NPR is joining NHPR and the other members of the New England News Collaborative to establish a regional newsroom that will boost their ability to deliver multimedia journalism that helps people engage more meaningfully in their communities.
The move builds on the success of the NENC, founded in 2015 with support from the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, and NPR’s four existing regional newsrooms. The regional newsroom model allows groups of stations to plan coverage together, share resources and dig into the most important stories in their regions – in close partnership with NPR. The NENC joins regional newsrooms in Texas, California, the Gulf States, and the Midwest. The NENC is composed of 10 stations in six states from Connecticut to Maine.
“NPR is committed to deepening collaboration with our local stations to better serve the public’s need for trustworthy reporting that’s vital to our democracy,” said Edith Chapin, NPR Senior Vice President, Editor in Chief and acting Chief Content Officer. “We’re excited to work more closely with the New England News Collaborative on this crucial shared mission.”
NPR and the New England stations have already tested their new partnership, teaming up to bring readers and listeners both breaking news (October’s mass shooting in Lewiston, Maine) and moments of joy (April’s live coverage of the solar eclipse). Going forward, they plan to add a pilot project on visual journalism, funded by a grant from Eric and Wendy Schmidt, and to deliver ambitious reporting that would be hard for a single station or NPR to do on its own.
“By working together, the newsrooms of the New England News Collaborative are able to cover the biggest stories with greater impact and to innovate on ways to reach new audiences across the region,” said Jim Schachter, president & chief executive officer of NHPR. “We’re also partnering to create opportunities for diverse staff to develop their skills, so all our organizations can provide be more inclusive and produce more inclusive journalism.”
NENC Managing Editor Cori Princell will continue as the regional newsroom’s day-to-day editorial leader, serving as a key liaison with NPR and coordinating regional coverage plans among all the participating stations and NPR.
“Our stations produce powerful and creative work across all platforms. We’re excited to share more of that work across the country,” said Princell.
“As the former managing editor at New Hampshire Public Radio, Cori understands the impact local and regional reporting can have on our communities,” said Vanessa de la Torre, who served as NENC’s executive editor since 2020 and is now chief content officer at Connecticut Public, where she oversees the NENC’s strategic goals. “Working with NPR as a regional newsroom gives us new opportunities to expand our impact.”
The regional newsroom is supported by contributions from the partner organizations and a grant from Eric and Wendy Schmidt through the Schmidt Family Foundation. The Corporation for Public Broadcasting is a founding funder of the New England News Collaborative, which also receives support from foundations and donors.