Roldo Bartimole: A Modern-Day Muckraker

"Tell the truth and shame the devils." — Roldo Bartimole
Caricature of Roldo Bartimole used with his columns for the Cleveland Edition

From 1968 to 2000, iconoclastic journalist Roldo Bartimole rocked the boat in Cleveland politics with his biweekly newsletter, Point of Viəw. Roldo left the conventional journalism world at the age of thirty-five, because as he said it was "impossible for me to remain a neutral observer." For 32 years, Point of View served as Cleveland's conscience, exposing "... not only the machinations of Cleveland's ruling class - the politicians, the corporations, the real estate interests, the fourth estate - but also the city's charities, foundations and labor unions.".

Professional journalist turned pioneering citizen journalist, Roldo Bartimole continues to speak truth to power. We at Cleveland Memory are proud to offer a permanent and freely accessible repository for this important work, and for his subsequent writings.

Read Full Text Online: Roldo's Writings

    Browse the entire collection (includes Point of View, Cleveland Edition, and Cleveland Free Times articles.)


Listen: Roldo Speaks at the City Club

  • City Club Talk
    Listen to the passionate and poignant speech delivered by Roldo Bartimole to members of the Cleveland City Club back on December 20, 1968. Don't miss the verbal sparing that took place during the question-and-answer period.

Further Research: Print Materials in the Roldo Bartimole Collection at Cleveland State University

  • Finding Aid to the Roldo Bartimole Collection
    In addition to the materials we offer digitally via Cleveland Memory, our Special Collections at the Michael Schwartz Library at Cleveland State is also home to a print collection containing more than 60 boxes of Roldo Bartimole's notes, articles, newsletters, personal papers and various data and ephemera in the form of newspaper clippings, correspondence, and other media, covering topics both local and national, and dating from 1960-2010.

Read More About Roldo:


About Point of Viəw

Front page of first issue of Point of Viəw
Point of Viəw volume 1, issue 1, June 1968.
  • The first issue debuted in June, 1968.
  • This biweekly newsletter took a critical look at the power structure in Cleveland, reporting on the wealthy's control of the city's agenda to the detriment of its working-class and poor residents.
  • Some 700+ issues were published over a 32 1/2 year period.
  • The newsletter reached an all-time high of 1700 paid subscribers, yet it is impossible to estimate the number of copies that circulated to countless readers in offices and households across Northeast Ohio and beyond.
  • The final issue, Volume 33, No. 5, appeared in December, 2000.
  • The Upside Down "e"
    The artwork adorning every front page of Point of View shows an "e" that has broken free from the pack and subtly sits head over heels between the "i" and the "w". According to Roldo, the graphic artist, John Morrell, designed the logo to capture the opposing voice emanating from the newsletter's pages. But the image was designed only after the artist had previewed the first issue and approved of its content. Roldo feels the inverted letter "was a perfect touch".
  • In Roldo's own words...
    "The freedom to speak frankly gave me the ability to critically examine people, institutions and events by my standard, not simply following media conventional wisdom. It afforded me the opportunity rarely enjoyed by reporters working for traditional news outlets. Other reporters were bound by strictures related to making a profit, satisfying the powerful and, most important, a worldview that demands protecting the status quo of those who exert power in the city." (Point of Viəw, Vol. 33, No. 5, December 2000).