STLPR launches ‘Politically Speaking’ newsletter with Jason Rosenbaum

The weekly newsletter will offer context and clarity on government and politics in the region.

St. Louis Public Radio will introduce a new way to make sense of the political landscape in the St. Louis region, Missouri and southern Illinois with the launch next week of the "Politically Speaking Newsletter" from Politics Correspondent Jason Rosenbaum.

In an election year when people are actively looking to understand an unstable world, the "Politically Speaking Newsletter" aims to provide the context and clarity St. Louisans need to stay informed about governmental decisions and key political shifts.

The first edition of the newsletter will send every Wednesday morning, starting April 29.

"We'll not only deliver all of STLPR's award-winning political coverage in an enlightening and entertaining package," Rosenbaum said, "but also exclusive news and insights sent to your inboxes."

The newsletter is the latest expansion of STLPR's Politically Speaking brand, which includes the long-running "Politically Speaking" podcast, and a live one-hour talk show, "The Politically Speaking Hour on St. Louis on the Air," which runs on select Fridays each month on the station's award-winning flagship talk show.

News you need to know, in your inbox

Meeting people where they are with high-quality, accurate news is an important part of the STLPR mission. Providing a regular, written component to "Politically Speaking" multimedia offerings was a natural next step.

"This July marks my 20th year as a professional journalist," Rosenbaum said. "And my first major endeavor as a political reporter for the Columbia Daily Tribune was creating and managing the newspaper's politics blog."

"Newsletters, to me, are the spiritual successor to blogs, which I firmly believe did a much better job at informing people compared to text-based social media platforms like X."

And informing people is critically important in a news ecosystem increasingly contaminated with misinformation and opinion, said Brian Heffernan, Managing Editor of Audience and Product.

"High-stakes election years can be overwhelming with all the fast-flying political news," Heffernan said. "The 'Politically Speaking' newsletter is the weekly digest for St. Louis-area readers to make sense of it all. Plus, Jason will be dropping newsletter exclusives about moves he's watching before they make headlines."

The person behind the pen

As audiences grow wary of unreliable sources and AI-generated content, Rosenbaum sees renewed value in connecting directly with audiences.

"People already have to wonder if images and videos they see are actually of real people, they should not have to wonder about that when it comes to state and local news," he said.

With that, Rosenbaum makes a solemn promise to his future newsletter subscribers: "The 'Politically Speaking' newsletter will feature words that I type with my hands and information that I get from my extensive list of contacts I've accumulated through 20 years of political reporting."

In these times, he's betting the back-to-basics approach may be exactly what audiences want.

Send Jason your questions about local politics

Answering subscriber questions about politics and government will be a regular feature of the "Politically Speaking" newsletter. You can send queries to [email protected] - or message Rosenbaum on Instagram. Subscribe at stlpr.org/politicallyspeakingnewsletter.