New England Public Media Announces Partnership with The Latino Newsletter

Originally published at New England Public Media

September 24, 2024, SPRINGFIELD, Mass. — The Latino Election Project, a collaboration between New England Public Media and The Latino Newsletter, is underway at NEPM’s studios in downtown Springfield. The nine-week project is designed to train three high school journalists from the Springfield area in multimedia content production focused on the upcoming election.

Award-winning journalist Julio Ricardo Varela, founder of Latino Rebels, former president of Futuro Media, and publisher and executive director of The Latino Newsletter, will lead the effort. The Latino Election Project builds on NEPM’s commitment to education and local journalism as a non-profit public media organization serving western Massachusetts.

Working alongside the NEPM News editorial team, interns will assist Varela in the production of election-related stories and public service announcements in both English and Spanish. Their work will look at election issues through the lens of the Latino community.

Along the way, they will learn skills that will prepare them for careers in media and journalism. The Latino Election Project complements NEPM’s long-running Media Lab, a youth media training initiative that teaches the tools of audio, video and digital storytelling to high school and college students.

Stories produced through The Latino Election Project will be featured on both NEPM and The Latino Newsletter’s platforms, and include audio and print journalism, along with social media content. The Latino Newsletter is a daily, independent news outlet that centers the Latino voice in its reporting for a national audience.

“Collaborating with Julio and The Latino Newsletter is a powerful opportunity to share stories from the Latino community throughout western Massachusetts,” said John Sutton, vice president of content and strategy at NEPM. “This partnership not only amplifies these voices but also offers local students the invaluable experience of working with an award-winning journalist dedicated to excellence in journalism and community service."

As president of Pulitzer-winning Futuro Media, Varela diversified the organization’s funding sources and positioned it for longer-term success. He also served as Futuro Media’s editorial director, leading the teams at Latino USA, Latino Rebels, the In The Thick political podcast, and the Community Podcast Lab. In 2015, the National Association of Hispanic Journalists honored Varela with its inaugural DALE Award, “given to an individual or company that steps up and goes above and beyond to ensure Latinos are fairly and accurately represented.” In 2018, Inquilinos Boricuas en Acción named Varela one of Boston's top Latino leaders.

"The Latino Newsletter is thrilled to be working with New England Public Media on this project,” said Varela, who has called Massachusetts home for over 30 years. “The Springfield area has always had a strong and vibrant Latino community, but few opportunities to make their voices heard. Public media is all about making voices and storytelling more inclusive of the areas it serves. These talented student journalists are the future of local news, and I can't wait to produce relevant election stories with them.”

The student interns are Evanni Santos and Halima Mohamed from Discovery Polytech High in Springfield and Ian Burger from Longmeadow High. Donyel Le'Noir Felton, who has interned with NEPM’s Media Lab and newsroom, is the project’s coordinator.

ABOUT NEW ENGLAND PUBLIC MEDIA

New England Public Media enriches people’s lives in western Massachusetts and beyond by nurturing curiosity, inspiring community engagement, and reflecting the unique joys of living here. NEPM is the region’s source for PBS and NPR programs and for locally produced news, video and music content.

For more information, visit nepm.org or follow NEPM on Facebook, Instagram and LinkedIn.

ABOUT THE LATINO NEWSLETTER

The Latino Newsletter is a new, independent nonprofit journalism outlet founded by Julio Ricardo Varela, award-winning journalist and founder of the breakthrough digital news site Latino Rebels. It is a daily, subscriber-only offering that publishes stories and audio podcasts through a clear Latino lens. Based in Massachusetts, The Latino Newsletter has witnessed triple-digit social and digital growth since launching in June.

MEDIA CONTACT

Vanessa Cerillo
Senior Director, Marketing, Communications and Events
New England Public Media
413-735-6605
[email protected]