Philly Plain Dealer

The Philly Plain Dealer History.

In the 1970’s the Philly Plain Dealer was a “true underground rag(s), distributed free and published by a collective.” The brand disappeared until 50 years later, freelance journalist Jason N. Peters bought the domain name and began publishing “unsellable” and “unpublishable” stories. When Peters moved to New York City to work for HOT 97, the Plain Dealer lost its momentum and Peters pivoted to using the outlet to publish new writers for their first time and teach them how to write, the foremost being Martin Sakansong. Sakansong helped keep the Philly Plain Dealer dream alive until 2024 when Peters returned home and decided to give this dream one more shot.

In November 2024, a team of more than a dozen writers and creators convened at Lucy’s Bar on Chestnut Street to discuss building the Philly Plain Dealer into a real and viable outlet in Philadelphia. The team agreed that an outlet of this nature was necessary in the stiff, corporate landscape of Philly news.

Now the Philly Plain Dealer is on a journey to see if an equitable, writer-owned news outlet is viable in this economy and media landscape. Come along for the ride and support us if you think our mission is worthwhile.