March 24, 2008
The Wire Returns
No, we're not talking about the popular HBO show that white people seem to love.
The Post has brought back to life D.C. Wire, their blog on local politics that suffered a lonely death in late 2006, when the newspaper's beat reporters couldn't figure out what the heck the thing was for. After taking all of 2007 off, the blog was quietly reintroduced last week; so far, it's got eight posts on everything from Michelle Rhee to the new stadium.
It's about time. The Post has a blog for everything from Islam's role in the world to how to be a better parent. The lack of blogging on local politics has always miffed us. After all, there is plenty of intrigue in the personalities and politics that make up the District's local government. Of course, the blog's structure hasn't changed much from the one that doomed it the first time around. By relying on beat reporters to provide content, D.C. Wire loses exactly what has made many of the Post's blogs successful -- voices that can consistently report, analyze, and criticize the news, providing a different perspective on local politics that you won't usually find in the paper itself.
We're happy to have them back, and we wish them the best of luck. We'll just issue the warning we've given in the past -- watch the commenters. Considering how things went in the past, a watchful eye would be a good thing.
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maybe that's why they don't even have a field for you to put in a commenter name. everyone gets to play the anonymity game!
Two points:
1. The Post really sucks at covering local news and politics. The City Paper had a great article on the Northwest Current and how it's been a financial success b/c of its relentless focus on the local issues that would never make it into the Post - ANC meetings, zoning battles, street repairs, etc. My guess is that the Post realizes it sucks at local reporting and is now finally gearing up to focus on this.
2. Rees' only real public forum these days is TheMail, which sorta hurts that online publication's credibility (although for quite some time it's simply a collection of rants about how Fenty sucks, how the Post sucks, how DC gov't sucks, how the Nationals ballpark sucks, how Rhee sucks, how DCPS sucks but wouldn't suck if Fenty and Rhee didn't suck, etc.).
Ya, what are Gary and Dorothy thinking giving that guy any sort of platform.
Meh, shoots themselves in the foot.
@Cranky
Are you talking about TheMail on DCWatch?
So when's The Washington Post going to change their name to The Herndon Post? Because their Metro section is a real piece of s**t: eight pages of ads for cars and sphincter wrinkle ointment and an outdated handwringing blurb about some poor kid in Anacostia being a victim of the economy/society/gentrification. My pet parrot won't even use the Metro section for a toilet anymore.
There was a point in time during the mayoral election where DC Wire was pretty good. But then the reporters would take 2 week vacations and not post for days. However, more local news is always a good thing for me.
@ HillRat: Yes.
Nice way to get "clicks". No one cares about the Post's Blogs? We want to see more of Rhonda Pearlman? FREDTERP
@fredterp: wha?
IMGoph, what do you want. You don't watch the Wire? Do you spend too much time on Dancing with the Stars.