Editing The Washington Times (section)

===2000s===
[[File:2008 09 The Washington Times - Printing and Distribution Center.jpg|thumb|The printing and distribution center of ''The Washington Times'']]
In 2002, at an event held to celebrate ''The Washington Times''{{'}} 20th anniversary, Moon said, "''The Washington Times'' is responsible to let the American people know about God" and "''The Washington Times'' will become the instrument in spreading the truth about God to the world."<ref name="Moon Speech">{{cite news|last=Ahrens|first=Frank|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/business/2002/05/23/moon-speech-raises-old-ghosts-as-the-times-turns-20/505334e8-8ce6-44eb-a767-ee7895107cae/|title=Moon Speech Raises Old Ghosts as the Times Turns 20|date=May 23, 2002|newspaper=[[The Washington Post]]|access-date=August 16, 2009|url-status=live|archive-url=https://archive.today/20200428224258/https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/business/2002/05/23/moon-speech-raises-old-ghosts-as-the-times-turns-20/505334e8-8ce6-44eb-a767-ee7895107cae/|archive-date=April 28, 2020|url-access=limited}}</ref>

In 2004, [[David Ignatius]], a correspondent for ''[[The Washington Post]]'', reported that [[Chung Hwan Kwak]], a leader in the Unification Church, wanted ''The Washington Times'' to "support international organizations such as the [[United Nations]] and to campaign for world peace and interfaith understanding." This, Ignatius wrote, created difficulties for Pruden and some of ''The Washington Times''{{'}} columnists. Ignatius also mentioned the Unification Church movement's reconciliatory attitude towards [[North Korea]], which at the time included joint business ventures, and Kwak's advocacy for greater understanding between the U.S. and the [[Muslim world|Islamic world]] as issues of contention. Ignatius predicted that conservatives in Congress and the [[Presidency of George W. Bush|George W. Bush administration]] would support Pruden's position over Kwak's.<ref>{{Cite news|last=Ignatius|first=David|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A50909-2004Jun17.html|title=Tension of the Times|date=June 18, 2004|newspaper=[[The Washington Post]]|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121106154418/https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A50909-2004Jun17.html|archive-date=November 6, 2012|page=A29|quote=Insiders say the church's new line is that with the end of the Cold War, it's important to support international organizations such as the United Nations and to campaign for world peace and interfaith understanding. That stance would be awkward for The Washington Times's hard-line editor in chief, Wesley Pruden, and its stable of neoconservative columnists.|author-link=David Ignatius}}</ref>

In 2006, Moon's son, [[Hyun Jin Moon]], president and CEO of News World Communications, dismissed managing editor Francis "Fran" Coombs following accusations of racist editorializing. Coombs had made some racist and [[sexism|sexist]] comments, for which he was sued by other employees at ''The Washington Times''.<ref name="Blumenthal-2006">{{Cite news |last=Blumenthal |first=Max |author-link=Max Blumenthal |date=September 20, 2006 |title=Hell of a Times |work=[[The Nation]] |url=https://www.thenation.com/article/hell-times/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200428214516/http://www.thenation.com/article/archive/hell-times/ |archive-date=April 28, 2020}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Archibald |first=George |date=September 29, 2006 |title=Top Washington Times Editor's Wife Confirms Racism Allegations |url=https://www.huffpost.com/entry/top-washington-times-edit_b_30565 |access-date=November 2, 2022 |website=[[HuffPost]] |language=en}}</ref>

In January 2008, Pruden retired, and [[John F. Solomon]], who worked with the [[Associated Press]] and had most recently been head of [[investigative reporting]] and mixed media development at ''The Washington Post'', was appointed executive editor.<ref>[http://www.connpost.com/ci_8089629?source=rss State Native to lead DC newspaper] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090211111011/http://www.connpost.com/ci_8089629?source=rss|date=February 11, 2009}} ''[[Connecticut Post]]'' January 26, 2008</ref><ref>{{Cite news|last=Abruzzese|first=Sarah|url=http://biz.yahoo.com/nytimes/080211/1194745974399.html?.v=4|title=Ex-Washington Post Reporter to Lead a Rival|date=February 11, 2008|work=[[The New York Times]]|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120112123853/http://biz.yahoo.com/nytimes/080211/1194745974399.html?.v=4|archive-date=January 12, 2012|via=[[Yahoo! Finance]]}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|last=Wemple|first=Erik|url=http://www.washingtoncitypaper.com/display.php?id=34649|title=Playing Center: John Solomon is pushing evenhandedness at the ''Washington Times''|date=February 29, 2008|work=[[Washington City Paper]]|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://archive.today/20130209030105/http://www.washingtoncitypaper.com/articles/34649/playing-center|archive-date=February 9, 2013|author-link=Erik Wemple|access-date=March 1, 2008}}</ref>

A month later, ''The Washington Times'' changed some of its [[style guide]] to conform more to what was becoming mainstream media usage. It announced that it would no longer use words like "[[illegal immigration|illegal aliens]]" and "[[homosexuality|homosexual]]" and, in most cases, opt for "more neutral terminology" like "illegal immigrants" and "gay", respectively. It also decided to stop using "Hillary" when referring to then U.S. Senator [[Hillary Clinton]], and the word "marriage" in the expression "[[gay marriage]]" would no longer appear in [[Scare quotes|quotes]] in the newspaper. These policy changes drew criticism from some conservatives.<ref name="salonfeb">{{cite news|last=Koppelman|first=Alex|url=https://www.salon.com/2008/02/27/washington_times/|title=Washington Times updates style guide|date=February 27, 2008|work=[[Salon (website)|Salon]]|access-date=July 1, 2013|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080724005037/http://www.salon.com/politics/war_room/2008/02/26/washington_times/index.html|archive-date=July 24, 2008}}</ref> ''[[Prospect (magazine)|Prospect]]'' magazine attributed  ''The Washington Times''{{'}} apparent political moderation to differences of opinion over the United Nations and North Korea, and wrote, "The [[Republican Party (United States)|Republican]] right may be losing its most devoted media ally."<ref>{{Cite magazine|date=September 2006|title=News & curiosities|url=http://www.prospect-magazine.co.uk/article_details.php?id=7720|magazine=[[Prospect (magazine)|Prospect]]|issue=126|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070903174638/http://www.prospect-magazine.co.uk/article_details.php?id=7720|archive-date=September 3, 2007|url-status=dead}}</ref>

In November 2009, ''[[The New York Times]]'' reported that ''The Washington Times'' would no longer be receiving funds from the Unification Church movement and might have to cease publication or become an [[online publication]] only.<ref name="nyt1212009">{{Cite news|last=Parker|first=Ashley|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2009/12/01/business/media/01moon.html|title=With Tumult at the Top, Washington Times Faces Uncertainty|date=November 30, 2009|work=[[The New York Times]]|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170624150627/https://www.nytimes.com/2009/12/01/business/media/01moon.html|archive-date=June 24, 2017|author-link=Ashley Parker|url-access=limited}}</ref> Later that year, it dismissed 40 percent of its 370 employees and stopped its subscription service, instead distributing the paper free in some areas of the [[Washington metropolitan area]], including [[Federal government of the United States|federal government]] departments and agencies. However, a subscription website owned by the paper, theconservatives.com, and the ''Times''{{'}} three-hour [[radio program]], ''America's Morning News'', both continued.<ref>{{Cite news|last=Parker|first=Ashley|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2009/12/03/business/media/03paper.html|title=Large Staff Cuts Announced at the Washington Times|date=December 2, 2009|work=[[The New York Times]]|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170716023800/http://www.nytimes.com/2009/12/03/business/media/03paper.html|archive-date=July 16, 2017|author-link=Ashley Parker|url-access=limited}}</ref> The paper also announced that it would cease publication of its Sunday edition, along with other changes, partly in order to end its reliance on subsidies from the Unification Church.<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20190305144454/http://www.editorandpublisher.com/eandp/news/article_display.jsp?vnu_content_id=1004054777 ''Washington Times'' Dropping Sunday Edition As Part of 'Refocused' Approach],{{Dead link|date=April 2020}} ''Editor & Publisher'', December 21, 2009</ref>

On December 31, 2009, ''The Washington Times'' announced that it would no longer be a full-service newspaper, eliminating its metropolitan news and sports sections.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://thedailyrecord.com/2009/12/31/washington-times-cuts-sports-section-others/|title=Washington Times cuts sports section, others|date=December 31, 2009|work=[[Daily Record (Maryland)|The Daily Record]]|access-date=April 28, 2020|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141020040409/https://thedailyrecord.com/2009/12/31/washington-times-cuts-sports-section-others/|archive-date=October 20, 2014|agency=[[Associated Press]]}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|last=Daly|first=Dan|url=https://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2010/jan/01/daly-the-end-of-times/|title=Daly: Eulogy for sports|date=January 1, 2010|newspaper=The Washington Times|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100310182841/https://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2010/jan/01/daly-the-end-of-times/|archive-date=March 10, 2010|url-access=limited}}</ref>