New News For DC
The Washington Post is flailing. Good people still work there, smarter than me, but no newspaper worth its salt deliberately hollows out the metro section, foreign correspondents, and sports section.
Eroding the bedrock of local journalism to become a purely national platform is a quick route to standing on thin air – like Wile E. Coyote running off a cliff.
Location matters in journalism. The New York Times, a national newspaper, is rooted in New York. It publishes relevant articles about that jumble of a city that I enjoy, even though I've never lived there.
I won't bore you with the claim that supporting local journalism is important solely because it’s local. In fact, this is a bad argument. Supporting poor local journalism purely as charity doesn't make sense. Instead, support damn good writing because it's damn good. Pick your fighter (and these small outlets really are scrappy, like welterweight boxers), and back them when they are in the ring.
As The Post fades, small news outlets have filled the gap. I am pleased to see this. Particularly in DC, home to a well informed and highly engaged populace, local news will always have readers. As people search for replacements, I wanted to recommend a few alternates. Each has its quirks, some wordy, some left of left, but all lean, hungry, and worth your dollars.
7:30DC: 7:30DC makes me feel like a DC insider. It’s a morning newsletter that goes out five days a week and aggregates and shares DC news in pithy paragraphs with a social justice focus. They also share a running list of events across the DMV. Publishing a daily newsletter for multiple years would be fun at first before turning quickly into a chore. I couldn't stick with it. But 7:30DC hits my inbox every weekday like clockwork.
Secret Ballot: Secret Ballot is DC culture newsletter run by Audrey Horne and Sarah Beth Spraggins. They connect readers to a part of DC that I don't frequent, think parties that require a tux and serve martinis. I hate martinis and I don't own a tux, but what I appreciate about Secret Ballot is that they make life in DC seem aspirational. Sure, New York is cool but have you heard about DC? Though I don’t think we run in the same circles I'm glad Secret Ballot exists and I want to see more of it in the city.
Washingtonian: Washingtonian isn't new. It's been around for decades, quietly publishing DC journalism. While the Washington Post has shifted its "strategic direction" multiple times Washingtonian has remained solidly focused on life in The District. At some publications one single journalist can be worth a subscription. Jessica Sidman, their food reporter, is that person. While the rest of the newsroom is solid, Jessica is fantastic. Her list of the top 100 restaurants in DC was thoughtful and complete. If I was more enterprising and had a lot more money I would visit every single one of her recommendations in a year.
The 51st: The 51st has been getting attention in media circles since it launched as a worker-owned cooperative newsroom. They have a left-leaning mission and rose from the ashes of DCist's layoffs. The 51st shines with "feet on the street" reporting. It's easy to repost Reuters or Associated Press. The 51st didn’t take the easy route. Every article on their site was developed, researched, and meticulously reported by a small, scrappy team. I'm not sure how much they scramble but it must be a lot because the volume of pieces they publish rivals some of the big industry players. The 51st is building a blueprint for the newsroom of the future: in-person, deeply researched, hyperlocal journalism funded by readers.
CityCast: CityCast has been in DC for years and slowly built an audience through its weekly podcast and newsletter. Part of a broader network, the CityCast team has worked to fill the metro void left by the Washington Post and just announced they are hiring new writers to serve on their team. They have a newsletter and a podcast that dives into DC news as well as a website of articles that would help anyone new to the city figure some stuff out (like where to pine in DC!).
Axios DC: Axios was founded by a former Washington Post journalist who left The Post to found Politico. He doesn't know how to quit, because after founding Politico he went on to found Axios, a hyperlocal newsletter that focuses on the DMV. Axios is punchy, delivers right to your inbox, and shared daily news and happenings around the DMV. Also, if you feel like staying connected to a small Midwestern city, say, Des Moines, you can also sign up for their other local newsletters and see what's happening in the middle of the Midwest.