The New York Times is launching a Twin Cities newsletter as part of a new local journalism initiative the publisher hopes can become a blueprint for expanding regional news overage across the U.S.
Named “The Local: Twin Cities,” the newsletter will debut in August with original reporting, service journalism and curated recommendations tailored to readers in the Minneapolis and St. Paul region. The project represents the latest effort by The Times to deepen its subscriber engagement by building products around specific communities rather than purely national coverage.
“We’re thrilled to introduce ‘The Local,’ a new journalism initiative aimed at serving and engaging communities, starting in the Twin Cities,” New York Times executive editors Marc Lacey and Jodi Rudoren wrote in a Wednesday memo announcing the project. “Our hope is that ‘The Local: Twin Cities’ can serve as a model for similar future efforts elsewhere around the country.”
The Times said it chose the Twin Cities because of its “vibrant media ecosystem, hunger for news and tons of creativity,” adding that the newsletter will combine “from-the-ground reporting and service with insightful curation of all The Times offers through a local lens.”
The initiative also signals a new approach toward regional journalism at a time when local news organizations continue to face financial pressures. “One of our goals for ‘The Local’ is to support local news outlets, viewing them not as competitors but as partners,” Lacey and Rudoren shared, adding that the newsletter will regularly promote local reporting and work with Minnesota media organizations. The Times has already lined up partnerships with Minnesota Public Radio and the Minnesota Star Tribune around upcoming events.
The Local will be led by New York Times newsletters deputy Hanna Ingber and co-hosted by Minnesota journalists Shadi Bushra, formerly of MinnPost, and Jay Gabler, most recently of the Duluth News Tribune. Senior staff editor Talya Minsberg will oversee the project from New York.
The launch of this product builds on several recent domestic reporting initiatives at The Times, including a Texas news hub and a local investigative journalism fellowship led by former New York Times executive editor Dean Baquet.
