Obituary: Milwaukee Courier founder Jerrel Jones, pioneer in local journalism, dies at 85

Milwaukee journalism pioneer and visionary, Jerrel Jones, 85, founder of the weekly newspaper, the Milwaukee Courier and owner of WNOV radio station, has died according to a statement from the family.
'He was a mentor, a pioneer, and a beacon of strength,' Mary Ellen Jones, daughter and general manager of WNOV, said in a statement.
Jones led Courier Communications Corp., which included the newspaper for 61 years. The Courier was founded in 1964 during the Civil Rights movement and desegregation in Milwaukee's schools.
In 1972, Courier Communications bought WNOV, with Jones as the majority stakeholder, making it the first Black owned radio station in Wisconsin and one of 30 in the United States, according to the station's website.
In 2013, Courier Communications bought the Madison Times, a Black newspaper in Madison.
In a statement Mayor Cavalier Johnson said:
"Milwaukee has lost a titan of local media with the passing of Jerrel W. Jones. His leadership of both the Milwaukee Courier newspaper and WNOV radio provided important outlets for news, entertainment and information. Jerrel was an engaged owner and community leader. His family, friends and colleagues have my condolences."
A special tribute edition of the Milwaukee Courier is planned for the end of July and community members are invited to share a reflection of Jones.
The Courier is the oldest continuously publishing Black newspaper in Wisconsin and has been a force in politics, culture and community since its first edition.
Jones gave it the slogan "the newspaper you can trust" and it was a key source of information and commentary for Milwaukee's Black community.
And Jones held politicians to account, even those whose campaigns he helped support financially. One of those was Democratic state Sen. Gary George, who represented part of the northside of Milwaukee at the time.
In 2003, Jones supported then-Gov. Jim Doyle's efforts to expand casino gambling in the state that would have benefited Potawatomi Casino, and one of the major advertisers for the Courier and major employer in the Black community. However George voted against it.
Jones was furious after the vote and the Courier wrote an editorial lambasting George saying he "has had the opportunity to represent his loyal supporters for a long time. It is time that he must go. His actions, votes and leadership are clearly in question."
Jones went even further, launching a recall against George in March that year.
"I backed Gary for 20 years. I've taken a lot of crap from Gary over those 20 years," Jones said in an interview with the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel in 2003. "I've never even heard of a recall effort where we recall our own. this is the first time and, hopefully, the last time."
Jones led the recall effort gathering 15,000 signatures, nearly more than double what was needed to launch a recall and a month before the deadline, according to a Journal Sentinel story.
Roughly seven months later George lost his recall election to Spencer Coggs.
This story will be updated.
This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Obituary: Jerrel Jones founded Milwaukee Courier founder, owned WNOV

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