Photo by Tyler Nelson for the Shepherd Express
Louis Fortis
Louis Fortis
For the past 43 years, the Shepherd Express has provided our community with a free print news publication, adding online coverage in 1995. We have been accurate, honest, informative, courageous and always willing to “Speak Truth to Power” to our large audience in Milwaukee and beyond even when it costs us some advertisers and distribution locations. We ask you to join us in supporting a free press and an informed community by becoming a Friend of the Shepherd.
We have never shied away from taking on the difficult and often unpopular issues. We have advocated for fairness and social justice for decades. In 1988, the Shepherd was the first to promote LGBTQ personals. A small action that may seem trivial now, but in 1988, the response was swift and nasty—threatening phone calls, the loss of advertisers, and even a death threat. We never backed down and in 2015 we created the annual LGBTQ Progress Awards to recognize our fellow Milwaukeeans fighting for social justice.
Unfortunately, the fight isn’t over. Under the guise of anti-DEI and anti-woke policy led by the White House, our entire community is under threat. Queer, Black, brown and disabled authors’ books and histories are being pulled from public access while global experts in their fields are being fired because of sexist and racist claims that they are “unqualified.” We are under threat from the erosion of democracy and progress. Fortunately, according to the polls, a majority of Americans disagree with these policies.
Fighting for Milwaukee
We must fight back in every way we can; the Shepherd will never back down. As a 100% locally owned and operated magazine, we don’t answer to some out-of-state conservative board of directors that is only focused on their bottom line and couldn’t find Milwaukee on a map. We are beholden only to you, our community, and are driven by providing honest, accurate information and supporting all aspects of social justice.
The Shepherd also endorses candidates in our local elections. Other media shy away from endorsements because they are afraid of angering readers and losing ad revenue. Our readers want fair and accurately researched endorsements before elections, so we do the legwork, from researching a candidate’s track record on issues to interviews. When we endorse candidates on the cover, we have a major impact, so we take this responsibility seriously.
The Shepherd understands our readers are smart people from all walks of life. We hire writers who don’t talk down to our readers and who write for a smart audience. We have worked to support progressive efforts by our city, county and state officials and have been very critical of those who were under the thumb of special interests.
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The Shepherd has always supported policies, programs, organizations and businesses that have helped Milwaukee shed its Laverne and Shirley reputation to become a modern, interesting, exciting and forward-thinking city. Many of Milwaukee’s nonprofit organizations with their heroic missions say that their coverage in the Shepherd helped them survive by putting their accomplishments in front of our readers. Many restaurant owners will tell you that it was a Shepherd review that kept them in business. We strongly support our local nonprofits and small businesses because they are the heart of our community. This issue highlights the many neighborhood gems and institutions that give Milwaukee its character, making it a great place to live, work and play.
Tough Times
It has been tough times for media companies, especially print publications. Facebook and Google push the myth that “print is dead” to sell their ad space, but studies continue to show that print is one of the most effective vehicles for advertising. We like to believe this is because our readers like us better than any algorithm.
Research has shown that news publications are critically important to communities and play a unique role in building and maintaining a “sense of community” in the areas they represent. News publications are tangible and seen by nearly everyone, whether they are reading them or not.
Honest, Courageous News Publications are Needed Now
Our democracy is under threat. Project 2025, the current administration’s playbook, gives a clear roadmap to authoritarianism and the Trump administration has already achieved several of its goals.
The Shepherd is fighting back, ramping up our role in the voice of resistance against this effort to weaken our democracy. We are going to need your help as we continue to report on egregious and illegal actions—like the arresting of a Milwaukee judge in her courtroom for not caving to what appears to have been an illegal action by I.C.E. and the FBI—and supporting our wonderfully diverse city.
Building a resistance effort is costly. We have just hired a new reporter who will focus on these social justice issues. Please help us support our new reporter’s salary. For over 20 years, I have gone without a salary and have subsidized the Shepherd since the Great Recession of 2008. The Shepherd, like other successful locally owned and operated news publications, has diversified its revenue base with events, new ad streams, and with the help of many of you, through your donations as a Friend of the Shepherd Express.
To beef up our efforts, we need more resources. If you are trying to make your voice heard in this fight for our democracy, please support our collective effort by becoming a Friend of the Shepherd Express.
As always, thank you for reading,
Louis Fortis
Publisher and Editor-in-Chief
Shepherd Express
