The New Orleans Levee (Newspaper) is a New Orleans-based, American satire publication founded by editor and publisher Rudy Matthew Vorkapic. The Levee's motto is, "We Don't Hold Anything Back". The first issue (40,000 copies) debuted on Aug. 29, 2006, exactly one year after the failure of the federal levee system in New Orleans during Hurricane Katrina.
The Levee launched as a response to the ongoing failures of local, state and federal governments in the aftermath of the federal levee failures during Hurricane Katrina.
The New Orleans Levee's stated mission, outlined in the first issue, is "redirect the inanity back at those who spew it." The paper maintains a non-partisan stand politically, in that it operates under the belief that "stupidity is not a partisan issue."
The New Orleans Levee normally prints 42,000 copies and is distributed for free to more than 400 locations throughout New Orleans, the area and regionally from Baton Rouge to Mississippi. It is available online at nolevee.com and through home subscriptions. The Levee maintains an active and popular presence on Facebook and Twitter. Its plans include a revamped website (complete) and video production (coming soon).
Since 2009, readers of local alternative newspaper Gambit Weekly' have judged The Levee in the Top Three for "Best Local Publication" in their annual reader poll.