The Pittsburgh Current is a free weekly

alternative newspaper An alternative newspaper is a type of newspaper that eschews comprehensive coverage of general news in favor of stylized reporting, opinionated reviews and columns, investigations into edgy topics and magazine-style feature stories highlighting l ...

Pittsburgh Pittsburgh ( ) is a city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, United States, and the county seat of Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, Allegheny County. It is the most populous city in both Allegheny County and Wester ...

Pennsylvania Pennsylvania (; ( Pennsylvania Dutch: )), officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a state spanning the Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes regions of the United States. It borders Delaware to its southeast, ...

. The paper is distributed on Wednesdays and covers local news and arts. It was founded in 2018 by Charlie Deitch to promote

Freedom of the press Freedom of the press or freedom of the media is the fundamental principle that communication and expression through various media, including printed and electronic News media, media, especially publication, published materials, should be conside ...

claiming his former employer

Pittsburgh City Paper The ''Pittsburgh City Paper'' is Pittsburgh's leading alternative weekly newspaper which focuses on local news, opinion, and arts and entertainment. It bought out ''In Pittsburgh Weekly'' in 2001. As of April 2015, ''City Paper'' is the 14th l ...

engaged in

censorship Censorship is the suppression of speech, public communication, or other information. This may be done on the basis that such material is considered objectionable, harmful, sensitive, or "inconvenient". Censorship can be conducted by governments ...

History

Founding

The paper was founded by Charlie Deitch, former editor-in-chief of

. He alleges his May 15, 2018 firing was a result of his criticism of politician Daryl Metcalfe. The article in question, "Pennsylvania Rep. Daryl Metcalfe has Proven Himself Unfit for Office" ran on May 2, 2018. The City Paper staff, which included Deitch, brought harsh criticism against Metcalfe, 'his opinions and beliefs to be racist, xenophobic, close-minded and full of general numb-skullery'. Two days later, a published article would attack Metcalfe's pro-gun rally for attracting white supremacists. Upon seeing the article Vernon L. Wise III, the President of Eagle Media Corp. which owns Pittsburgh City Paper, contacted Deitch. He instructed Deitch to refocus the paper's reporting to Pittsburgh politics. Deitch pushed back saying though Metcalfe was not a Pittsburgh politician, his position in the

Pennsylvania House of Representatives The Pennsylvania House of Representatives is the lower house of the bicameral Pennsylvania General Assembly, the legislature of the U.S. state of Pennsylvania. There are 203 members, elected for two-year terms from single member districts. It ...

impacts the Pittsburgh area. Wise then fired Deitch on May 15, 2018. Deitch recalls the interaction and asserts Wise stated Metcalfe was a personal client, thus making Wise's action an act of censorship. Wise declined to comment to local press about the firing. Deitch launched the Pittsburgh Current Kickstarter campaign on June 12, 2018. The Pittsburgh Current would copy the same format and take several staffers from Pittsburgh City Paper putting it in direct competition of his old employer. “I was mad at them for not for being the publication that I thought they should be.” Deitch stated. This was Deitch's way to combat censorship and the campaign successfully raised $21,161 from 334 backers. The first issue of the Pittsburgh Current ran in July 2018.

Rob Rogers Comics

Rob Rogers, the

Pittsburgh Post-Gazette The ''Pittsburgh Post-Gazette'', also known simply as the PG, is the largest newspaper serving metropolitan Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Descended from the ''Pittsburgh Gazette'', established in 1786 as the first newspaper published west of the All ...

’s former editorial cartoonist, was fired on June 14, 2018. Rogers had worked at the Post-Gazette since 1993, but John Robinson Block has shifted newspapers editorial stance in a more conservative direction. The Post-Gazette had killed 19 of Rogers cartoons from March to June 2018. Roger's cartoons often made fun of

President Trump Donald John Trump (born June 14, 1946) is an American politician, media personality, and businessman who served as the 45th president of the United States from 2017 to 2021. Trump graduated from the Wharton School of the University of Pe ...

. He claims this was the reason for his termination. The Pittsburgh Current picked up Rob Roger's comics for local syndication in response.

References

External links

*{{Official website, pittsburghcurrent.com Alternative weekly newspapers published in the United States Newspapers published in Pittsburgh Newspapers established in 2018