This is probably a smart move on Reddit's part, in the short to medium term. I suspect it won't be in the long run. You can't make things what people don't want them to be.
WaPo could have a Hubski account (if it were worth their time), and it would probably work out. Reddit has a tradition that doesn't really align well.
Long ago, we talked to the Atlantic, The New Republic, and NPR. It was pretty clear that if the numbers aren't there, it's not worth their time. It's somewhat understandable. I recall that WaPo hired CmdrTaco of Skashdot a few years ago. I don't know if he's still there. They seem to be a bit more forward-leaning on social.
Have you thought about doing something akin to feeds? You could use something like (SMMRY)[http://smmry.com/] to get the blurbs and probably the URL structure or something to make tags. I mean, they're curating, but besides that there's no real added value. (actually, you can use their API to sort by top, so they don't even have a human curating.)
I see. Well, it was worth a shot. You want to invite those who could shed light upon what they wrote to a more interested and educated audience. This gives me an idea that you might use. Maybe, instead of inviting representatives from the whole paper, you could ask them to send the memo to the writers. "If you wanna, there's a good audience here. You can inform us of the stuff you write and get an honest, educated opinion in return". It sounds like something Hubski would welcome.
Ok, maybe it'll just be a dumpster fire:
I'm afraid that was the only option ever on the table. The account looks great, clean implementation and everything, the problem is... yeah, "other people" on reddit. I got $20 that says ResearchGate will revolutionize internet legitimacy. They seem to really understand the playing field. At least the publishing companies should be quaking in their boots.