The Washington-based news website formerly known as NOTUS has rebranded as The Washington Sun following a trademark dispute that blocked its previous plan to adopt the name The Star. The change comes as the nonprofit newsroom expands its focus to include local news and sports coverage amid staff reductions at The Washington Post earlier this year.
Founded in 2023 by media entrepreneur Robert Allbritton, a co-founder of Politico, NOTUS—an acronym for News of the United States—initially concentrated on government and policy reporting. With The Post scaling back its metro news operations, Allbritton saw an opportunity to serve a local audience increasingly underserved by traditional outlets.
Tim Grieve, editor in chief of the newly named Washington Sun, said the chosen title better reflects the outlet’s mission to deliver Washington-centric content, encompassing both political and local coverage. “We really wanted Washington in the name of our publication to more clearly convey that we cover Washington, both sort of political Washington and local Washington,” Grieve stated.
The newsroom has more than doubled in size since the start of the year, growing from 45 to 110 staff members, with many new hires coming from The Post. Notable additions include food critic Tom Sietsema, columnist Dana Milbank, and a range of sports reporters. Grieve noted that the outlet now maintains a substantial local news and sports team focused on the Washington area.
The Washington Sun also announced it will introduce a paywall later this month, charging $9.99 per month for subscriptions. However, its newsletters will remain free to readers.
In addition to expanding coverage, the outlet has secured an exclusive content licensing deal with Capital Weather, a longtime Washington Post-affiliated forecasting site known as Capital Weather Gang. This partnership will enable The Washington Sun to provide daily weather forecasts for the region.
The rebrand follows a legal challenge after the newsroom initially planned to rename itself The Star. In May, Dovid Efune, a media executive reviving the historic Washington Star newspaper that ceased operations in 1981, filed a trademark infringement lawsuit against NOTUS. A federal judge subsequently issued a temporary order blocking NOTUS from using the name, citing potential public confusion.
Court filings revealed that NOTUS estimated losses of at least $2.5 million due to canceled relaunch events, prepaid advertising, and sponsorship commitments caused by the injunction. On June 18, the parties reached a settlement, agreeing to cover their own legal costs and allowing NOTUS to abandon its use of the Star name.
Grieve emphasized that The Washington Sun had always been a top choice for the outlet’s rebranding and that the official announcement was timed to coincide with the launch of a redesigned website. The name change marks the latest effort by the nonprofit to establish itself as a significant source of local news in the nation’s capital amid shifting media dynamics.