can Use.” We are a totally independent noncommercial news service that accepts no advertising.

Our FOUNDER

Award-winning journalist Ellen James Martin contributes to major newspapers such as the New York Times, Chicago Tribune, Los Angeles Times, and Philadelphia Inquirer. A Columbia Journalism School grad, Martin has been a longtime staffer at the Baltimore Sun, Minneapolis StarTribune, & Montgomery (Alabama)  Advertiser. She has written extensively for Wall Street and financial magazines, including Institutional Investor, Venture, Self, and Money. Martin has frequently appeared on network and cable TV, including CNBC and ABC’s Good Morning America. A consumer real estate expert she’s written the nationally syndicated column Smart Moves since 1991 and done housing-related commentary on Marketplace for American Public Media.

Our WORK

Though based in Washington DC, our reporters tap sources everywhere to give readers a fresh take on the news. Our stories cut through clutter & demystify. Our coverage spans the spectrum. But we spend the most shoe leather on newsworthy consumer stories. In whatever topics we cover, we help readers cut to the chase.

Our VALUES

We believe in the vital role of America’s newspapers, magazines, and electronic media and are honored to help meet their news-gathering needs. We believe in solid, unbiased reporting, as well as meticulous editing & fact checking.