The Washington Post, the stalwart of print journalism in the District of Columbia, made less than impressive news last week when their second in command, Editor Phillip Bennett stepped down from his post. We covered the story, noting that this is the second executive level editor to resign from DC’s grey lady in several months.

The Post wasted no time in hiring two new managing editors. Though we have an inquiry in to the Post for comment, it is unclear, at this time, if these positions are an attempt to replace the two vacancies or if these are two new positions that exist to oversee the merger of the Washington Post print entity and the troubled WPNI, the online arm of the company.

Notably, one of the new editors, Elizabeth Spayd, is the first woman to fill the role of Managing Editor in the history of the newspaper. She has been with the Post for years and will fill the role of covering the “hard news” according to the article published in the newspaper this morning.

Increasingly, the female role in journalism and news is being noticed. At BlogHer, the role of women in all aspects of life is front and center, and the editors and writers – many of whom would qualify under any rational spit test as journalists – had a significant impact on the election as influencers emerged on both sides.

In the District, the role of women in government also is gaining a head of steam. In the new media community alone, influencers such as Leslie Bradshaw and Jen Nedeau are working with New Media Strategies to affect change. Shireen Mitchell, the Vice Chair of the National Council of Women’s Organizations, is effectively spotlighting women in technology and government. It seems only natural that the most prominent newspaper in Washington would name a woman to one of their top posts.