Photo by afm
Metro riders and people who stopped by newspaper boxes today possibly received an important memento for local D.C. journalism. The Washington Examiner, the free tabloid that launched in 2005, published its last edition today.
Later this month, the Examiner, as envisioned by its owner, Clarity Media Group, will re-emerge as a conservative-leaning magazine and website with a target audience of government officials and political professionals in Washington and state capitals.
Being lost in the revamp, we lamented when it was announced, is the Examiner’s excellent local section, which provided an excellent focus on local affairs free of the foaming hyperbole of the tabloid’s right-wing editorial page. While it’s reassuring that many of the reporters on the local beats found exit strategies (Alan Blinder to The New York Times, Eric Newcomer to The Philadelphia Inquirer, Kytja Weir to the Center for Public Integrity, Jonetta Rose Barras to The Washington Post, to name a few) it’s sad to see a newspaper dissolve like this.
But perhaps what we’ll miss most about the Examiner is some of the hyperbole. Specifically, its front pages, which often featured bold-faced, alarmist headlines on top with mismatching photographs on the lower half.
A story about to Silver Line construction? Goes perfectly with an image of flame-filled riots in Greece.
What you might think: Again with the fiery demonstrations after we get screwed by mass transit.
A bloody night in Prince George’s County? Not quite right when paired with a lush image of flowers on the U.S. Capitol’s lawn.
What you might think: Were flowers the victims of the bloodbath?
Last year, voters in Maryland and Virginia were split over cultural issues like guns and same-sex marriage. Nothing quite says “culture war” like aurora borealis!
What you might think: So that’s what same-sex marriage does to the world, huh?
And a Metro breakdown that left hundreds of riders stranded on a smoke-filled train? Another protest fire! (This one in Denver.)
What you might think: Metro delays piss me off, those Red Line riders are really angry.
Last year, we spoke with Ryan Musser, a D.C. resident built up an archive of the Examiner’s best—i.e., craziest—covers on in his Flickr account. He recalls today that he first noticed the paper on June 1, 2011, when he spotted that day’s issue in his office’s break room. The blaring headline read, “Bloody spree in Prince George’s: Murders up 28% after four killings.” Below it was a close-up photo of a young child splashing in the water jets at Columbia Heights Civic Plaza.
What you might think: Did the perpetrators of this bloody spree use Super Soakers?
“I couldn’t help but wonder, ‘Is he the perpetrator of this bloody spree in PG, or is he the victim?’,” Musser says.
Then there was the Feb. 28 issue, featuring the war-on-cars-instigating banner “D.C. makes driving hell on wheels.” Underneath it, an image of Pope Benedict XVI waving to the masses. Another odd juxtaposition, for sure.
“This whole time, I’ve always wondered who it is that is designing the covers,” Musser says. “Is it a person with an awesome and sick sense of humor? If so, where is their boundary? Or is it some unfortunate person who is invariably clueless about implications and connections made between the headline and the photo? Either way, I’m going to miss you, Examiner, and your awesome covers.”
But perhaps the best Examiner cover of all time came Dec. 20, 2011, after the Metropolitan Police Department broke up a drug- and gun-smuggling ring based at a phony rap studio. Officers made 70 arrests and confiscated 70 guns and $7.1 million worth of drugs. How did the Examiner illustrate the bust?
A drug-dealing panda. Bad on you, Mei Xiang.
