Star Tribune to expand NIE program

Star Tribune Media Co., Minnesota’s largest media company, has launched a joint initiative with Google to study news consumption among younger audiences, design youth-oriented news products and increase classroom engagement with trustworthy sources of news, the company says.

Under the auspices of the Google News Initiative, Google will support an 18-month program to modernize and expand Star Tribune’s News in Education program, which provides curriculum and access to Star Tribune products for more than 300 Minnesota middle and high schools. As a key part of the initiative, Star Tribune will create a fellowship for an education audience specialist who will conduct primary field research, determine benchmarks and spearhead the program.

The Google partnership is one of several initiatives underway at Star Tribune to better understand and serve younger audiences. The company is currently testing subscriptions for college students on several Minnesota campuses, while its 2030 Project is an ongoing effort to engage young professionals in shaping the future of Star Tribune coverage and products.

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