APR 4, 5:37 PM

Staff And Locals React To End Of Washington City Paper Print Edition

Avery Kleinman

D.C.’s alt-weekly newspaper Washington City Paper announced Friday that it is ending print publication and laying off five members of its staff. The final free print edition will be published on May 5.

The lay-offs cut the current editorial staff significantly, from 11 to six, and include Darrow Montgomery, who’s worked at the paper since 1986 and held the position of staff photographer since the early 2000s. Sports editor Kelyn Soong, City Lights editor Ella Feldman, creative director Nayion Perkins, and director of classifieds, human resources and circulation Heather McAndrews are also losing their jobs.

“This was a difficult but necessary decision, and one that many of our peer publications nationwide have had to make over the past decade,” City Paper wrote in a statement on Twitter. “We will continue to cover the critical political and cultural news of Washington, as we always have, online. We will continue to hold events, and we will occasionally publish special print editions. The same important journalism that has shaped our 41-year-history will live on.”

Link to tweet

The end of regular print publication followed a shift from weekly editions to monthly in 2020, which meant the “Free Every Thursday” statement that emblazoned the paper’s pick-up boxes throughout the city no longer rang true. At the time, the change was billed as a temporary cost-saving measure resulting from the financial hit of the pandemic. ... Local journalists, many of whom have worked for Washington City Paper, reacted with dismay to Friday’s news. While they may have seen the end of print on the horizon, many were surprised by the firing of long-time staff-photographer Darrow Montgomery.

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