Bruce B. Brugmann was editor and publisher of the ''

San Francisco Bay Guardian The ''San Francisco Bay Guardian'' was a free alternative newspaper published weekly in San Francisco, California. The paper was shut down on October 14, 2014. Parts of the paper were relaunched online in February 2016. History The ''Bay Guar ...

,'' a weekly alternative newspaper published in

San Francisco San Francisco, officially the City and County of San Francisco, is a commercial, Financial District, San Francisco, financial, and Culture of San Francisco, cultural center of Northern California. With a population of 827,526 residents as of ...

. He co-founded the newspaper with his wife, Jean Dibble, in 1966. Brugmann was born in

Rock Rapids, Iowa Rock Rapids is a city in and the county seat of Lyon County, Iowa, United States. The population was 2,611 in the 2020 census, an increase from 2,573 in the 2000 census. History A post office called Rock Rapids has been in operation since 1 ...

. He earned a

bachelor's degree A bachelor's degree (from Medieval Latin ''baccalaureus'') or baccalaureate (from Modern Latin ''baccalaureatus'') is an undergraduate degree awarded by colleges and universities upon completion of a course of study lasting three to six years ...

from the

University of Nebraska A university () is an educational institution, institution of tertiary education and research which awards academic degrees in several Discipline (academia), academic disciplines. ''University'' is derived from the Latin phrase , which roughly ...

, where he was editor of the college newspaper, and a master's degree from the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism. Brugmann spent two years in the Army as an infantryman and journalist, including a stint in

South Korea South Korea, officially the Republic of Korea (ROK), is a country in East Asia. It constitutes the southern half of the Korea, Korean Peninsula and borders North Korea along the Korean Demilitarized Zone, with the Yellow Sea to the west and t ...

, where he worked at the ''Stars and Stripes'' as a bureau chief. Brugmann spent a year working at the ''Lincoln Star'', three years at the ''Milwaukee Journal'', and three years at the now-defunct ''Redwood City Tribune''. Brugmann was one of the founders of the

California First Amendment Coalition The First Amendment Coalition (FAC) is a nonprofit public interest organization committed to freedom of speech, more open and accountable government, and public participation in civic affairs. Founded in 1988, FAC's activities include "test case" ...

as well as the

Association of Alternative Newsweeklies The Association of Alternative Newsmedia (AAN) is a trade association of alternative weekly newspapers in North America. It provides services to many generally liberal or progressive weekly newspapers across the United States and in Canada. A ...

. He is known as a passionate advocate for public access to public records. He won a Beacon Award from the California First Amendment Coalition. The Northern California Chapter of the Society for Professional Journalists, which he served as president of, gave him a Career Achievement Award. He served as a board member on the Sunshine Ordinance Task Force, which enforces San Francisco's public records rules. In recent years, Brugmann usually maintained a low public profile in San Francisco. However, during a short lived advertising campaign in the mid-2000s, Brugmann became, literally, the face of the Bay Guardian. Advertisements featured photographs and graphic depictions of Brugmann appeared in print, on signs, and on the advertising panels of SF Muni buses. The text of the ads related to the functions of the Guardian, such as local news, relationships, classifieds. etc., and always concluded with the exhortation, "Read my paper, dammit!" With his features and his words being carried throughout the city on the sides of the buses, Bruce Brugmann was, for a short time, unavoidable.

References

External links

Bay Guardian website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Brugmann, Bruce B. Year of birth missing (living people) Living people 20th-century American publishers (people) American newspaper editors Writers from Iowa University of Nebraska–Lincoln alumni Writers from San Francisco People from Rock Rapids, Iowa American newspaper founders Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism alumni