Independent. Objective. Unafraid.
The Urban News Journal was built for one reason: Milwaukee deserves news coverage that looks like the city it reports on, and tells the truth even when it’s inconvenient.
We’re a Black-owned, veteran-owned local news outlet covering the stories that shape Milwaukee — politics and justice, Black culture, sports, and the mental health and veterans’ issues too many outlets treat as an afterthought. We go live Monday, Wednesday, and Friday nights breaking down what’s actually happening in this city and beyond, publish a free newsletter twice a week, and put out written coverage the rest of the time.
We’re not chasing outrage, and we’re not chasing clicks for their own sake. Every story here is meant to answer one question: what does this actually mean for the people living it? That’s why our headlines look past the ribbon-cutting to the number that matters, past the hearing to what happens after, past the box office number to what it says about who gets to tell stories. We follow the pattern, not just the headline.
Who’s behind it
Urban News Journal is published by Marcus Hart, U.S. Army veteran (92A10, RET) and founder of Transform U Media Network. Marcus built UNJ alongside Transform U’s other work because Milwaukee needed a news outlet that wasn’t an afterthought to a bigger media company — one built by someone from here, accountable to the people who live here.
What we cover
Politics & Justice — Milwaukee and Wisconsin government, elections, courts, and the accountability stories that don’t always make the front page.
Black Culture — the people, art, business, and institutions shaping Black Milwaukee, without the “urban interest” gloss.
Sports — Milwaukee teams and the bigger stories inside sports worth paying attention to.
Mental Health — real coverage of a topic too often ignored in Black and veteran communities specifically.
Veterans’ Affairs — because we’re veteran-owned, this beat isn’t a checkbox. It’s core to who we are.
How to reach us
Have a tip, a pitch, or a story we’re missing? Write for us or reach out directly at press@marcus-hart.com.
Want the stories in your inbox? Subscribe to the newsletter — free, twice a week, no noise.