By Martha Ewing ’26
This past October, the journalists in the Civic Journalism and Media Making class released the very first edition of the recently revived Washington Eagle. This news of this exciting achievement rippled through the vibrant cultural center that is Washington, Connecticut, and over four hundred copies were handed out within a matter of days since its launch. Word spread fast, and the Washington Eagle paper became an avid topic of conversation among the town’s residents.
An important piece of history, the Washington Eagle first operated circa 1940 and ended its publication sometime during the 1980s. Old copies of the Eagle can sometimes be found on the bulletin board at the Washington Food Market in the Depot. Since then, Washington has not had its own unique newspaper.
Papers such as The Republican American, Voices, and New Milford Spectrum are commonly read in our area, but none of these were distinctively Washington. So, in the winter of the 2022-2023 school year, talk started circulating in the Civic Journalism and Media Making classroom about creating our own town newspaper. Mr. McMann explained to his pupils the importance of local news in relation to civic engagement, active citizenship, and democracy. Local newspapers are in decline, provoking disastrous effects on levels of enthusiasm and involvement in town matters. According to the American Journalism Project, “Local news is an essential lever to a healthy democracy; it helps communities understand what’s at stake in local elections, equips them to get involved in the political process by voting, contacting officials, and running for office, reduces political polarization, and holds public officials accountable.” So, with this information on a declining democracy fueling their creativity and the desire to make their town a better place, Mcmann’s students set off on their journey to revive the Eagle.
This undertaking started out as a final project for the class during the Spring Term. Mr. McMann split the class into groups and set them the task of rebranding the Washington Eagle. Each group brainstormed ideas, talked to Washington’s First Selectman, Jim Brinton, and formed a list of their rendition’s core values. After a few weeks of work, the project culminated with each group presenting their ideas for a rebranded Eagle. Some groups built mock websites, newspaper templates, financial plans, and new logo designs. After the presentations were given, the class came together as a whole and picked the best ideas from each group, finalizing one sleek and revitalized Washington Eagle brand.
After school ended for the summer, some team members, Mr. McMann included, scheduled Zoom meetings to continue discussing the project. Some local students even went to the Town Hall to meet with Mr. Brinton and received some funding for the Eagle. The project was underway, and the team hit the ground running upon their return to school in September. The newsroom was bustling, and articles were being completed on the daily, along with various pieces written by members of the Washington community, such as the staff at the Gunn Memorial Library. The completed paper was sent off to a local printing press, and by early October, a cardboard box containing 500 freshly printed editions of the Washington Eagle had arrived at Gunn.
With the newspapers ready to be distributed, the only thing left to do was to bring the Washington Eagle to the town itself. On October 8th, members of the Eagle team drove down to the Depot to set up a tent at the Washington Harvest Festival. The launch was a success; a few hundred copies were handed out, and many connections were made with members of the community. With Benjamin Davis ‘26 dressed head-to-toe in an eagle costume, the tent was one of the most popular at the festival. The remaining copies were also distributed to Gunn students at the Smithy Market in New Preston and on campus. Every last copy had gone, and after around ten months in the making, the project had been a success.
But the Washington Eagle’s story doesn’t end there; that was only the first edition. The Eagle team are hoping to produce two to three more copies by the end of the school year. Though a seemingly daunting task, they are confident that they will be successful, powered by the desire to serve Washington, Connecticut, with the latest, non-partisan news, hoping to contribute to a stronger and even more lively community.
