Midwest Socialist Editorial Policy (Updated 8/12/2026)
Midwest Socialist (MWS) is an organ of the Chicago Democratic Socialists of America (“Chicago DSA” or “CDSA”), and the rules governing its structure and operations are set by CDSA’s Executive Committee, the CDSA Communications Coordinator, and the Midwest Socialist Editorial Board (collectively referred to as the “Governing Bodies”). These policies are subject to review and revision at any time by the Governing Bodies or by the general membership of Chicago DSA as permitted by the chapter’s bylaws.
Rules for Submissions
Midwest Socialist is open to submissions from members in good standing as defined by the national Democratic Socialists of America (DSA). Members in good standing of any DSA chapter in the Midwestern United States and adjoining areas are encouraged to submit.
The Governing Bodies reserve the right to decline or refuse to publish any submission for any reason at their discretion.
The Editorial Board must know a person’s real name to confirm they are a member in good standing of DSA. Once a contributor’s membership has been confirmed, the use of pseudonyms or last initials is allowed.
Please keep submissions under 3,000 words. We may ask that articles be edited for length or split into multiple articles. In general, contributors are encouraged to send a brief pitch to us before submitting a first draft.
Submissions may include a title or visual aids. You must own the copyright or have permission to use any visual aids for them to be used. The final headlines and images that appear alongside any submission are left to the discretion of the Governing Bodies, subject to the approval of the contributor.
Chicago DSA allows contributors to retain the copyright to their works. By submitting a piece to Midwest Socialist, you certify that you agree to our editorial policy, that you are the author of the work in question, and that you own the copyright and have the right to request that the work be published in Midwest Socialist. You also agree to allow us to publish the work online and/or in print, to promote it on social media and through other means, and to use it for certain other limited purposes as determined by the Governing Bodies. Contributors are allowed to repost or republish their work and have the right to request that their work be removed from Midwest Socialist.
As an outlet of Chicago DSA, we publish official communications from our chapter and coalition partners. We do not accept submissions purporting to speak on behalf of DSA caucuses and similar unofficial groups, but contributors may make arguments in favor of the political positions of such groups.
Editorial Process
The editorial process of Midwest Socialist consists of an initial review by a member of the Editorial Board, a second review by a second member of the Board, a return of the edited work to the contributor for final approval and any necessary revisions, and layout and final publication by the Board. This process is subject to modification or exception at any time by the Governing Bodies. Submissions can be marked as “time-sensitive,” in which case we will try to publish within 10 business days. If your submission is very time-sensitive (especially articles to be published in advance of a General Chapter Meeting advocating for a resolution), please submit your articles early to ensure our volunteer editors have enough time to review.
The Midwest Socialist Editorial Board elects its own members from among participants in the CDSA Communications Committee. Members of the Editorial Board must be DSA members in good standing. The Editorial Board is subject to oversight by the CDSA Executive Committee and Communications Coordinator.
Please be kind to your editors. Personal attacks and invectives against editors, sarcasm in responses to editorial changes, and unilaterally reversing editorial revisions are not permitted. Any issues that arise between contributors and editors will be referred to the full Editorial Board for review. If you have concerns about any changes an editor has made to a submission, please reach out directly and keep things cordial. Remember that our editors are volunteers, and the editorial process is for your benefit as much as it is to uphold the editorial standards of Midwest Socialist.
Use of AI
Midwest Socialist requires all contributors to certify that their submissions are entirely their own work. We maintain a strict policy against publishing writing, images, or any other content that is generated (in whole or in part) by large language models, AI image generators, or any other type of AI program. Contributors may not submit work that has been aided by AI in any other way, including for research and “idea generation.” Basic spelling and grammar checks are acceptable; AI grammar programs that rewrite sentence structure or make other significant changes are not. Those who violate this policy may be prevented from contributing in the future at the discretion of the Governing Bodies. All forms of plagiarism (wrongfully taking another person’s work, in whole or in part, and passing it off as your own) are strictly forbidden.
Per chapter policy, any use of AI for work related to the chapter is expressly forbidden. This is especially true for any use that could expose membership data, information related to chapter activities, or any other sensitive materials.
Formats
Midwest Socialist publishes a wide variety of content, but most of our pieces fall into the following categories:
News Articles
Original reporting of current events relevant to socialist politics. Organizers collaborating with DSA campaigns, working groups, and coalition partners are strongly encouraged to submit reporting on their activities. While our readership is assumed to be broadly leftist, all news articles should still strive for objectivity in their coverage of current events. Submissions with quotes and usable photos are more likely to be published.
https://midwestsocialist.com/2025/11/06/famines-and-flotillas-from-ireland-to-palestine/
Profiles
Interview-based articles profiling an organizer or activist.
https://midwestsocialist.com/2022/09/18/rank-and-file-interview-series-dennis-kosuth-4/
Chapter Communications
Announcements from official Chicago DSA sources. This includes statements from the Executive Committee, press releases from working groups, and updates from campaigns. We are also open to running pieces from our coalition partners.
https://midwestsocialist.com/2024/04/07/cdsa-statement-on-one-democratic-state/
Campaigns
Report-backs, case studies, and updates.
Opinion pieces
Our opinion section is home to educational series, theory, and debates.
https://midwestsocialist.com/2026/05/10/mass-movement-electoralism/
Submission Guidelines
Here are some important things to keep in mind when drafting a submission for Midwest Socialist:
- Good faith: Arguments must be comradely and made in good faith. Contributors must also treat submission responses and timelines with good faith, editors and publishers are volunteers in their roles.
- Relevance: Midwest Socialist strives to provide a broad forum for comradely debate in a left-wing context. Opinion pieces must be relevant to our work as an organization and movement or the national or global context thereof.
- Clarity: Articles should be clearly written and succinct. Every submission should include a thesis statement consisting of one or two sentences in its introduction.
- No provocation: Submissions must not be inflammatory, provocative, or libelous. Unsubstantiated accusations against DSA members, public figures, or any other individual or group will be summarily rejected. Incitement to hatred of any person or group is strictly prohibited, as is advocacy for or celebration of violence of any kind.
- Excessive controversy: In line with Chicago DSA communications policy, we do not publish articles dealing with exceptionally controversial topics. If CDSA has closed its chats in response to a current event, we will not publish an article about it.
- No shadowboxing: Articles advocating for positions DSA should adopt or strategies the organization should employ are encouraged. Articles intended primarily to discredit or denigrate another faction or individual within DSA are not. Focus on building a positive argument rather than tearing down a real or imagined opponent. Short, comradely explanations for why you believe a competing view is incorrect are acceptable, subject to the discretion of the Editorial Board.
- Back up the facts: Even in an opinion piece, you need to back up any facts mentioned with things like data, published reports, and public DSA materials (membership proposals and published debates, public statements and reports, etc). Be sure to scrutinize your sources to make sure they are reliable. Hyperlinks to online materials are strongly encouraged (e.g., “The recent City Council proposal outlines…”)
Formatting
Articles should be submitted as Word documents, Google Docs, or PDFs. Note that external links are removed when PDFs are uploaded through the submission form, so if you submit a PDF we will need access to the original document to include any links.
Midwest Socialist is not particularly fussy about formatting requirements. Please make sure your submission is formatted in paragraphs and includes the title of the work and any section titles or section breaks.
Footnotes and endnotes are disfavored, but they can be appropriate in specific circumstances and in articles that are more academic in nature. Any use of footnotes or endnotes must be approved by the Editorial Board on a case-by-case basis.
Original Reporting
All contributors who submit original reporting should abide by basic ethical principles for independent journalists, including consent, transparency in reporting, fact-checking, and considerations when reporting on vulnerable subjects. Please refer to the Independent Media Association’s Ethics for Citizen Journalists for more information.