Word of The Gazette’s demise inspired many condolences and kind words since it was announced last week, but perhaps none more heartfelt than from the paper’s staff—some of whom were tasked with putting out its final Montgomery County edition Wednesday despite losing their jobs.
“This is my fourth time being unexpectedly unemployed—a condition many print journalists have faced during the digital age. I’ll be fine,” wrote sports editor Ken Sain in a farewell column. “This is a sad day, but my sadness is not for myself nor my co-workers. We’ll be fine. I’m sad for you, because you’re losing something that will probably not be replaced.”
The final edition of the newspaper that started in 1959 in a Rockville basement contained more sad news—Earle Hightower, the man who pieced together that first Gazette, died June 8.
It was four days before officials from the company that owns The Washington Post, which also owned The Gazette, told staff they hadn’t found a buyer for the paper and were going to close it for good.
“Hightower’s daughter, Alexandra, said in a Friday phone interview that she was glad he would never hear the news,” read the story on Hightower’s death.
Below the fold of the front page, an advertisement for “Ladies Night Out,” a marketing promotion for the paper, advised that the event has been cancelled. It provided a phone number for people to get refunds.
The days since the announcement of The Gazette’s closing have also brought criticism of The Washington Post and its owner, Amazon.com CEO Jeff Bezos. Bezos bought the weekly papers in Montgomery and Prince George’s counties when he bought the Post in 2013.
County Council President George Leventhal, speaking to a room of reporters at his regular Monday morning press availability, called out Bezos for depriving the county of a much-needed news source.
“I think it’s a shocking abandonment of the Washington Post Co.’s obligation to the community that it serves,” Leventhal said. “I’m enormously disappointed that Mr. Bezos did not see fit to use his abundant wealth to continue to benefit the community.”
On Friday, a Washington Post spokesperson said the company would have no other comment on The Gazette’s closure, other than to provide a copy of the email sent to employees making the announcement.
On Monday, Rockville City Council member Tom Moore mourned the loss of the paper in a different way.
He dropped off a bottle of Kentucky bourbon for the staff with a note reading, “Please accept this small liquid addition to your memorial service. …I’m not sure how the hell we’re going to get along without you.”
