World Socialist Web Site
International far-left (Trotskyist)
Background
The World Socialist Web Site launched on February 14, 1998, as the online newspaper of the International Committee of the Fourth International (ICFI), a Trotskyist organization founded in 1953 during a split within the Fourth International over questions of political strategy. The U.S. section, originally the Workers League (formed 1966), renamed itself the Socialist Equality Party (SEP) in 1996 and then led the transition to the website format. David North, who joined the Workers League in 1971 and has led the U.S. section since 1976, chairs the WSWS International Editorial Board. The site publishes news and analysis from affiliated SEP sections in Australia, Germany, Sri Lanka, the United Kingdom, and elsewhere, all presenting a Trotskyist viewpoint that is consistently critical of capitalism, U.S. foreign policy, mainstream trade union leadership, and what it calls the 'pseudo-left.' In 2017, the WSWS reported a roughly 70 percent drop in traffic from Google searches and accused Google of politically suppressing left-wing websites; the allegation received front-page coverage in the New York Times, though Google did not confirm specifically targeting the site. The outlet is funded entirely by reader donations and periodic fundraising drives, with no paid advertising. It maintains an editorial line critical of every U.S. presidential administration, viewing both major political parties as representatives of the capitalist class rather than working people.
Sources
- World Socialist Web Site – Wikipedia
- About the WSWS – wsws.org
- World Socialist Web Site – Media Bias/Fact Check
- David North (socialist) – Wikipedia
- International Committee of the Fourth International – Wikipedia
- New Google algorithm restricts access to left-wing, progressive web sites – WSWS (2017)
- Oligarchy: Trump and the Breakdown of American Democracy – WSWS (June 2026)
Profile compiled 2026-06-27; refreshed when ownership, funding, or the administration changes.