Wausau Pilot and Review

The origins of the name "Wausau Pilot and Review" are in a handful of interrelated 19th-Century newspapers in Wausau, Wisconsin.

The Wisconsin River Pilot, established in 1865 by 18-year-old Valentine Ringle, of German descent (also founder of the German-language Wausau Wochenblatt 1876-1887), and reflected Ringle's Democratic political leaning.[5]

The paper continued under Ringle until August 1884, when it was purchased by, and united with, the Wausau Review (founded in 1882 by Eugene Butler "E.B." Thayer), to become the Wisconsin River Pilot and Review.[7][8] Under Thayer, the paper's political leaning was Democratic,[8] and, according to Wisconsin historian Milo Milton Quaife, it became noted as "one of the best weeklies" in that section of Wisconsin, conducted in keeping with the "most modern and progressive" journalism ideas of the time. Quaife notes that Thayer's "widely read" paper promoted community development, and his editorials were "noted for... vigor and literary excellence."[7]

The name was promptly shortened to Pilot and Review, under the leadership of E. B. Thayer, who also titled it Pilot-Review, From July 1896 (some say 1901[9]), it was renamed as the Wausau Pilot (or, alternatively, Wausau Daily Pilot,), continuing under that name[8] until July 1920, when Thayer sold out to the Pilot Printing & Publishing Co., controlled by his son, E.B. Thayer, Jr.[5]

During the "Prohibition Era" of the 1930s, an underground tunnel connected the newspaper's building to the neighboring Wausau Club, with evidence discovered in 1997 that the tunnel may have been used to store illegal caches of alcoholic beverages, and possibly served as a conduit for "female entertainers."[10][9]

The newspaper ceased publication in 1940.[5]

In 2017, Shereen Siewart, a local journalist, with support from a non-profit organization, founded the online news and commentary site, and named it Wausau Pilot and Review.[1][2][3][4]

The Wausau Pilot and Review Corporation describes Wausau Pilot & Review as "an independent, 501c3 nonprofit newsroom" committed to "educating the public" on "crucial issues in central Wisconsin".[2][3][4]

The newspaper focuses on local, original and nonpartisan reporting and does not endorse or support any political candidate and publishes a public privacy and conflict of interest statement. It adheres to the Code of Ethics of the Society of Professional Journalists.[2][4]

The site performs explanatory reporting, investigative reporting, and collaborations with other newsrooms, covering elections and voting, government, criminal justice, economic development, environment and energy.[11]

The newspaper's journalists focus on "government accountability," and on matters of "public policy" and on "quality of life issues". It takes particular interest in public spending, poverty, the underprivileged, education, the justice system, health care, mental health, and the elderly.[2][3][4]

Their site also publishes commentary from the community, and reader comments on individual stories. The site does not endorse political candidates, and does not publish "unsigned editorials representing an institutional position." It encourages "broad-ranging... discussion [reppresenting] many points of view."[4]

Through the non-profit journalism foundation Report for America, the site hired a reporter in 2022 to focus on the area's Hmong immigrants, and other immigrants in Marathon County, which has a large community of Southeast Asian immigrants, many of whom are non-English-speaking. All content is translated into the Hmong language, "to... ensure [they can access] critical government and other information."[3][12]