It’s not often that the mainstream media acknowledges the LGBT media, so it’s certainly worth noting when that acknowledgment is filled with praise.

The Washington Post published today an editorial lamenting the demise of the Washington Blade:

The Blade’s importance to our area cannot be overstated. From the HIV/AIDS epidemic to hate crimes to the drive for marriage equality, the paper reported stories that the mainstream press initially didn’t or wouldn’t cover. And in the quest for fairness, it held people accountable — gay and straight, elected officials and community leaders. Because of that, the Washington Blade, with more than 250,000 unique visitors to its Web site each month and a circulation of 23,000, was considered the paper of record by gays and lesbians across the country.

The editorial also gave us an interesting tidbit about the future of LGBT media in the nation’s capital by way of a quote from former Blade editor Kevin Naff:

“We’re united and determined to make a go of it as an independent company,” Mr. Naff told us Monday. So, the former Blade staffers met to plot the publication’s future yesterday. Mr. Naff told us that there will be a new paper. The intention is to have it hit the streets this Friday. The name will be different from the one they labored for. Our hope is that its mission to inform and enlighten will be the same.