Third Coast Press is a Chicago-based progressive publication, currently produced only on the internet.

We began in January of 2004, as a monthly newspaper. We published until March of 2005, distributing 8,000 copies to businesses in various Chicago neighborhoods. A small-scale survey conducted by editorial consultants indicated a pass-along rate of 3.1 readers, indicating an estimated readership of well more than 20,000 every month.

We are currently in discussion about the possibility of again providing a print publication in Chicago. Stay tuned. In the meanwhile, while our format has changed, our mission and goals have not.

Third Coast Press strives to provide fair, alternative reporting on significant local issues and inform the public of worthy not-for-profit and activist efforts. While we do are proud to cover stories of progressive interest, we work to do well researched, high-quality, and accurate journalism.

While we believe it is crucial to offer news and features for the city’s progressive community, we also want to help preserve non-corporate alternatives in a wide variety of areas. We believe that the character of stores, restaurants and other businesses, as well as the arts, are being eroded, our culture homogenized by corporations. It is our perspective that there is social value in supporting businesses and arts projects rooted in our own community,  To that end, we offer an alternative take on Chicago’s non-corporate art, music, literature, film, and theatre. We are also focused on encouraging people to support the businesses that help make Chicago a unique, world-class city.

Central to our mission is a belief that people should not only read the news; they should help to create it. While we are committed to reporting problems or shortcomings in our city, we also work to offer positive solutions. We don’t believe that true democracy comes from people merely being informed, or voting in elections; it comes from people being socially and politically active in their day-to-day lives.

Third Coast Press has recently covered such noteworthy people, events and issues as heat-shutoffs of lower-income people; the gentrification of Pilsen, civil-liberties issues related to the March, 19, 2005 anti-war protests; disparities in hospital funding between wealthy and poor neighborhoods, and election-related issues.

We also provide incisive and stimulating coverage of arts, entertainment, and dining experiences—all from a progressive slant. Recent highlights include an ode to recently deceased printmaker, poet, editor, columnist, and muralist Carlos Cortez; Wicker Park art collaborative Near Northwest Arts Council, and a review of The Book of Dead Birds, which won an award for socially-conscious fiction.

We are a grassroots, independent project with a dedicated, talented, all-volunteer staff.  Since our inception, we have worked to constantly improve our writing, editing, photography, design, and illustration. We are obsessively committed to excellence. Our goal is to create a top-notch, widely-read progressive publication in Chicago.

Welcome. We always appreciate your feedback and suggestions.