News Agencies

During Milwaukee’s 1960s civil rights movement, several local publications reported on relevant events often from vastly different perspectives. The selection of photographs, the author’s choice of words, and decisions regarding which stories were newsworthy, all served to shape the way that civil rights protests were portrayed.

Below is a list of the key publications:

Countdown
A newsletter published and distributed by the Milwaukee United School Integration Committee (MUSIC).
Echo
An African-American newspaper published between 1966 and 1986.
Milwaukee Courier
Beginning in 1964, the Courier became Milwaukee’s second African-American newspaper in print at the time. The Courier is currently still in print.
Milwaukee Defender
An African-American newspaper published between 1957 and 1958.
Milwaukee Journal
A white-owned, daily evening newspaper. Reporter Frank Aukofer covered the Civil Rights Movement for the Journal, and in 1968 he published a first-hand account, City With a Chance: A Case History of Civil Rights Revolution, documenting his perspective of Milwaukee’s civil rights movement.
Milwaukee Sentinel
A white-owned, daily morning newspaper. In 1995, the Sentinel and the Milwaukee Journal merged and became the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.
Milwaukee Star
An African-American weekly newspaper published between 1962 and 2005. After 1963, the Star became known as “the civil rights paper.” MUSIC member Marilyn Morheuser served as managing editor, and was important in catapulting the publication into prominence during Milwaukee’s civil rights movement. The Milwaukee Star merged with the Milwaukee Courier in 2005. The Courier continued to publish the paper as The Star until 2009.
Soul City Times
An African-American newspaper published between 1968 and 1971. In 1971, the Soul City Times merged with the Milwaukee Star. LW