Fear and “loathing” in DC: Local news cutbacks and recalls are a dangerous mix

If you walk through Lafayette Square, you’ll see a man holding a homemade sign that reads “Truth Coordinator.” As I passed him the other day, I reflected that this sort of title would sound menacing if it was official, especially coming from near the White House. But because it was self-bestowed, it came across as vaguely endearing.

A minute after I noticed him, a friend texted me. “Omg! That [neighborhood] listserv is now accusing [redacted] of ripping up recall yard signs…Looks nothing like him.” I checked the pictures. Indeed, it looked nothing like Mr. Redacted.

But that hasn’t stopped some folks from flinging angry accusations, just as they’ve made accusations against DC Councilmembers Charles Allen and Brianne Nadeau that make light of basic facts about executive vs. legislative responsibility, root causes of crime, and other important matters. Those specious arguments are now fueling recall efforts against two elected officials whom GGWash endorsed in 2022, putting the work that we support at risk.

Despite the censorious rhetoric, the goal of these efforts is not to take down specific individuals: there will always be a next target if they succeed. The goal is to create a deceptive, dangerous, and divisive “us and them” narrative, by flinging around so much bullshit that no one can tell the difference between that and truth anymore.

What a time to lose local coverage

The day I noticed the Truth Coordinator, like many Washington region residents I was reeling from the news of WAMU’s decision to close DCist and lay off 15 journalists.

As we continue to half-navigate, half-bumble our way through pandemic recovery, and face a series of related political, social, and economic challenges, local news coverage is essential to making rational, societally beneficial decisions. DCist’s closure would always be bad news (WAMU management’s initial decision to hide the archives didn’t help). But along with the Post’s cutbacks on local coverage, and when we’re facing efforts to distort facts as a means of distorting our political system, it could be disastrous. Truth is the loser, which means we’re all the losers.

At the same time, threats to free speech are salient in our region, thanks to the Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office serving notice to Eric Saul of the Takoma Torch at 1:00 AM in his home recently because of a satirical groundhog-themed tweet about a public figure.

We’re extremely fortunate in the U.S. to enjoy the rights of self-expression and freedom of the press, topics I’ve been trying to explain to my fourth-grader with increasing nuance every day. But facts can’t be expressed freely without trusted outlets through which to communicate them (I’m not referring to the Isle of Babble & Propaganda formerly known as Twitter, where anyone says anything). The time to invest more in those rights was probably some years ago, but as the saying goes, the second best time is now.

Hate hates truth, but truth doesn’t hate hate

Truth sees hate. That’s what makes truth powerful, and it’s one reason why local media coverage is essential in a divisive time.

A neighbor I’ve known for eight years recently surprised me by saying that they “loathe” Councilmember Allen. The word “loathe” stood out for two reasons: firstly, for the personal antipathy it suggested toward an official whom 94% of their voting neighbors had recently reelected, and secondly, that it speaks to the strangely divisive mood gripping many in DC, just as we should be working together. (Related PSA: it’s aggressive and weird to steal yard signs. It’s weirder still that no one who lives in highly-connected Capitol Hill can identify the people in these images, and that the news reports we got about it failed to ask why that might be. But the incident inflamed tensions and made people suspicious of each other—what interests does that serve?).

Like any human being, I’ve felt anger in my heart at people, especially people in power, when they make decisions that offend my values. But hate, or loathing, is not a path to understanding what’s actually going on, helping to solve a complex problem, or making decisions that benefit society and not just the few who scream the loudest.

We need people, both professionals and laypeople, looking at facts, analyzing, synthesizing, and sharing them. Local journalists and journalism are vital; lowercase-l liberalism can’t exist without them. But also: if you’re older than three, it’s your job to tell the truth.

The anti-recall efforts supporting Councilmember Nadeau and Councilmember Allen will bring many folks together on behalf of their wards. But healing from the rifts that are being created in DC will take a lot of time, work, and goodwill.

Meanwhile, as we seek to parse precious truth from the smoke of social media and self-serving blame narratives, the self-appointed “Truth Coordinator” of Lafayette Square has a specific message for us, displayed on a banner sitting next to him. It reads “Stop hating people you disagree with.”

Maybe I wouldn’t like what else he has to say. Maybe not hating anyone feels like a lot to ask when the stakes seem so high. It certainly won’t bring back the local news coverage we’ve lost. But it’s where I’m starting.