Axios Latino Ends Its Run

On Tuesday, the Axios Latino newsletter announced that its final edition would be published on Thursday. This marks the end of a project that launched in 2021 as a partnership with Noticias Telemundo.

“Some major and majorly sad news,” the start of the Tuesday edition read. “Thursday's edition will be the final ever for Axios Latino. More on that in a couple of days.” The announcement has disappointed subscribers, including myself, prompting questions about why the newsletter's nearly four-year run is over. (The Spanish version of the Tuesday newsletter from Noticias Telemundo also said that the Thursday edition would be the last one.)

The final edition was published on Thursday afternoon.

Later on Thursday, Axios senior reporter Russell Contreras wrote a personal essay about why it is important to cover Latino communities. Part of Contreras’ story focused on his grandmother Guadalupe “Lita” Ramos and her story.

“Somewhere, in some other time, someone will figure out a business model that allows these stories to be born and shared beyond small but intense surges of happiness,” Contreras wrote.

In its debut 2021 press release, Axios and Noticias Telemundo said the newsletter would achieve four goals:

• Analyze the impact of the leading political and economic stories on the Latino community

• Curate the best stories highlighting Latino perspectives

• Provide insight on the most critical issues with original reporting and analysis

• Offer readers a comprehensive resource on Latino news

Over the years, Axios Latino has become a trusted resource for concise and impactful coverage. It filled a void in mainstream media by focusing on stories that appeal to the country's growing English-dominant Latino demographic and including Spanish-language versions on Noticias Telemundo.

It was a group that was on Axios’ radar post-election in 2020, months before the launch of Axios Latino. As Washington Post public health reporter Fenit Nirappil reminded me on a Twitter thread about the end of the newsletter, Axios was calling Latinos “the fastest-growing population in America.”

I reached out separately to both Axios and Telemundo to understand more about the decision. In my emails, I asked:

• Why is the newsletter ending?

• What will happen to the subscriber list?

• How many people signed up for Axios Latino?

Here is what each outlet told me via email:

“Covering the Latino community and the issues they care about remains a top priority at Axios. We will continue to do so across our national and local news portfolio,” Axios said in a statement.

“We are incredibly proud of the partnership which created the Axios Latino newsletter and provided readers with original reporting and analysis on the issues impacting the Latino community. Axios and Noticias Telemundo will continue to collaborate and explore opportunities to elevate Latino stories and voices,” Telemundo shared in its statement.

Neither response directly addressed my specific questions.

The end of Axios Latino signals more than just the loss of a newsletter. It reflects the challenges Latino-focused journalism faces in sustaining itself within American mainstream media. While Axios says it remains committed to covering the Latino community, it’s unclear how that will replace the unique space the newsletter carved out. Every journalist and media leader I know felt the newsletter was required reading. Its closure is a step backward at a time when diverse and thoughtful reporting about U.S. Latino communities is needed more than ever.

About the Author

Julio Ricardo Varela is the founder and interim publisher of The Latino Newsletter.

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What We’re Reading

Latinos and Machismo: Earlier this week, Pew Research shared findings about Latinos and machismo, noting that “73% say machismo among Latinos is a bad thing.”

Also, I want to give a shout-out to @annotatewithsara on Instagram for citing my MSNBC view of “One Hundred Years of Solitude” in her thoughts about the Netflix series.

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