UPDATE: @wamu885 managers will not renew the contracts of 13 of our essential colleagues.

Many joined us at the start of the pandemic to handle a crush of news. By the end of 2020, most of them will be without a job.

Here’s the thing: @wamu885 & @DCist depend on these journalists, who make up ONE-THIRD of newsroom staff.

They filled gaps in our coverage during one of the busiest years imaginable, producing more than 1,000 stories combined since the start of the pandemic.

Last week alone, these reporters — many are known as “surge staffers” — filed 22 web stories and a dozen audio pieces.

Besides the lack of job security, there is NO difference between a surge staffer and a DCist/WAMU employee — because their reporting work is exactly the same.

They bring us the latest updates on COVID-19 in the area, plus all the other coverage you expect that hasn’t stopped.

Surge staffers have produced some of the most-read stories on our website this year, covering Election 2020, the Black Lives Matter protests and more.

Without these essential employees, WAMU’s coverage will suffer. The need for news is not going away and employees remaining at @wamu885 and @DCist will be overwhelmed.

This will dramatically affect our coverage.

. @wamu885 & @AmericanU: we know times are tough. But this decision was made unilaterally and conveniently, right before we formed our union.

We’re calling on you to reinstate our colleagues so we can continue to report the news our listeners rely on.

If you support WAMU’s most vulnerable workers, share this thread. Contact WAMU leadership with the link below and email Seth Grossman at [email protected]. https://help.wamu.org/hc/en-us/requests/new?ticket_form_id=360000599471