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St. Louis Argus is an African-American-oriented weekly newspaper founded in 1912 by brothers Joseph Everett Mitchell and William Mitchell.^[1] It began as a newsletter for an insurance company named Western Union Relief Association. The Argus is the oldest continuous black business in St. Louis, Missouri.^[2]

History

The name, Argus, refers to Argus Panoptes - a creature from Greek mythology with a hundred eyes that never closed at the same time. The newspaper was to be a never-sleeping crusader.^[3] It watched the goings-on in the African-American community and published the stories that would also help the influx of southern blacks who were pouring into St. Louis deal with the "vagaries" of northern segregation.

One primary goal of the St. Louis Argus was to organize the Negro community for political action. The editors of the St. Louis Argus promised its readers that it would be moderate, fair, and fearless in its journalistic efforts.^[4] The newspaper championed better schools, educational opportunities, and full civil rights for blacks.^[5] U.S. Grant Tayes served as a columnist for the newspaper in the 1930s, with the column Oh, Tempore!.^[6]

The Argus earned the coveted Russwurm award, named for John Brown Russwurm, one of the founders of the first black newspaper, Freedom’s Journal, which launched in 1827.^[7]

From humble beginnings as an insurance company newsletter, the St. Louis Argus was built into a professional newspaper by J. E. Mitchell, William Mitchell and their partners. The St. Louis Argus newspaper and its publishing company made great strides. The St. Louis community perceived the newspaper as reliable and its publishers and editors as leaders. J. E. Mitchell, especially, was a recognized leader in the field of black journalism and in the city of St. Louis.^[4]

21st century

In 2003, Eugene Mitchell, grandson of William and Nannie Mitchell, sold the paper to Eddie Hasan. The paper had suffered almost two decades of decline, and Hasan hired Antonio French and George Jackson to modernize operations.^[8]

In 2008, The St. Louis American and other news sources reported donations to the paper from Citizens for a Better St. Louis, a group associated with mayor Francis Slay, and accused the newspaper of giving favorable coverage in return. Following Hasan's conviction on tax evasion, it was announced that the paper would reduce publication frequency in 2009.^[9]

Hasan's son-in-law and former Missouri legislator Talibdin El-Amin is the current manager. The paper does not employ full time journalists or distribute print copies. In 2024, a grant from the Press Forward project was paused due to the lack of original reporting.^[10]

References

^ Danky, James Philip; Hady, Maureen E., eds. (1998). African-American newspapers and periodicals: a national bibliography. Harvard University Press reference library. Cambridge, Massachusetts London, England: Harvard University Press. p. 538. ISBN 978-0-674-00788-8.
^ Smith, JoAnn Adams (1988). Selected Neighbors and Neighborhoods of North Saint Louis and Selected Related Events. St. Louis: Friends of Vaughn Cultural Center. p. 7. OCLC 18801005.
^ "St. Louis Media History." St. Louis Media History. Frank Absher, 2008. Web. 09 Mar. 2016.
^ ^a ^b Greene, Debra Foster. ""Just Enough of Everything": The St. Louis Argus — An African American Newspaper and Publishing Company in Its First Decade." Business and Economic History- Online. Business History Conference" (PDF).
^ Wright, John A. Sr. (2003). African Americans in Downtown St. Louis (Print). Black America Series. Charleston, South Carolina: Arcadia Publishing. p. 52. ISBN 9780738531670. OCLC 53886440.
^ "U.S. Grant Tayes". Missouri Remembers. Retrieved 2023-12-27.
^ "St. Louis Beacon". www.stlbeacon.org. Archived from the original on 2013-07-20.
^ Israel, Benjamin (October 2004). "Argus makes strong comeback". St. Louis Journalism Review. 34 (270): 14–29 – via EBSCOhost.
^ Israel, Benjamin (January 2009). "Argus Owner in Prison". St. Louis Journalism Review. 38 (10): 16–24 – via EBSCOhost.
^ Fenske, Sarah (2024-10-24). "Press Forward presses pause on St. Louis Argus grant". www.stlmag.com. Retrieved 2025-01-15.