Congressional Quarterly (CQ) produces a number of publications that report primarily on the United States Congress. CQ was founded in 1945 by Nelson Poynter and his wife, Henrietta Poynter, with the aim of providing a link between local newspapers and the complex politics within Washington D.C.

CQ has the largest news team covering Capitol Hill, with more than 100 reporters, editors and researchers. CQ's readership includes 95 percent of the members of Congress, academic and media outlets, as well as members of business and nonprofit organizations, government affairs and the executive branch.

In 1965, Poynter summed up his reasons for founding CQ thusly:

"The federal government will never set up an adequate agency to check on itself, and a foundation is too timid for that. So it had to be a private enterprise beholden to its clients."

Despite its name, CQ was only published quarterly for one year. Demand drove more frequent updates, first weekly, then daily. CQ was also an early leader in delivering information on a real-time basis, starting with a dial-up service in 1984. Its Web site www.cq.com has been nominated for several awards.

In recent years, CQ has launched several electronic-only newsletters with greater focus on particular areas: CQ Homeland Security, CQ Budget Tracker, and CQ HealthBeat.

In 2005, CQ's flagship publication CQ Weekly was re-launched with a wider focus including "government, commerce and politics." A daily publication, CQ Today, is also available everyday when Congress is in session.

CQ is owned by the Times Publishing Co. of St. Petersburg, Fla., publisher of the St. Petersburg Times and other publications. It is affiliated with the Poynter Institute, a school for journalists founded by Nelson Poynter.

Affiliates

CQ Press produces library reference books, college textbooks, professional directories, and Web products on American politics, federal and state government, American institutions, campaigns and elections, current events, and world affairs.

Governing Magazine is a monthly publication whose primary audience is state and local government officials, but also includes journalists, academics, companies that provide products and services for government, and involved citizens. The magazine has a circulation of about 85,000.

External Links

• CQ's website (http://www.cq.com/)
• CQ Masthead (http://www.cq.com/corp/show.do?page=thissite_masthead)