Today, Washington mourns the loss of Helen Dewar, who passed away yesterday morning. She was 70 years old. Dewar worked at the Post for more than forty years, covering both Virginia politics and the U.S. Senate.

Tough on her editors as well as her sources, Ms. Dewar was an old-fashioned reporter whose clear prose and determination seemed almost anachronistic in an age of multimedia skills and self-promotion. A veteran of hallway stakeouts and midnight votes, she was reliable on deadline, developed authoritative sources and eschewed "gotcha" journalism, her editors said. Her scrupulous fairness earned her friends in both major political parties.

Indeed, both Sen. Bill Frist and Sen. Ted Kennedy pay their respects in the Washington Post's obituary.

In his internal email to the newsroom, the Post's Len Downie called Dewar "one of the most respected reporters of her generation." "[N]o reporter worked harder, was more of a recognized expert in her field or was more accurate and fair," Downie said.