The Columbus Free Press

The Columbus Free Press The Columbus Institue for Contemporary Journalism is an independent news organization that publishes the Columbus Free Press newspaper.

The Free Press delivers coverage of social justice and political news to the citizens of Greater Columbus, Ohio. We are driven by principle and policy, not partisanship. Through our journalism, we provide relevant information to the public to support and strengthen our citizen-based democracy and to ensure the accountability and integrity of our public institutions. In the long-standing tradition

of muckraking journalism, we uphold the axiom that the role of a free press is to "afflict the comfortable, and comfort the afflicted." In addition to our news coverage, we provide editorial perspectives based on the democratic principles of openness, inclusion, and transparency. We serve as a watchdog, rather than a lapdog for the power elite; as a guardian of the public interest; and as an advocate for peace and justice in a society where all people have the opportunity to achieve their full potential. The Free Press will make Columbus a better place through our lively advocacy and our leading edge journalism in support of truth, justice and compassion. We will profile the people, places and things that define our city. We will be a valued and trusted source of news, commentary and entertainment, and an indispensable part of the city’s civic life. Our news reporting will be credible; our investigative journalism, serious; our commentary, thought-provoking; and our humor, hilarious. And we are not owned by the Dispatch! We are published by the nonprofit charitable organization, The Columbus Institute for Contemporary Journalism. Contact us:
Bob Fitrakis, Editor - [email protected]
Suzanne Patzer, Asst. Editor - [email protected]
Michael Alwood, Managing Editor - [email protected]
Bob Roehm, Calendar Editor - [email protected]
Robb Ebright, CFO - [email protected]
Gary Richards, Ad Sales - [email protected]
Crystal Dawn O'Donovan, Designer - [email protected]
Jonathan Beard, Publisher - [email protected]

Join us for the Free Press Salon and Awards event this Saturday and honor activist photographer Paul Becker.
11/04/2025

Join us for the Free Press Salon and Awards event this Saturday and honor activist photographer Paul Becker.

Celebrating our 55th year, the Columbus Free Press will honor five outstanding community activists and a community organization at our November 2025 Salon and Awards event on Saturday, November 8 from 1:30-4:30pm at the First Unitarian Universalist Church, 93 W. Weisheimer Road. One honoree for the....

This Friday!
11/03/2025

This Friday!

AAUP-OSU is proud to support and other students who are coming out to demonstrate on November 7 for free speech on this campus. November 7 is also a national day of action and events will be happening around the country. It’s time to stand up and be counted. Join us at 12 noon on Friday.

During the 1960 presidential campaign, both parties and their chosen candidates gingerly tiptoed around the subject of b...
11/02/2025

During the 1960 presidential campaign, both parties and their chosen candidates gingerly tiptoed around the subject of black rights; if they spoke of it at all, it was in the most general of platitudes.

To quote the blues singer Big Maybelle, “There was a whole lotta shakin’ goin’ on” in 1963. It began in January, which marked the centennial of the Emancipation Proclamation, and President John F. Kennedy hosted a number of prominent African Americans at a reception in the White House–taki...

Lessons Americans can learn from Gazans during the government shutdown So, how did Gazans manage to survive and what le...
11/02/2025

Lessons Americans can learn from Gazans during the government shutdown So, how did Gazans manage to survive and what lesson can American learn from Gazans during the government shutdown to make ends meet?

America is under shutdown for the last 31 days and Gaza Strip has been under siege for the last 19 years. So, how did Gazans manage to survive and what lesson can American learn from Gazans during the government shutdown to make ends meet?

House Bill 303 provides a framework for expanding access to local, reliable, and affordable energy. It's time for the Oh...
11/01/2025

House Bill 303 provides a framework for expanding access to local, reliable, and affordable energy. It's time for the Ohio legislature to pass this bill and give Ohioans the power to take control of their energy future.

House Bill 303, introduced by Representatives Jim Hoops and Sharon Ray, would establish Ohio's first community energy pilot program — a common sense solution to our rising energy costs and growing reliability challenges.

Julialynne is passionate about righting food injustice - the connections between healthy food, growing healthy food and ...
11/01/2025

Julialynne is passionate about righting food injustice - the connections between healthy food, growing healthy food and marketing healthy food, especially within traditionally African-American communities as an outgrowth of her international public health and African Diaspora work.

Celebrating our 55th year, the Columbus Free Press will honor five outstanding community activists and a community organization at our November 2025 Salon and Awards event on Saturday, November 8 from 1:30-4:30pm at the First Unitarian Universalist Church, 93 W. Weisheimer Road. One honoree for the....

Beyond the 'Unbreakable Bond': Is the US Reclaiming the Wheel from a Self-Destructive Israel? by Ramzy Baroud. Trum...
11/01/2025

Beyond the 'Unbreakable Bond': Is the US Reclaiming the Wheel from a Self-Destructive Israel? by Ramzy Baroud. Trump signaled his view that the systematic extermination of Palestinians in Gaza had pushed Israel to an inevitable point of isolation that even the US could no longer indefinitely hold back.

Has Donald Trump's sharp rebuke of Israel in his October 23 Time Magazine interview fundamentally changed the calculus in the Middle East? His comments immediately sparked two opposing views: for some, his position represents the clear demarcation of a genuine shift in US foreign policy; for others,...

One reason Trump may be doing this may be to break his critics financially. Another reason may be to destroy their reput...
11/01/2025

One reason Trump may be doing this may be to break his critics financially. Another reason may be to destroy their reputations and keep them from saying more. Still another reason may be to scare everyone else into silence so that dissent against Trump would disappear and free speech would be suppressed.

While most new presidents would like to use their influence to make America a better country for all, Donald Trump is not that kind of leader. Instead, he has chosen to use his position to enact personal vendettas against anyone judged to be his enemy.

https://columbusfreepress.com/article/last-chance-early-vote
11/01/2025

https://columbusfreepress.com/article/last-chance-early-vote

Don’t forget to vote! It may be an “off year” but there’s nothing off about making sure to elect the city council and school board candidates who will work to do right by your community and your values. Don’t sleep on those school and other levies either! Wednesday to Sunday is your last c...

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The Columbus Institute for Comtemporary Journalism is an independent news organization that publishes the Columbus Free Press newspaper. The Free Press delivers coverage of social justice and political news to the citizens of Greater Columbus, Ohio. We are driven by principle and policy, not partisanship. Through our journalism, we provide relevant information to the public to support and strengthen our citizen-based democracy and to ensure the accountability and integrity of our public institutions. In the long-standing tradition of muckraking journalism, we uphold the axiom that the role of a free press is to "afflict the comfortable, and comfort the afflicted." In addition to our news coverage, we provide editorial perspectives based on the democratic principles of openness, inclusion, and transparency. We serve as a watchdog, rather than a lapdog for the power elite; as a guardian of the public interest; and as an advocate for peace and justice in a society where all people have the opportunity to achieve their full potential. The Free Press will make Columbus a better place through our lively advocacy and our leading edge journalism in support of truth, justice and compassion. We will profile the people, places and things that define our city. We will be a valued and trusted source of news, commentary and entertainment, and an indispensable part of the city’s civic life. Our news reporting will be credible; our investigative journalism, serious; our commentary, thought-provoking; and our humor, hilarious. And we are not owned by the Dispatch! We are published by the nonprofit charitable organization, The Columbus Institute for Contemporary Journalism. Contact us: Bob Fitrakis, Editor - [email protected] Suzanne Patzer, Asst. Editor - [email protected] Michael Alwood, Managing Editor - [email protected] Bob Roehm, Calendar Editor - [email protected] Robb Ebright, CFO - [email protected] Gary Richards, Ad Sales - [email protected] Crystal Dawn O'Donovan, Designer - [email protected] Jonathan Beard, Publisher - [email protected]