Roldo Bartimole (born April 5, 1933) is an American journalist. He was born in

Bridgeport, Connecticut Bridgeport is the List of municipalities in Connecticut, most populous city and a major port in the U.S. state of Connecticut. With a population of 148,654 in 2020, it is also the List of cities by population in New England, fifth-most populous ...

. He worked for a series of newspapers, including ''

The Wall Street Journal ''The Wall Street Journal'' is an American business-focused, international daily newspaper based in New York City, with international editions also available in Chinese and Japanese. The ''Journal'', along with its Asian editions, is published ...

'' and ''

The Cleveland Plain Dealer ''The Plain Dealer'' is the major newspaper of Cleveland, Ohio, United States. In fall 2019, it ranked 23rd in U.S. newspaper circulation, a significant drop since March 2013, when its circulation ranked 17th daily and 15th on Sunday. As of Ma ...

,'' before founding his own newsletter, ''Point of View,'' in 1968. In 1991, he was the recipient of the second annual Joe A. Callaway Award for Civic Courage. Upon his induction in 2004 to the Cleveland Journalism Hall of Fame,

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described him as "Cleveland's most famous and iconoclastic media critic." He has been a critic of the

Cleveland, Ohio Cleveland ( ), officially the City of Cleveland, is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Cuyahoga County. Located in the northeastern part of the state, it is situated along the southern shore of Lake Erie, across the U.S. ...

, political scene since Point of View's founding and continues to report and comment on Cleveland politics today. Bartimole wrote for various other publications, both online and offline, following his final issue of ''Point of View.'' Among them were ''The Cleveland Edition,'' the ''

Cleveland Free Times The ''Cleveland Free Times'' was an alternative weekly newspaper in Cleveland, Ohio. Its first issue was published on September 30, 1992. The ''Free Times'' and '' Cleveland Scene'', a competing weekly paper, were purchased by Times-Shamrock Co ...

,'' Cool Cleveland, and a blog, Have Coffee Will Write. He continued to report on and make observations about

Cleveland Cleveland ( ), officially the City of Cleveland, is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Cuyahoga County. Located in the northeastern part of the state, it is situated along the southern shore of Lake Erie, across the U.S. ...

politics. In 2018, he announced his retirement from journalism. However, he began writing again for Have Coffee Will Write in 2019. After he announced his retirement from journalism in September 2021, he began a retrospective collaboration with ''Cleveland Review of Books'' to republish his past essays.

Point of View

Bartimole began publishing his political newsletter in 1968 following the assassination of the Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr. The bi-weekly newsletter, ''Point of View'', ran for 32 years. At one point, more than 1,700 people subscribed to it. Politicians, social activists, journalists and members of the business community comprised much of the readership. He frequently wrote about Cleveland politician

Dennis Kucinich Dennis John Kucinich (; born October 8, 1946) is an American politician. A U.S. Representative from Ohio from 1997 to 2013, he was also a candidate for the Democratic nomination for president of the United States in 2004 and 2008. He ran for ...

, who would later be a candidate for

President of the United States The president of the United States (POTUS) is the head of state and head of government of the United States of America. The president directs the executive branch of the federal government and is the commander-in-chief of the United Stat ...

. At age 21, during his first campaign for public office in Cleveland, Kucinich told Bartimole he aspired to run for president someday. ''Point of Views subscriber base was at its peak when Kucinich was Mayor of Cleveland. ''Cleveland Review of Books'' began to republish selections from Bartimole's work after he announced his retirement in September 2021, including his article "Who Really Governs?"

Forcible removal from Cleveland City Council chambers

Bartimole's coverage of Cleveland politics and especially his coverage of its city council made him a controversial figure at city hall. In 1981, Council President George Forbes, angered by an article Bartimole had written, ordered him to leave a city council caucus meeting that Forbes said was not a public meeting. Bartimole refused. Forbes then confronted Bartimole, grabbed him and forcibly ejected him from the hotel meeting room.

References

External links

Roldo Bartimole: Point of View
at the Cleveland Memory Project
Post ''Point Of View'' articles
at Have Coffee Will Write {{DEFAULTSORT:Bartimole, Roldo Journalists from Ohio 1933 births Living people American alternative journalists Writers from Cleveland