There’s a motivation behind our goal to grow our newsletter subscriber list: We know these readers are out there.
When DCist was shut down, the team had 70,000+ newsletter subscribers. The 51st is proud to rise from the ashes, but today, most of those DCist subscribers — our neighbors and friends — are just no longer receiving the kind of local news they signed up for.
Over a year ago, we approached WAMU about the possibility of acquiring DCist’s newsletter list and social media accounts. Last week, we received a final answer: No.
There’s a lot to unpack about the decision, but we’re looking towards the future instead. We’ll just have to find those readers ourselves. Are you able to help us?
We know 2026 is going to be a critical year for political news in D.C. — from our increasingly competitive local elections to the continued negotiation with federal lawmakers. That's why it's so important we finish the year by meeting our goal to find 3,000 new subscribers.
We especially want to find the people who loved DCist, but don’t yet know The 51st exists. They walk among us: Our neighbors, colleagues, and friends. Do you know any of them personally, and can you help reunite them with local journalism?
To help us get there, we've launched a referral challenge, where you can access a unique signup link to share and recruit 51st subscribers. Each week until December 31st, we'll award two prizes: one to the person who referred the most subscribers and another to a new subscriber chosen at random. Thanks for supporting and playing!
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:
