Did you know that factories located near newspapers produce less toxic emissions? It’s true — and the same research found that when a newspaper closes, those emissions increase. It's just one indicator of the ways that local news makes people's lives better, which is why we founded The 51st.
The United States is averaging a loss of 2.5 newspapers every week. Over the past two decades, three-quarters of the country’s journalism jobs have disappeared. In the wake of these losses, we’ve learned a lot about the consequences.
When The Cincinnati Post shuttered, fewer people ran for office in the suburbs most reliant on the publication. For years after, voter turnout dipped. In Seattle and Denver, researchers found that after major newspapers closed, people were less civically engaged.
When a county loses one of its last newspapers, research finds that people’s tax burden increases. One large study found that corruption spikes following a paper closure, with the researchers hypothesizing that it emboldens public officials, who know it means less scrutiny.
We’re lucky that D.C. isn’t a news desert, but it hasn’t been isolated from these trends. The recent gutting of The Washington Post came after repeated cuts and buyouts to the paper’s Metro section, along with cuts to Washington City Paper and, of course, the shuttering of DCist — the devastating closure that brought you The 51st. For a major city, there are still far too few journalists with their eyes on the issues that most impact the people who call it home.
We’re also lucky that D.C. is made up of people who care deeply about the city and see the value of independent local news. It’s why The 51st was possible in the first place, and why it continues to thrive — D.C. is a city that believes in community.
Today is Local News Day, a national day of action promoting the importance of local news to communities like ours. On this special day, will you support The 51st’s growing newsroom by becoming a paid member? Almost 70 percent of our work is funded directly by readers like you, who believe in local news enough to play a direct role in making it happen.
Abigail is a co-founder of The 51st and a reporter and editor in Washington D.C. covering inequality, gender, and labor. She's the First Vice President of The National Writers Union.
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:
