Washington City Paper

The Washington City Paper is an alternative weekly newspaper that caters to the Washington, D.C. metropolitan area. Founded in 1981 by Russ Smith and Alan Hirsch, who also owned the Baltimore City Paper, it was initially named 1981. The publication changed its name to City Paper in January 1982, and later that same year, Smith and Hirsch sold 80% of it to Chicago Reader, Inc. By 1988, Chicago Reader, Inc. took full ownership by acquiring the remaining 20%. In July 2007, both the Washington City Paper and the Chicago Reader were purchased by Creative Loafing, a chain based in Tampa. Then in 2012, Creative Loafing Atlanta and the Washington City Paper were sold to SouthComm. The City Paper is distributed every Thursday, and in 2006, it had an average circulation of 85,588. The paper primarily focuses on local news and arts coverage.

Local, Consumer

English

Online/Digital

Outlet metrics

Domain Authority

Ranking

Global

#122334

United States

#41904

News and Media

#1858

Traffic sources

Monthly visitors

Articles

Bad Books Is Not So Book-Smart

6 days ago | washingtoncitypaper.com | Rebecca Ritzel

Thanks for being a member of City Paper! Earlier this month, a Maryland public elementary school librarian was called in to HR after a parent published an angry screed on Facebook. Her third grader came home crying and traumatized, the mother alleged, because the librarian told her son Santa Claus was not real.
As More People Get Stoned on Stronger Weed, Health Effects Are Becoming More Serious

6 days ago | washingtoncitypaper.com | Will Lennon

Thanks for being a member of City Paper! The media was saturated for decades with bad faith hyperbole about the dangers of cannabis. But now that more than 17 million people say they use cannabis of one kind or another on a daily basis (or near daily basis), it’s fair to say that the pendulum has swung in the other direction. Weed can’t hurt you, it grows in the dirt. It’s medicine. Anyone who tells you otherwise is pilled on conservative propaganda. Right? Not exactly.
Ex-Cannabis Gifting Store Employees in D.C. Face Uncertainty and Unemployment

6 days ago | washingtoncitypaper.com | LJ Dawson

Thanks for being a member of City Paper! D.C.’s unique cannabis market drew Nat Alexander all the way from Kentucky in 2021. She moved to take a job at one of the popular brick-and-mortar cannabis shops that covered the city. The “gifting” stores had been operating in a gray market, using a legal loophole that followed Initiative 71’s passage in 2014. The law allowed adults to possess small amounts of cannabis and gift it to others without the exchange of money.
The Needle: Court Orders Maryland Man’s Return and Egg Prices Still Rising

1 week ago | washingtoncitypaper.com | Mitch Ryals

Thanks for being a member of City Paper! Fix it: The Supreme Court said the Trump administration must facilitate the return of Kilmar Abrego Garcia, the Maryland man who was mistakenly deported to a notorious prison in El Salvador. The husband and father was arrested and deported despite an immigration judge’s ruling that he must remain in the U.S. out of fear for his safety if he returned to El Salvador. Plus 10 points for righting a wrong.
The Rise of Mission-Driven Restaurants

1 week ago | washingtoncitypaper.com | Nevin Martell

Restaurants are no longer merely places to dine. They are innovation labs, philosophical propositions, and changemakers. In D.C., a new generation of mission-driven restaurants is rising to focus on everything from eliminating plastic and reducing waste to encouraging personal wellness and providing career training. Take Shia, the modern Korean fine dining restaurant in the Union Market neighborhood founded by James Beard Award-winning chef Edward Lee and his nonprofit, The Lee Initiative.
The Needle: Ric at the Kennedy Center Edition

2 weeks ago | washingtoncitypaper.com | Mitch Ryals

Thanks for being a member of City Paper! “I’ve seen cut avocado last longer than that”: Less than 14 hours after Trump imposed sweeping tariffs against the world, he retreated. On Wednesday, Trump paused “reciprocal” tariffs he imposed on dozens of countries for 90 days but left in place the blanket 10 percent tax on most imports; he also raised tariffs on China to 125 percent.
The Needle: Freedom of the Press Edition

2 weeks ago | washingtoncitypaper.com | Mitch Ryals

Thanks for being a member of City Paper! Abridging the freedom of the press: U.S. District Court Judge Trevor McFadden ruled in favor of the Associated Press Tuesday on a lawsuit challenging convicted felon and President Donald Trump’s banishment of the newswire service for refusing to refer to the Gulf of Mexico as the Gulf of America.
At Least 20 D.C. Police Officers Are Facing Termination Following Pandemic Loan Fraud Investigation

2 weeks ago | washingtoncitypaper.com | Mitch Ryals

Thanks for being a member of City Paper! The Metropolitan Police Department’s Disciplinary Review Division has recommended at least 20 officers for termination related to an investigation into pandemic loan fraud, according to a source familiar with the investigations. About another five officers have been recommended for suspension.
The Needle: Tripling Down Edition

2 weeks ago | washingtoncitypaper.com | Mitch Ryals

Thanks for being a member of City Paper! Tripling down: For a second time, a federal judge ordered the Trump administration to return a Maryland man who was errantly deported and sent to a horrific prison in El Salvador. The administration has claimed it cannot bring back Kilmar Abrego Garcia because he is no longer in U.S. custody and is asking the Supreme Court to block the lower court’s order.
Trump Will Get His Showy (And Likely Expensive) Military Parade in D.C.

2 weeks ago | washingtoncitypaper.com | Tom Sherwood

Thanks for being a member of City Paper! President Donald Trump for years has lusted after a big military parade over which he could preside—just like he sees leaders do in other mostly authoritative countries.