Great news! (Especially if you’re a fan of the survival of newspapers and smart local media.) The Chicago Reader—one of the grand dames of alternative weeklies—is joining the Portland Mercury and Seattle’s The Stranger as the newest member of the Noisy Creek newspaper family!
In case you’ve forgotten, Noisy Creek purchased the Mercury and The Stranger last summer, with the dream of growing a national network of alternative weeklies that serve their readerships by championing the arts, providing top-notch reporting, and platforming community voices. And unless you’ve been living in some other dimension that’s much nicer than our own, you already know that newspapers have been closing left and right, which leads to all sorts of community trouble—including a loss of civic engagement, increased political polarization, and fewer watchdogs to monitor local government corruption. The Chicago Reader has been fighting the good fight and delivering fearless journalism for more than five decades (!), and we could not be happier that we will be partnering with this highly respected and fun institution. (FWIW, the Reader was a huge inspiration for us when the Mercury kicked off in 2000—so you’ll forgive us if we “fan girl” a little over this great news!)
Anyway, here’s what the boss (Noisy Creek’s founder, Brady Walkinshaw) says about our new super team: “We are very excited to grow our model beyond the Pacific Northwest. By linking iconic weeklies like The Stranger, the Portland Mercury, and now the Chicago Reader, we’re showing how local journalism can thrive when communities, philanthropy, and creative business models work together. We are in a vital moment to sustain and grow strong local media for our democracy.”
If you’ve never checked out the Reader—it’s the bomb! Since 1971, the Reader has been Chicago’s best choice for investigative journalism, long-form reporting, and arts coverage, and Noisy Creek is determined to make this already great paper even better, by supporting the vision of their editorial department, while also helping them develop new revenue streams—which has proven to be very successful for both the Mercury and The Stranger.
Just like us, the Chicago Reader has a laser-beam focus on informing and helping their community, so check them out (particularly if you’re in the Chicago area) and join us in welcoming our new sister into the fam! (Oh… and keep supporting local journalism. It’s more important than ever!)
