Philadelphia Free Press
Encyclopedia
Philadelphia Free Press was a 1960's era underground newspaper
published biweekly in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
from 1968 to 1972. Originally launched at Temple University
in May 1968 as the monthly Temple Free Press, it separated from Temple and became the Philadelphia Free Press in September 1968.
Robert Glessing described the early evolution of the Free Press in his book The Underground Press in America:
The Free Press was published by a collective and distributed free at Philadelphia-area colleges, with circulation in the thousands. Operating on a shoestring, its costs were partly subsidized by record company advertisements, with one generous record company even insisting on paying $300 for a $50 ad. The Free Press was more political than its local underground competition, the Distant Drummer
, which cost 15 cents and was more interested in covering rock 'n' roll than the antiwar movement. Early founders included Bill and Judy Biggin, Jim Quinn (an organizer for the DuBois Club), and Temple undergraduates Rick Rubin and Art Platt; and contributors included local gay activist Kiyoshi Kuromiya
. In early 1970 some of the more culturally-oriented contributors, including Art Platt, left to form their own rival paper, the Plain Dealer.
The Free Press ran into a number of difficulties due to its Marxist-Leninist
revolutionary politics; the paper was repeatedly harassed by the Philadelphia police under Frank Rizzo
, in 1969 the paper was banned from Pennsylvania State University
for its use of four letter words, Jim Quinn was briefly expelled (and subsequently reinstated) by Temple, and in 1971 Bill Biggin, a Canadian, was deported by the US Department of Justice. The paper closed in 1972, in part a victim of the winding down of the Vietnam War and the decline of student activism on campus.
Underground press
The underground press were the independently published and distributed underground papers associated with the counterculture of the late 1960s and early 1970s in the United States, Canada, United Kingdom, and other western nations....
published biweekly in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Philadelphia is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and the county seat of Philadelphia County, with which it is coterminous. The city is located in the Northeastern United States along the Delaware and Schuylkill rivers. It is the fifth-most-populous city in the United States,...
from 1968 to 1972. Originally launched at Temple University
Temple University
Temple University is a comprehensive public research university in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States. Originally founded in 1884 by Dr. Russell Conwell, Temple University is among the nation's largest providers of professional education and prepares the largest body of professional...
in May 1968 as the monthly Temple Free Press, it separated from Temple and became the Philadelphia Free Press in September 1968.
Robert Glessing described the early evolution of the Free Press in his book The Underground Press in America:
"The Philadelphia Free Press was initially a quiet voice on the Temple University campus reporting only on college issues. Originally an unimaginative, pictureless two-page paper, the Free Press grew under doctoral candidate Bill Baggins and his activist staff to a colorful sixteen-page format including coverage of local, state and national movement news."
The Free Press was published by a collective and distributed free at Philadelphia-area colleges, with circulation in the thousands. Operating on a shoestring, its costs were partly subsidized by record company advertisements, with one generous record company even insisting on paying $300 for a $50 ad. The Free Press was more political than its local underground competition, the Distant Drummer
Distant Drummer
Distant Drummer was a 1960s counterculture underground newspaper published in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania from November 1967 to August 1979. It changed titles twice: from October 2, 1970 to August 12, 1971 it was Thursday's Drummer, and subsequently it was known simply as The Drummer until its...
, which cost 15 cents and was more interested in covering rock 'n' roll than the antiwar movement. Early founders included Bill and Judy Biggin, Jim Quinn (an organizer for the DuBois Club), and Temple undergraduates Rick Rubin and Art Platt; and contributors included local gay activist Kiyoshi Kuromiya
Kiyoshi Kuromiya
Kiyoshi Kuromiya was an author and civil and social justice advocate. He was born in a Japanese American internment camp on May 9, 1943 in Heart Mountain, Wyoming...
. In early 1970 some of the more culturally-oriented contributors, including Art Platt, left to form their own rival paper, the Plain Dealer.
The Free Press ran into a number of difficulties due to its Marxist-Leninist
Marxism-Leninism
Marxism–Leninism is a communist ideology, officially based upon the theories of Marxism and Vladimir Lenin, that promotes the development and creation of a international communist society through the leadership of a vanguard party over a revolutionary socialist state that represents a dictatorship...
revolutionary politics; the paper was repeatedly harassed by the Philadelphia police under Frank Rizzo
Frank Rizzo
Francis Lazarro "Frank" Rizzo, Sr. was an American police officer and politician. He served two terms as mayor of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, from January 1972 to January 1980; he was Police Commissioner for four years prior to that.-Police Commissioner:Rizzo joined the Philadelphia Police...
, in 1969 the paper was banned from Pennsylvania State University
Pennsylvania State University
The Pennsylvania State University, commonly referred to as Penn State or PSU, is a public research university with campuses and facilities throughout the state of Pennsylvania, United States. Founded in 1855, the university has a threefold mission of teaching, research, and public service...
for its use of four letter words, Jim Quinn was briefly expelled (and subsequently reinstated) by Temple, and in 1971 Bill Biggin, a Canadian, was deported by the US Department of Justice. The paper closed in 1972, in part a victim of the winding down of the Vietnam War and the decline of student activism on campus.