Our team attended today's "Save the Post" rally today in solidarity with journalists at The Washington Post, who are fighting to save their paper, even while facing unemployment. (Want to help? Here's how.) (Maddie Poore)
We’re still reeling from yesterday’s news from The Washington Post. Along with cutting hundreds of jobs — a full third of the paper’s workforce — the metro desk has been slashed from 40 reporters to just 12.
The loss of local news has a devastating ripple effect — corporate misconduct increases, corruption spikes, and political divides harden — even people’s likelihood of voting or running for office decreases.
It’s why framing the layoffs as a business decision is so frustrating. We don’t need to point out that Jeff Bezos has raked in an average of $70 million every single day of 2026 — or that Amazon spent $75 million on the barely-disguised vanity project Melania — to know that this wasn’t entirely about the finances. A free and independent press is a threat to the powerful, and when they own our most vital weapon against them, they can and will pull the rug out from under us.
It’s why we’re so committed to building something different at The 51st. As a very small team, we’re under no illusions that we can, on our own, fill the hole Bezos has blown in this storied institution. But we do know that we’re building something that a billionaire can’t break: a local news outlet rooted in D.C. and beholden only to readers like you.
We had some big fundraising plans to announce at the end of February, marking the two year anniversary of DCist’s shuttering. But in light of yesterday’s news, we’re hitting the gas. We’ll have more to share next week.
In the meantime, we hope you’ll join us as a member, or consider a one-time gift. Every new supporter gets us closer to building the local newsroom our city deserves. And remember, we’re a 501(c)(3) which means both memberships and one-time gifts are tax deductible.
A years-long fight over budget documents has escalated. It’s a fight the executive branch has already lost in a related court case, and could soon result in contempt proceedings against her.
We're reminiscing on Chocolate City this month and want to know from D.C. natives and longtime Washingtonians: was there a year, moment, location or vibe shift when you realized the city had begun to change? Tell us about it via this form.
A D.C. anti-violence group spent over $400,000 in city funds in ways that a city official called "unreasonable," "unethical," and "possibly illegal." [The Post]
The killing of Alex Pretti in Minneapolis has reverberated across the world — including right here in D.C. [WAMU]
A Los Angeles Lakers' player has been suspended after pushing Washington Wizards mascot G-Wiz right before Friday's game. [NBC4]
Give a big welcome to the zoo's latest resident: a baby Asian Elephant who was born on Monday at a healthy 308 pounds. Bonus: you can help the zoo decide her name. [Washingtonian]
A person with measles traveled to Dulles late January, and public health officials want to identify people who may have been exposed. [The Post]
D.C. isn't the only city struggling to deal with the "snowcrete." An Arlington County official explains how they've trying to clean up the streets. [WTOP]
Despite a steady decrease in HIV cases in the District, many patients still don't have access to PrEP, a highly effective preventative drug. [WAMU]
With your help, we pursue stories that hold leaders to account, demystify opaque city and civic processes, and celebrate the idiosyncrasies that make us proud to call D.C. home. Put simply, our mission is to make it easier — and more fun — to live in the District. Our members help keep local news free and independent for all:
Martin Austermuhle
