It’s been a rough few months in the local media landscape.
First it was the shutdown of Seattle-based Breaking News, which resulted in the loss of 20 jobs.
Soon after, KOMO-TV got rid of its investigative team as part of a 10-person round of cuts. Northwest Cable News went off the air, and 20 employees were out of work.
The newsroom at the Seattle Times lost almost two dozen staffers with a round of layoffs, buyouts, and voluntary departures.
Perhaps what hit closest to home for us was the end of more than a century of community journalism with the end of the Issaquah Press, along with its partner publications the Sammamish Review, Newcastle News, and SnoValley Star.
But then, there was a respite.
Unfortunately it was all too brief, as word came down last week that the Tacoma News-Tribune would be trimming its staff, though it was unclear whether that would be through retirements, buyouts, or layoffs.
In all, approximately 100 journalism jobs in the Puget Sound region have gone away since the calendar turned to 2017. What a happy new year it has been.
The point of noting local downsizing is two-fold.
One, we deeply appreciate the community support we receive from subscribers and advertisers to bring you this paper without fail every week. Without you, there is no Queen Anne & Magnolia News.
Secondly, we ask you to consider supporting local journalism in its various forms. The more voices that contribute to the dialogue, the more eyes that watch the actions of our elected officials, the more informed our communities are, the better. The Washington Post has received much attention for its new slogan, “democracy dies in darkness,” but really, it’s more than democracy. It’s our neighborhoods. Local journalism connects us all, and brings us together with the knowledge of what’s happening around us.
If you live within our delivery area, you can subscribe for just $36 per year. Outside of the area, you can still get a subscription, but you’ll receive the paper through the mail at a cost of $85 per year. That’s still less than the cost of one latte every other week.
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If that’s something you wish to contribute to, there’s a subscription form in this paper. If not, we hope you’ll consider sending a few dollars to another local outlet.
We’re all in this together.