During a time when some of the country’s prominent alternative weekly newspapers have been acquired by larger media companies and in many cases lost their personalities, the Shepherd Express has remained locally owned and continued on its mission of serving as a truly independent voice for the Milwaukee area.  During the pandemic, the Shepherd boldly moved from being a weekly newsprint publication, founded in 1982, to a monthly, glossy news magazine.  The advertisers were delighted to see their ads jump off the glossy pages.

With the robust website, the daily e-newsletter to 75,000 inboxes and the glossy monthly, the Shepherd remains one of Milwaukee’s most respected sources of local news, politics, arts and music coverage, and continues to use its stature to champion local issues and social justice causes.

The Editor/Publisher, Louis Fortis, is a Ph.D. economist and a former Wisconsin State Legislator.   The Shepherd is also a leader in civic activities in the city.  For example, Fortis and the Shepherd’s managing editor, Dave Luhrssen, who is the author or co-author of 13 books, are the founders of the Milwaukee International Film Festival in 2003 and managed and grew the festival for its first five years.