D.C. deserves billionaire-free local news
If 5% of the people who have canceled their Washington Post subscriptions joined the 51st, we’d be fully funded.
This week was a stark reminder of what can happen when journalism is beholden to the whims of a billionaire. Regardless of how you feel about presidential endorsements, it’s bad news when the rich, powerful owner of an outlet overrides publishing plans.
The 51st was born from a desire (and obvious need) to build something different: A local newsroom where journalists and community members are the decision makers – not billionaire owners, wealthy shareholders, or a C-Suite with limited experience in local news. We want to prioritize serving D.C. residents above all, even when that might contradict certain business or political interests. We’re small, scrappy, and growing with your help.
This model is ONLY possible with financial support from readers like you.
We’re seeing reports of 250,000 people canceling their Washington Post subscriptions. We stand with workers at The Post, who are doing vital reporting under often difficult circumstances, and we aren’t advocating for abandoning them. But we are hoping that readers will think more expansively about funding local news, and about the importance of building and supporting new publications and models of journalism. D.C. deserves a thriving local media landscape, where many publications and journalists have the independence and resources to work without interference.
The reality is that if a fraction of the subscribers who have canceled (5%, or 12,500 people) joined The 51st, we would be fully funded for a whole year and then some. That would mean 7 of us could report, edit, fundraise, and build a newsroom full-time (instead of juggling multiple gigs to pay the bills). We could hire weekly freelancers, commit to more investigations, and hold more community listening sessions to understand which issues are most important to people's lives in D.C.
The big picture is feeling pretty overwhelming this election season. One of the things giving me hope and energy is focusing on what I can do, right here in my community: help build a new, worker-run, community-centered newsroom. Will you join us?
With Care,
Maddie Poore
P.S. Looking for non-monetary ways to support The 51st? Forward this to a few people in your life who care about D.C. We’re building from scratch and are always looking to reach more residents.
