Roll Call

American newspaper

Written and fact-checked by The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica

Article History

Roll Call, American newspaper covering the U.S. Congress. It was founded in Washington, D.C., in 1955 by Sid Yudain, a former congressional press secretary.

Roll Call was initially a weekly newspaper but eventually was published Monday through Thursday during weeks in which Congress was in session. Roll Call attempts to report from a nonpartisan perspective on members of Congress, congressional caucuses, political races, the status of major bills, and the activities of major committees. The newspaper also includes opinion columns. Features on individuals include the “Casualty List,” which reports on retirements, deaths, or losses in political races; the “Richest Legislators” list; and the “50 Most Influential Capitol Hill Staff.”

Roll Call is the flagship publication of Roll Call Group, a subsidiary of the global media conglomerate Economist Group. The Roll Call Group also operates GalleryWatch, a legislative bill- and document-tracking service; CongressNow, a legislative wire service; and Briefing Room, a policy and document intelligence service. A television show launched in 2008, Roll Call TV, features roundtable discussions of congressional news and other events on Capitol Hill.

The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica This article was most recently revised and updated by Adam Augustyn.