[3][7] It billed itself as the "Largest Black Oriented Weekly Circulated in Chicago Area.
"[1] The founder and original publisher of the Metro News was Charles B. Armstrong, Sr., a political activist, educator, and former advertising manager for the Chicago affiliate of the Pittsburgh Courier.
[7] Armstrong was aligned with the Republican Party, and served as a regional director of Nixon's Committee to Re-Elect the President in 1972.
[3] He supported Cecil Partee for attorney general in 1976[8] and was a strong backer of Harold Washington's mayoral campaign.
[3] He clashed with Jesse Jackson, criticizing his boycott of Anheuser Busch and accusing him of attempting to shake down Black organizations.