Sommer Mathis, 28, is editor-in-chief of the popular local blog DCist.com and a resident of Shaw.
What sparked your interest in local issues?
I moved here about three and a half years ago not being very familiar with the city at all and not knowing hardly anyone. I got involved in writing for DCist to get to know the city better, and the more I found out, the more I wanted to know. I guess I’m just the kind of person who wants to know what’s going on.
Is there a great interest among the populace in local news?
I think there are a lot of people who move to D.C. for work and they may or may not develop an interest in the city. There’s all those clichés about this being a very transient town and everyone only cares about the federal government and national politics. I’ve found there’s a large contingent of people deeply concerned about what’s happening on a hyperlocal level — the amount of crime, the D.C. school system.
How many readers do you have?
I would say we have about 25,000 daily readers. There are a few of them who are super-active who were actually invited to our Christmas party. There are some I’ve never met and wouldn’t know if I was sitting next to them on the bus.
Is the blog a full-time enterprise?
This is a full-time job. I’m the only employee. There are about 40 people who contribute to the site who I couldn’t do without.
DCist has been known to scoop local media. Does the blog get the credit it deserves?
Over the last year or two, I’ve been really pleased and surprised by the amount of respect the other media outlets in D.C. show us.
You covered the Democratic National Convention …
The DNC credited one blog per territory to cover its delegation. Bloggers were there in 2004, but the sheer numbers and facilities we were provided this year, having the same access of any other reporter was even more so this year. I was thrilled that DCist had the reputation to have been thought of as the obvious choice as the blog to cover D.C.’s delegation.
