There is the basic journalistic formula for the first line of an obituary: name, comma, career, comma, died.
It is egalitarian and democratic in its utter finality—a life bookended by two commas—and in the end we all receive the same treatment.
And yet, is it right to reduce a life to the space betwixt the commas?
In the pages of a newspaper, perhaps. However, in the case of The District Weekly, it is entirely inappropriate.
In a departure from the normal contents of this column, I would like to take this small amount of your time to expand upon the space between the formulaic commas.
I would like to offer an all too short tribute to a publication and its staff that through passion, intelligence, and dedication, prospered well beyond those simple grammatical marks and in the process made many in the community sit up and think.
The facts in this case are, like the space between the commas, all too simple. The District Weekly, just shy of its three-year anniversary, succumbed to the virulent fiscal disease attacking most of journalism and died this week.
And yet, The District Weekly, for the citizens of Long Beach, was more than any two commas should rightly contain.
It was, to start with, a breath of fresh journalistic air in a community that has long suffered from the stale winds of mediocrity in news coverage.
The District offered a stark insightful view of our city and was never afraid to say loudly and clearly that things in Long Beach were not as wonderful as the citizens are too often told. At the same time, they relished in reintroducing the reader with the quirky cultural mishmash that makes up the great core of this city. In the pages of a single issue you could run the gamut of shady City Hall deals to exploring an under-appreciated eatery to exploring the inside of an architectural masterpiece in your own neighborhood.
And in obvious contrast to some other local news outlets, the staff of The District did not start with the supposition that Long Beach was a great place to live–they tried to prove it in every issue. They did not just cover Long Beach, they believed in Long Beach. In what it was, in what it could be and in what it should be. And if in their quest for this proof they found those that would keep Long Beach down, they never hesitated to rip the lid off the beehive and call those responsible to task.
This is what journalism is all about–comfort the afflicted and afflict the comfortable.
Certainly, it is easy in hindsight to say that the writers were too snarky, nit-picky, snide or even downright mean–and sometimes they were. But given the feckless lack of leadership this city attracts, the cabals of connected elite that machinate behind the scenes, and the hypocritical bent of most city institutions, maybe Dave and Theo and the others at the District should be credited in retrospect with being too nice.
I would prefer to remember them as the cutting edge of this city’s news outlets–a role they crafted, embraced and seemed to revel in. While other news organizations present the straight news, mixes of straight news with commentary, or simply City Hall press releases posted the minute they are sent, The District was the bad boy in the mix. You know, that guy standing in front you in the 7-11 line that may or may not have a gun.
And when they pulled their hoodie over their head and reached in their pocket, The District more often than not were in their natural element.
When you read their coverage of controversial stories like Wetlands Swap, the Craig Beck fiasco, problems at the Animal Shelter and the annual debacle otherwise known as the Seafest, you can almost feel the ink flowing in the writers’ veins. And despite what some of the comfortable being afflicted by The District said, these were not vendettas or some kind of gotcha journalism. These were important issues that were for the most part unknown or undercovered by the rest of the media. Issues that again showed The District staff’s passion for what Long Beach could be by aggressively asking, “Why is this happening,” and “What is really behind this?”
Even at their most aggressive there was no agenda. There was simply talented people doing what they did best and for a community they believed in.
In the end, however, even the best of intentions and the best staff could not survive the roiling Armageddon that is facing the news industry.
We should feel lucky that we had three years of their service to the community and can only take some succor in knowing that most of the staff will likely find a home for their talents in the near future.
But it will never be the same. The District was our paper. It belonged to Long Beach as much as it covered Long Beach. And as much as the creation of The District was a tiny miracle, it is unfortunately, a miracle that is unlikely to be repeated in the immediate future with another publication.
You know, in a world so painted gray by oversensitivity and political correctness, it is not often you actually find one of the “white hats” any more.
As The District heads off into the sunset toward the Boot Hill of journalism, I think it would be nice to remember our own alt-weekly–short-lived as it was–as one of them.