The Washington Post has decided to close its suburban news bureaus, including one in Manassas long known as their Prince William bureau.
In an interview with Politico, the Post says the offices will close as leases begin to expire next year. Bureaus in Richmond, Va. and Annapolis, Md. will remain open.
While I’m not surprised at what clearly is a cost-cutting move for the pulp-based news organization, losing any local journalism is never easy. It’s one less set of eyes and ears overseeing the daily operations of local government, and one less outlet for voices in the community to be heard.
While I’m a web news man, I’ll admit the day after the earthquake here in Virginia went to the store to pick up what would be a commemorative copy of the Washington Post only to find they had already sold out of them. I settled for a USA Today.
To my friends who work in the closing bureaus, here’s to a job well done covering your community. Let’s hope your superiors acknowledge your hard work with a new and even more challenging assignment.
