Social Media Policy

The Washington Post (The Post) recognizes that Social Media is an important platform for employees
to connect with family, friends and colleagues around the world. However, using Social Media also
presents certain risks and carries certain responsibilities, especially for employees of a media organization
that must always uphold its journalistic integrity and objectivity. To assist you in making responsible
decisions about using Social Media, The Post has established these guidelines for the appropriate use of
Social Media.

This Policy applies to all managers, supervisors and employees of The Post. Newsroom employees have
additional responsibilities when using Social Media, as set forth in The Washington Posts Guidelines for
Digital Publishing. This policy does not supersede those guidelines. Managers, supervisors or employees
authorized to speak on behalf of The Post on Social Media, as defined in this Policy, must adhere to
these guidelines, as well as any supplemental guidelines created by The Post.

Guidelines on Social Media Use

The following guidelines are not exhaustive but are designed to help employees recognize and avoid the
risks of engaging in certain Social Media activities. For purposes of these guidelines, Social Media includes
all means of communicating or posting information or content of any sort on the Internet, including to
your own or someone elses Facebook, Twitter, Snapchat, Instagram or LinkedIn pages, social networking
or affinity web site, web log or blog, journal or diary, personal web site, web bulletin board or chat room,
whether or not affiliated with The Post, as well as any other form of electronic communication.

Ultimately, you are responsible for what you post online. Before creating and posting online content,
consider the risks that are involved. Keep in mind that, if you identify yourself as a Post employee, are
known as a Post employee, or talk about The Post on Social Media, everything you post is a reflection of
The Post and falls under this Policy. Any conduct that adversely affects the integrity of The Posts
journalism, adversely affects your job performance or the performance of your co-workers, or otherwise
adversely affects The Posts customers, advertisers, subscribers, vendors, suppliers or partners or The
Posts legitimate business interests may result in disciplinary action up to and including termination of
employment.

Dont speak on behalf of The Post without authorization: Unless you are authorized to speak on behalf
of The Post on Social Media, do not post content that states or suggests that you are authorized to
communicate on The Posts behalf. On behalf of means representing the official positions or views of
The Post or any Post department (for example, the way a Public Relations or Communications professional
might). Speaking on behalf of The Post about The Posts content, services or products, without authority
to do so, could compromise the integrity of The Posts journalism, cause reader or customer confusion
about The Posts products, or result in the dissemination of inaccurate information.

Be transparent and take responsibility for your personal opinions: If you choose to identify yourself as
a Post employee and are not authorized to communicate on behalf of The Post, you should clearly state

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that your opinions are your own and not those of The Post. Never represent that you are a spokesperson
for The Post unless you are authorized to speak on behalf of The Post. When expressing your personal
opinions on Social Media, it is best to include a disclaimer such as The postings on this site are my own
and do not necessarily reflect the views of The Post.

Dont post Proprietary or Confidential Business information: Social Media sites should never be
considered private. During the course of employment, employees may have access to The Posts
Proprietary and Confidential Business Information. All employees have a responsibility to maintain the
security of Proprietary and Confidential Business Information and to keep it completely confidential. For
purposes of this Policy, Proprietary and Confidential Business Information includes, but is not limited to,
The Posts news sources, customer information, subscriber information, advertiser information, vendor
information, systems, trade secrets, intellectual property, non-public and internal documents such as
financial reports, budgets or training materials, documents referencing possible mergers, acquisitions or
other business transactions, business plans and strategies, employees personal health information, and
social security numbers, banking information and credit card numbers.

Respect property rights: Avoid using any of The Posts brand names, logos, or other intellectual property
in a way that could cause confusion about The Posts services or products or convey maliciously false
information. Respect the intellectual property, trade secret, privacy, and publicity rights of The Post and
others, and do not use third-party trademarks or copyrighted materials without the third partys
authorization. Revealing trade secrets, misusing trademarks or copyrighted materials, or engaging in
similar business-related misconduct could violate intellectual property laws and result in liability to The
Post.

Avoid disparaging The Posts and its customers products and services: Employees must not engage in
any Social Media activity that disparages The Posts products and services or could cause The Post to incur
any liability to its competitors, advertisers, subscribers, vendors or other third parties. Examples of the
types of activities prohibited under this section include:

Making maliciously false statements about The Post or its agents, managers, supervisors,
employees, products or services;
Disparaging The Posts products or services (for example, the accuracy of Post content or the
effectiveness of The Posts advertising); or
Disparaging the products and services of The Posts advertisers, subscribers, competitors,
business partners or vendors.

Comply with Post Policies when using Social Media: When using Social Media, employees are expected
to comply with all Company policies, including The Posts Policy Prohibiting Workplace Harassment, the
Policy Prohibiting Discrimination, the Conflict of Interest Policy, and the Information Security Policy.
Violation of these policies by posting content that is discriminatory, harassing, threatening, violent or
otherwise unlawful will not be tolerated.

Be respectful: Avoid posting statements, photographs, video or audio on Social Media that could be
viewed as threatening, malicious, abusive, harassing, maliciously false, vulgar, obscene, sexually explicit,
or hateful. Postings that comment about people or groups on the basis of their race, skin color, national
origin, religion, gender, sexual orientation, age, disability, or other protected characteristics are not
appropriate and violate Company policies.

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Abide by the law: Avoid engaging in illegal or fraudulent activities on Social Media, and dont encourage
or solicit others to violate the law.

Be internet savvy: Ensure that all links attached to e-mail messages or Social Media sites adhere to The
Posts Information Security Policy. Avoid facilitating or distributing unsolicited bulk commercial e-mail,
SPAM, chain e-mails, pyramid schemes, viruses, corrupt files, hoaxes, or other harmful code or destructive
or deceptive material.

Use Social Media during your non-work time: Refrain from using social media while on your work time,
unless using Social Media is an authorized part of your job or unless you are authorized to speak on behalf
of The Post on Social Media as part of your job.

Reporting Violations or Asking Questions

If you have reason to believe that an employee may be in violation of The Posts Social Media Policy or
you have any questions or need clarification concerning this Policy, you should contact The Posts Human
Resources Department.

Violations
Failure to comply with this Social Media Policy may result in disciplinary action, up to and including
termination of employment.

Scope of Policy
This Social Media Policy is intended to comply with all federal, state and local laws, including Section 7 of
the National Labor Relations Act, and will not be applied or enforced in a manner that violates federal,
state or local laws. Nothing in this Policy is intended, or will be applied, to prohibit employees from
engaging in concerted activities that are protected under federal law, including concerted discussions of
wages, hours or other terms and conditions of employment.

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