The Washington Spectator is a left-of-center online media outlet that formerly published a newsletter with a reported circulation of 350,000. ¹ Since 1995, the Washington Spectator has been edited by Hamilton Fish, a prominent left-of-center media figure known for his work with The Nation and The New Republic. ^{2 3}

The Washington Spectator operates under the Public Concern Foundation and is funded by charitable donations. ⁴

Background

In 1968, Capitol Hill reporter and Vietnam War critic Tristram Coffin started a political newsletter called “The Washington Watch.” Coffin was a New Deal Democrat best known for criticizing President Harry Truman for failing in his eyes to live up to the legacy of his predecessor, President Franklin Roosevelt. In 1974, the newsletter evolved into the Washington Spectator. Coffin remained the paper’s editor until 1993, and died in 1997. ^{5 6}

The Washington Spectator publishes twice per month. Since 2020, the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Washington Spectator has published only online. ⁷

Bias

The Washington Spectator takes a left-of-center to left-wing stance in its reporting. Stories typically favor left-leaning views on environmentalism, climate change, LGBT issues, and Black Lives Matter. The Washington Spectator is particularly opposed to the policies of President Donald Trump, including President Trump’s use of lawsuits against political opponents, the enforcement of federal immigration laws (one article refers to “Gestapo-like ICE raids” ⁸), and proposed tax cuts. ^{9 10}

Media Bias/Fact Check considers the Washington Spectator to have a “left” bias but “high” factual reporting, with a “high credibility” rating overall. The organization’s analysis states: “Articles and headlines utilize strongly loaded language that favors a left-leaning perspective, such as… Anatomy of Deceit: Team Trump Deploys Doctors with Dubious Qualifications to Push Fake Cure for Covid-19.” ⁹

Ad Fontes Media considers the Washington Spectator to have a “left” bias with a “wide variety in reliability.” ¹¹

Structure and Funding

The Washington Spectator is published by the Public Concern Foundation, a nonprofit that publishes several media publications, including the Public Trust Project and the Marfa Dialogues. ⁹ The Washington Spectator was initially independent but folded into the Foundation’s operations in 1977, shortly after the Foundation’s establishment. ⁴

In 2021, the Foundation had about $394,000 in revenue, almost $448,000 in expenses, and ended the year with just over $36,000 in assets. ¹²

As of 2025, the Washington Spectator did not charge subscription fees. ¹³

Leadership

As of 2025, Hamilton Fish was the editor of The Washington Spectator. Fish is a left-of-center activist known for playing key roles in numerous prominent left-of-center publications. He is best known for purchasing and reviving The Nation and working as a publisher at The New Republic. Fish was also a political advisor to billionaire philanthropist and left-of-center activist George Soros, and sat on the board of Soros’s Open Society Foundations. Fish’s later career was marred by scandals, causing him to resign from The New Republic after multiple allegations of inappropriate behavior toward female subordinates. In 1992, Fish became the head of the Public Concern Foundation. In 1995, Fish became the editor of the Washington Spectator and remained in that position as of November 2025. He has also served as the chief operating officer of Goode Technology Group, an environmental agricultural company, since 2020. ^{2 14 3 15}

Ben Franklin worked as editor of the Washington Spectator from 1993 to 1995, having succeeded founder Tristram Coffin. Franklin had previously been a reporter at the New York Times. ¹⁶

As of 2025, Louis Dubose was the part-time editor-in-chief of the Washington Spectator, a position he had held since 2007, while continuing to work at the Austin Chronicle. He was previously an editor at the Texas Observer. Dubose has written two highly critical books about the George W. Bush administration: Shrub: The Short But Happy Political Life of George W. Bush and Bushwhacked: Life in George W. Bush’s America. ^{17 18}

1. “The College Fellowship.” The Public Concern Foundation. Accessed November 10, 2025. https://publicconcernfoundation.org/projects/.
2. Cherkis, Jason and Schulberg, Jessica. “Publisher Of The New Republic Resigns Amid Harassment Allegations.” HuffPost. November 3, 2017. Accessed December 18, 2017. https://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/hamilton-Fish-new-republic-resigns_us_59fccfc8e4b04cdbeb333476
3. “Hamilton Fish.” LinkedIn. Accessed November 10, 2025. https://www.linkedin.com/in/hamilton-fish-7727687/.
4. “PCF History.” Public Concern Foundation. Accessed November 10, 2025. https://publicconcernfoundation.org/history/.
5. Thomas Jr., Robert Mcg. “Tristram Coffin Is Dead at 84; Created Washington Spectator.” The New York Times. June 16, 1997. Accessed November 10, 2025. https://www.nytimes.com/1997/06/16/us/tristram-coffin-is-dead-at-84-created-washington-spectator.html.
6. “About.” The Washington Spectator. Accessed November 10, 2025. https://washingtonspectator.org/about/.
7. “FAQ.” The Washington Spectator. Accessed November 10, 2025. https://washingtonspectator.org/faq/.
8. Pressman, Steve. “One Big Bad Bill.” The Washington Spectator. August 15, 2025. Accessed November 10, 2025. https://washingtonspectator.org/one-big-bad-bill/.
9. “The Washington Spectator – Bias and Credibility.” The Washington Spectator. Accessed November 10, 2025. https://mediabiasfactcheck.com/the-washington-spectator/.
10. “Category: Politics.” The Washington Spectator. Accessed November 10, 2025. https://washingtonspectator.org/category/politics/.
11. “Ad Fontes Media Bias Chart Oct. 2025.” Ad Fontes. Accessed November 10, 2025. https://stephenslighthouse.com/2025/10/08/ad-fontest-media-bias-chart-ct-2025/.
12. “Public Concern Foundation Inc.” ProPublica. Accessed November 10, 2025. https://projects.propublica.org/nonprofits/organizations/510217084.
13. “Support Our Work.” Washington Spectator. Accessed November 10, 2025. https://washingtonspectator.org/support-our-work/.
14. “Public Concern Foundation Inc Form 990.” ProPublica. Accessed November 10, 2025. https://projects.propublica.org/nonprofits/organizations/510217084/202403209349204760/full.
15. Novak. Robert D. “McCain and the Unconventional Convention.” The Washington Post. July 17, 2000. Accessed December 18, 2017.   https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/opinions/2000/07/17/mccain-and-the-unconventional-convention/28252a80-eae4-4e72-b468-daf7080160b0/?utm_term=.68158bd6b9c9
16. “Ben A. Franklin, 78, Reporter for The Times, Dies.” The New York Times. November 22, 2025. Accessed November 10, 2025. https://www.nytimes.com/2005/11/22/business/media/ben-a-franklin-78-reporter-for-the-times-dies.html.
17. Nichols, Lee. “Mr. Dubose Goes to Washington – Part Time.” The Austin Chronicle. July 20, 2007. Accessed November 10, 2025. https://www.austinchronicle.com/news/mr-dubose-goes-to-washington-part-time-11730074/.
18. “Lou Dubose.” The Nation. Accessed November 10, 2025. https://www.austinchronicle.com/news/mr-dubose-goes-to-washington-part-time-11730074/.