Detroit City Hall's last office for reporters

A Pulitzer Prize-winning reporter is leading a campaign to preserve a workspace for journalists at City Hall.

Driving the news: The Free Press is the last media organization with an office at the Coleman A. Young Municipal Center, but it's moving out soon to save money.

• Columnist M.L. Elrick, who exposed government corruption under former Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick, is asking for a new pressroom.

Flashback: The press used to work on the 11th floor, not far from the mayor's office, until former Mayor Dave Bing's administration moved accommodations to the basement in 2010.

💭 Joe's thought bubble: Before joining Axios, I worked out of that basement office as a Free Press City Hall reporter.

• The proximity helped build relationships with public officials and other sources whose information was crucial to accurate reporting.

What's next: City officials have been noncommittal on the request.

• Elrick tells Axios he's asking local news leaders to sign a letter urging the restoration of a City Hall press room.