Why the Journal exists.
Strait Journal is a culture publication about Detroit, anchored by music. The writing that makes up the archive began in 2024; the publication was brought together as Strait Journal in 2026, when it was consolidated under Strait Media Group.
We started the Journal because the coverage of this city was thin and getting thinner — press releases dressed up as profiles, trend pieces written by people who had never crossed 8 Mile, and a general sense that Detroit was a mood to be evoked rather than a place to be reported on.
We cover music, food and drink, arts, community, and city development. Every post carries a Detroit connection. Sometimes the music angle is explicit; often it is not. What matters is that we are in the room.
We publish for people who are already paying attention. We do not translate. We do not explain what a 909 is. We do not tell you what to think about a block you have lived on for twenty years. If you want context, we assume you will ask for it; if you want a hot take, there is the rest of the internet.
The Journal is independent. We answer to our readers and to the record.
How we work.
A short, public policy. Questions: hello@straitjournal.com.
- Who writesEvery piece is reported and written by a named human being. Writers do their own reporting, conduct their own interviews, and visit the places they write about. We use generative AI the way most working publications do in 2026 — for drafting, structuring, and editing, always followed by human reporting, verification, and revision before publication.
- SourcesWe prefer on-the-record sources. Anonymous sources are granted when a person faces a credible professional, legal, or safety risk, and only with the editor's sign-off in writing.
- CorrectionsEvery correction is logged and dated. If we get something wrong, we say what we got wrong and when.
- ConflictsWriters disclose any professional or personal relationship with a subject before filing. Disclosures appear at the bottom of the piece.
- PitchesWe read every pitch sent to pitch@straitjournal.com. We reply within two weeks. We do not publish PR copy under our byline.
How we're paid.
The Journal is pre-revenue. That is unglamorous to say out loud, and we are saying it out loud on purpose. We are funded, for now, by a combination of founder capital and a small number of early reader-subscribers who pay monthly. We accept no advertising. We take no sponsored posts.
Our goal is for reader subscriptions to cover staff pay by the end of 2027. If you want to be part of that, you can subscribe.
Strait Journal is a publication of Strait Media Group, LLC, based in Detroit.