Veteran Milwaukee journalist and columnist Joel McNally died Feb. 25 at age 80, as detailed in a Feb. 27, 2025 Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel piece by Hannah Kirby and Jessica Van Egeren.
An Indiana University graduate, McNally worked for The Chicago Tribune before joining the Milwaukee Journal in the late 1960s. McNally was known for his tough reporting on Mayor Henry Maier, Milwaukee Police Chief Harold Breier, police brutality, discrimination and civil rights.
After becoming a local columnist, McNally wrote typically satirical columns that varied from humorous to harsh depending on the columnist’s mood or the subject. His column also combined politics and pop culture references of the day. For example, in a 1992 column driven by television’s Murphy Brown deciding to start a family on her own, McNally referred to Republican Vice President Dan Quayle as “Vice President Snerd.”
“The problem, according to the vice president, is Murphy Brown is ‘mocking the importance of fathers by bearing a child alone and calling it just another lifestyle choice’,” McNally wrote.
McNally won a National Headliner Award for his “Consistently Outstanding Local Column” as well as many other state and local journalism awards, according to his Shepherd Express biography.
Known for his long red hair, McNally also had a distinct laugh and a thick mustache. He wrote for 27 years for the Milwaukee Journal but was not offered a job in 1995 when the Milwaukee Journal and the Milwaukee Sentinel merged. But on his way out of the newsroom, McNally received a standing ovation.
After leaving the Journal, McNally became a columnist with Shepherd Express and also worked two years as editor there. He wrote “Taking Liberties,” his column, until a few months before his death, according to the story.
He also co-hosted “Morning Magazine,” a radio morning talk show with Cassandra Cassandra on WMCS 1290 AM. His other broadcasting experience included work as a contributing producer for Milwaukee Public Television’s Inside View and being a regular panelist on InterChange.
McNally also worked as an adjunct faculty member at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, teaching courses in urban history, community problems, and race and public policy, according to his Shepherd Express biography. He continued to write for the Express even after his wife and he moved to Virginia within the last decade.
A memorial is being planned in Milwaukee at a future date.
