As many know, WAMU shuttered DCist this morning and with it, I was laid off. I am thankful for the year I spent working with this amazing team. I don’t know what is in store for the DCist Instagram but give it some love before it possibly goes away! instagram.com/dcist?igsh=NWR…

After so many years in journalism, layoffs finally caught up with me. So proud of the work our team has done + devastated for my friends (those who lost their jobs and those who must carry on). This is an incredibly talented, thoughtful group. Please follow + support the union⬇️

It's with a heavy heart that I have to share that my 13 years at WAMU and DCist as a web producer, audience editor and most recently growth editor came to an end today. More than a dozen dedicated, talented colleagues were let go as well.

WAMU management and American University, which owns our license, has let us and you — our listeners, readers, and members — down. They have failed to steward the service we all rely on. We know the journalism industry is struggling, but poor leadership has led us to this moment.

These losses harm our community the most. We are losing critical journalists to make sense of the moment. If you are a reader or listener, we ask that you let our general manager know that you stand by #WeMakeWAMU and journalists at [email protected].

A vast majority of us — at WAMU, DCist, 1A, and The Politics Hour — were prevented from airing or publishing news Friday after management blocked access to our office and content management systems. We’ve spent the last 18 hours wondering if we were about to lose our jobs.

Management claims their decision is a pivot to “audio excellence.” But audio journalists were laid off. And The Politics Hour, which has recently set market share records for its timeslot, was forced to cancel the Friday airing of the show at the last minute. It’s damaging.

We are deeply committed to our work. We know our WAMU listeners and DCist readers count on us to provide news, context, inspiration and joy. We are honored every day by your trust and your support.

I’m heartbroken for my colleagues and the audience that relies on our local news coverage. This steady loss of local coverage is devastating for communities and our democracy.

Our leadership has been promising a new “content strategy” to guide our work and solve our budget deficit for nearly a year. But deadlines were missed. And despite the newsroom’s best efforts to be involved in the process, our attempts were in vain. 🧵

This lack of care for the journalism our community relies on extends to personnel decisions. Over the last two years, 20 journalists have left our station. For many, that was due in part to a loss of faith in leadership.

Most of those positions were not replaced, but remaining staff still continued to provide a stellar news product to our community. Critical beats, including D.C. government, Maryland, education, and transportation have gone unfilled for months or even years.

WAMU is a flagship NPR member station. We’ve continued to be the most-listened-to radio station in the D.C. market for nearly two years, according to management’s own data.

We have a strong and engaged membership, and we have a track record of impactful journalism. We refuse to believe our financial challenges are insurmountable.

There has been little attempt from our leadership to listen to our staffing concerns or understand the impact attrition is having on our ability to provide the information our community deserves.

Now our newsroom is even smaller. Let our general manager and her boss know that you stand by #WeMakeWAMU and public media at [email protected] and [email protected].

I was also laid off today from WAMU and DCist. The past two years were my second stint at both, and presented me with my dream job of editing local arts and food stories that tried to portray the real culture of D.C. I'll miss that work and my colleagues terribly.

The unceremonious shutdown of DCist is a devastating loss for the local news marketplace. WAMU cited a “strategic shift focused on audio” as the reason behind the closure, but former DCist reporters call bullshit. buff.ly/3uAyr93

On Monday 1A is going to be talking about the decline of local news across the country and what it means for our democracy. We'd love to hear what you think! How important is local news to you? Email me a voice memo: [email protected] or call us at 855-236-1212.

Must-listen today on 1A: The slow death of local news coverage, something the D.C. region has absolutely experienced in recent months, with the Post trimming the Metro section and WAMU 88.5 killing @dcist and laying off 15 people. the1a.org/segments/local…