Post Amerikan
Encyclopedia
The Post Amerikan was an alternative
newspaper
based in Bloomington-Normal, Illinois
. The paper was founded in 1972.
The Post Amerikan was staffed entirely by volunteers and was financed through the sale of advertising space and subscriptions along with donations and community fundraisers. The paper was run collective
ly and had a strongly leftist
editorial position. The Post printed news items and opinion pieces in roughly equal measure, with news pieces tending to be advocacy journalism
. An early target of the paper was the use of undercover police officers in the Bloomington-Normal area to arrest non-violent drug offenders. The Post ran interviews with arrestees and editorials alleging police brutality and also exposed undercover officers by publishing photographs and sketches of them.
Initially published on a monthly schedule, decreasing numbers of volunteers led to a cutback to bi-monthly publication. The final two members of the collective decided to cease publication of the Post Amerikan in March 2004. Its 32-year publication history was the longest for an underground newspaper in the United States.
Alternative media
Alternative media are media which provide alternative information to the mainstream media in a given context, whether the mainstream media are commercial, publicly supported, or government-owned...
newspaper
Newspaper
A newspaper is a scheduled publication containing news of current events, informative articles, diverse features and advertising. It usually is printed on relatively inexpensive, low-grade paper such as newsprint. By 2007, there were 6580 daily newspapers in the world selling 395 million copies a...
based in Bloomington-Normal, Illinois
Bloomington-Normal, Illinois
Bloomington-Normal refers to the twin municipalities of Bloomington and Normal in McLean County, in Central Illinois. The combined population of the two communities in a special census in 2006 was 125,000.-Sports:...
. The paper was founded in 1972.
The Post Amerikan was staffed entirely by volunteers and was financed through the sale of advertising space and subscriptions along with donations and community fundraisers. The paper was run collective
Collective
A collective is a group of entities that share or are motivated by at least one common issue or interest, or work together on a specific project to achieve a common objective...
ly and had a strongly leftist
Left-wing politics
In politics, Left, left-wing and leftist generally refer to support for social change to create a more egalitarian society...
editorial position. The Post printed news items and opinion pieces in roughly equal measure, with news pieces tending to be advocacy journalism
Advocacy journalism
Advocacy journalism is a genre of journalism that intentionally and transparently adopts a non-objective viewpoint, usually for some social or political purpose. Because it is intended to be factual, it is distinguished from propaganda...
. An early target of the paper was the use of undercover police officers in the Bloomington-Normal area to arrest non-violent drug offenders. The Post ran interviews with arrestees and editorials alleging police brutality and also exposed undercover officers by publishing photographs and sketches of them.
Initially published on a monthly schedule, decreasing numbers of volunteers led to a cutback to bi-monthly publication. The final two members of the collective decided to cease publication of the Post Amerikan in March 2004. Its 32-year publication history was the longest for an underground newspaper in the United States.
Recurring features
- Community News - short news items and press releases covering events and activities in the community's leftist organizations
- Uppers 'n' Downers - blurbs offering "uppers" (praise) or "downers" (opprobium) to anyone or anything that contributors wished
- Ask Ms. Hippie - tongue-in-cheek advice column