The Times Union (Albany, New York) has launched a new and expanded newsletter devoted to New York State government and politics under a name familiar to local readers: Capitol Confidential.
Building on the work of the paper’s award-winning statehouse team, the newsletter will dig deeper into the stories driving the action at the Capitol, offering fresh features both daily and weekly, as well as a bill tracker and other digital offerings. In addition, the Times Union will host live events to mark the relaunch of the newsletter with notable state leaders and others guiding the issues of the day — from industry, advocacy, the media and other sectors.
The new Capitol Confidential newsletter is assembled by Dan Clark, who joined the Times Union in January after almost four years hosting and producing the political news program "New York Now" on the public broadcaster WMHT. Clark is a veteran of Spectrum News' statehouse team as well as the Buffalo News, Politifact and the New York Law Journal. He studied journalism and documentary filmmaking at the State University of New York at Albany before joining “Capital Tonight” as a producer and reporter for the program’s NY State of Politics blog.
The newsletter is initially provided free to existing readers of the paper’s afternoon rundown of Capitol news. That newsletter will continue as a free product but will shift to a morning publication as the Capitol A.M. Roundup.
After the free introductory period, the new Capitol Confidential newsletter will be available for $10 per month or $100 for a one-year subscription. Readers can sign up to receive the new Capitol Confidential newsletter at www.CapitolConfidential.com.
“To be clear: Nothing about the Times Union's current statehouse report is changing,” Times Union editor Casey Seiler said. “Our Capitol Bureau — led by managing editor Brendan Lyons — is stacked with talent and has distinguished itself on stories ranging from the demise of former New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo to DocGo's role in the migrant crisis, Raise the Age and related criminal justice debates and many more.”
“But for those with a special fascination with New York government and politics, we believe there is a marketplace of readers for this new venture, which is both rooted in our award-winning state coverage and an experiment,” Seiler said.
The Times Union is the leading news organization in New York’s Capital Region. The newspaper is widely respected for its focus on local news and watchdog reporting, particularly on state government and politics. It has won numerous state and national awards for its work on both print and digital platforms and has repeatedly been named New York’s Newspaper of Distinction by the state Associated Press and Journalists Association. The Times Union also created Women@Work, the area’s fastest-growing network of businesswomen; it publishes several weekly papers and hosts numerous community events at its affiliated Hearst Media Center, as well as major regional events, including the Times Union Home Expo.
About Hearst Newspapers:
Hearst Newspapers is the operating group responsible for Hearst’s newspapers, local digital marketing services businesses and directories. With approximately 2,600 employees nationwide, Hearst Newspapers publishes 24 dailies and 52 weeklies, including the Houston Chronicle, Times Union (Albany, New York) and San Antonio Express-News. It also operates digital marketing services and directories businesses under the LocalEdge brand.
About Hearst:
Hearst is one of the nation’s largest global, diversified information, services and media companies. Hearst has been innovating for more than a century, leading with purpose, integrity and a culture of care, with a mission to inform audiences and improve lives. The company’s diverse portfolio includes global financial services leader Fitch Group; Hearst Health, a group of medical information and services businesses; Hearst Transportation, which includes CAMP Systems International, a major provider of software-as-a-service solutions for managing maintenance of jets and helicopters; ownership in cable television networks such as A&E, HISTORY, Lifetime and ESPN; 35 television stations; 24 daily and 52 weekly newspapers; digital services businesses; and more than 200 magazines around the world.
