Why We're Launching Bay Area Current

Our big, beautiful democracy works, we are always told, because we have a free press that holds the powerful to account.

But do we?

When we look around, we don’t see a “free press.” We also don’t see a “working democracy.” What we see is a media ecosystem that works perfectly — for the rich. 

At best, the media is designed to align our desires with advertisers and, at worst, directly serves the interests of billionaire owners. It reflects a democratic process that’s become a charade for choosing which section of the elite will dominate society next.

We’re starting Bay Area Current because we recognize that there’s no place for the real viewpoints of the working class in most of today’s media.

Look at any for-profit Bay Area news source and you’ll see a lot of ink spilled over what matters to the rich. Our national news is dominated by predatory venture capitalists and the corporate elite — 90 percent of American media is owned by six companies.

We’re sick of local “crime reporting” that reads like reprinted police department press releases. We don’t want to hear from any more corporate spokespeople who live in Piedmont, the Marina, Blackhawk, or some other high-end gated community. 

A century ago, there were hundreds of local leftist newspapers across the country. The Bay Area has a rich history of underground political publications. 

And today? Our news media is dominated by predatory venture capitalists and the corporate elite. Trusted local outlets are threatened by private equity, layoffs and managers who love AI slop. 

Current believes that workers deserve everything — including a publication that represents their lives and their viewpoints.

What the hell do we mean by “viewpoint of the worker”? Not liberal, nor conservative — but socialist. For us, “workers” means everyone from wage-workers, the unemployed, the underemployed, people with disabilities, students, prisoners, and everyone else who capitalism exploits. At Current this also means we cover the two forces that dominate the Bay Area: tech oligarchs and real estate elites, as well as those fighting back against them.

We believe we need a labor section, not another business section. We need a people’s paper.

Our aim is to cover local news from the left. On our site, you’ll read about stories from the Bay that don’t make the headlines. 

Unlike billionaire-backed media outfits, Current is proudly supported by dues-paying members of the Democratic Socialists of America, individual donors, and — most critically — by readers like you. Support doesn’t mean influence. Our editorial decisions are made independent of any financial backers. 

Bay Area Current is building working-class journalism that isn’t afraid to name names and fight back.