September 9, 2004



  MELINDA FRENCH GATES ELECTED A DIRECTOR OF THE WASHINGTON POST
                              COMPANY


WASHINGTON - The Washington Post Company (NYSE: WPO) announced
today that Melinda French Gates has been elected to the Board of
Directors.  Her election increases the Company's Board to ten
members.

     Along with her husband, Melinda Gates is co-founder of the
Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, which seeks to improve people's
lives by bringing advances in health and learning to those who
need them most.

     In her role with the foundation, Melinda Gates works with
local, national and international partners and foundation grantees
to further the foundation's goal of improving equity in four
areas: global health, education, access to digital information via
public libraries and support for at-risk families in Washington
State and Oregon.

     Gates received a bachelor's degree in computer science and
economics from Duke University in 1986 and a master's in business
administration from Duke's Fuqua School of Business in 1987.

     After joining Microsoft Corporation in 1987, she
distinguished herself in business as a leader in the development
of many of Microsoft's multimedia products. In 1996, Gates retired
from her position as Microsoft's General Manager of Information
Products.

     Since then she has directed her energy toward the non-profit
world. In addition to her role with the foundation, she is a
former member of the Board of Trustees of Duke University and is a
former co-chair of the Washington State Governor's Commission on
Early Learning. She also serves on the Board of Directors of
drugstore.com.

     Bill and Melinda Gates live in Medina, Washington, near
Seattle. They have three children.