''DNAinfo'' was an

online newspaper An online newspaper (or electronic news or electronic news publication) is the electronic publishing, online version of a newspaper, either as a stand-alone publication or as the online version of a printed periodical literature, periodical. Goin ...

that focused on neighborhood news in

New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...

and

Chicago Chicago is the List of municipalities in Illinois, most populous city in the U.S. state of Illinois and in the Midwestern United States. With a population of 2,746,388, as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is the List of Unite ...

. It was closed down by CEO and owner

Joe Ricketts John Joseph Ricketts (born July 16, 1941) is an American businessman. He is the founder, former CEO and former chairman of TD Ameritrade. He has an estimated net worth of US$4.1 billion as of 2024, according to ''Forbes''. He has pursued a variety ...

in November 2017 after writers in its New York branch voted to unionize, a move to which Ricketts was opposed.

History

Founded by

in November 2009 as "Digital Network Associates", DNAinfo.com began by offering online, hyperlocal coverage for New York City and online coverage for Chicago launched in November 2012. In December 2013, ''DNAinfo'' launched a print version coverage by the name, ''DNAinfo.com.'' The operational and editorial offices for ''DNAinfo'' were in New York and Chicago. ''DNAinfo'' is also a registered trademark. In March 2017, DNAinfo purchased the New York media company

Gothamist ''Gothamist'' is a New York City–centric blog operated by New York Public Radio. From 2003 to 2018, Gothamist LLC was the operator, or in some cases franchisor, of eight city-centric websites that focused on news, events, food, culture, an ...

. On November 2, 2017, Ricketts posted to both DNAinfo and the "-ist" network sites that both websites would immediately cease operations, a week after Gothamist writers voted to unionize with the

Writers Guild of America, East The Writers Guild of America, East (WGAE) is a trade union, labor union representing writers in film, television, radio, news, and online media. The WGAE and the Writers Guild of America West (WGAW), though independent entities, jointly brand the ...

. All content from all DNAinfo sites and all subsidiary sites were taken down. The next day, archives of the sites were returned to functionality. Ricketts's shutdown was criticized as being an act of retaliation after the two companies' workers had joined a union. After DNAinfo shutdown, three of the Chicago newspaper's former editors decided to launch their own independent hyperlocal news organization. Within a few months, '' Block Club Chicago'' had raised more than $183,000 on

Kickstarter Kickstarter, PBC is an American Benefit corporation, public benefit corporation based in Brooklyn, New York City, that maintains a global crowdfunding platform focused on creativity. The company's stated mission is to "help bring creative project ...

. By the end of 2018, after 6 months of publishing, ''Block Club Chicago'' had more than 6,000 paid subscribers and over 7 million pageviews.

References

{{Reflist, refs= "Billionaire Puts Wager On Really Local Online News,"
by Matthew Flamm, '' Crain's New York Business,'' December 2010 "Three Birds, a Billionaire and the Hyper-Local Future of News,"
by Felix Gillette, ''

The New York Observer ''The New York Observer'' was a weekly newspaper established in 1987. In 2016, it ceased print publication and became the online-only newspaper ''Observer''. The media site focuses on culture, real estate, media, politics and the entertainment ...

'', May 2010; {{ISSN, 1052-2948 "New York Hyperlocal Startup DNAinfo Launches in Chicago,"
by Joe Pompeo, '' Politico Media beta'', November 26, 2012 "DNAinfo," registered trademark, Registration No
4570965

USPTO The United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) is an agency in the U.S. Department of Commerce that serves as the national patent office and trademark registration authority for the United States. The USPTO's headquarters are in Ale ...

, July 22, 2014 2009 establishments in New York City 2017 disestablishments in New York (state) American news websites Internet properties established in 2009 Internet properties disestablished in 2017 Ricketts family