On January 4th, Washingtonian magazine published a lengthy examination of Current Newspapers’ long-running financial struggles.
On January 5th, Washingtonian was first to report that the Current filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy. Our hope is that it emerges from the reorganization stronger than before, with a winning formula for neighborhood-level local news coverage in Northwest DC and around the District.
That is also the Current’s hope. In a January 10th “Dear Readers” message, it says “a new Current Newspaper Company will be established under new management that will operate as before, but with a new operating plan that will maintain our local news focus, while expanding our print and digital coverage of local events, sports and the Northwest lifestyle.”
From the beginning, we have enjoyed a good relationship with the Current, and in our first few years we even had a formal relationship, one that allowed the Connection to post Current stories relevant to the neighborhood. But it was more than that. It was not unusual for me to call Chris Kain, the managing editor of the paper until the end of 2017, to see if the paper would be covering a particular neighborhood issue and to chat a bit.
We need strong local news coverage. The national news is important and often riveting, but what goes on in our city and neighborhoods can have the most immediate impact on our daily lives. And we are ready to assist the Current in any way we can.