On Feb. 1, District residents awoke to find copies of The Examiner, D.C.’s new free daily newspaper, on their doorsteps. More accurately, residents of Northwest received a copy of the paper’s first issue, because while The Examiner claims to report on the entire city, it refuses to deliver to most of it??-namely, the areas heavily populated with African-Americans. The Examiner’s selective delivery route is unfair and racist, and District residents should boycott the paper until this policy ends.
According to a survey conducted by the Washington City Paper, The Examiner delivers primarily in Northwest, an area that, according to 2000 census data, is between 74.2 and 94.4 percent white. In predominantly black areas, like Southwest, home delivery of the paper is nonexistent. Likewise, newspaper boxes and hawkers are both concentrated in more affluent areas and at Metro stops. Even in wealthy black neighborhoods, the paper has yet to be delivered.
The Examiner could argue that it has a target demographic, specifically those who are white and prosperous, and that their delivery patterns reflect their goals. There is no reason that a free newspaper should be prioritizing certain readers over others. In delivering only to Northwest, The Examiner sends the message that white, rich readers deserve the news more than residents of Southeast. This is preposterous. By selectively distributing their paper, the editors of The Examiner completely ignore an entire demographic for one reason only: racial preference.
As a new paper, The Examiner may still be working out the kinks in its delivery schedule. According to the Washington City Paper survey, home delivery is erratic, as is the supply to paper boxes. This, however, is no excuse. In order for the paper to succeed, it must reach the widest audience possible. How can the editors of The Examiner eliminate potential markets before they understand to whom their paper appeals?
At a reception held Feb. 8, D.C. Mayor Anthony Williams welcomed The Examiner to the city and, according to the Feb. 9 edition of the paper, challenged it to “search for and find truth and convey it to the citizenry.” The Examiner should take Williams’ advice; if the paper is going to continue to report on the entirety of the District, they must begin to deliver to all four quadrants. The Examiner’s current delivery routes discriminate against disadvantaged areas of the city, neighborhoods that are primarily black. This is an insult not only to those who are directly discriminated against, but to all residents of the District.
In the meantime, residents of D.C. should not tolerate this blatant racism and should demonstrate their discontent by refusing to read The Examiner.
