‘First Edition’ is an all-new newsletter offering readers a mix of news digest, expert analysis and a pick of the Guardian’s best journalism every weekday morning
Written and edited by Archie Bland with assistant editor Nimo Omer, the Guardian’s free ‘First Edition’ newsletter takes a close look at one important topic or news event while also offering readers a selection of the day’s key stories.
The newsletter goes beyond an urgent summary of the headlines to include original reporting and a sharp analysis of global news events, built around a sense of conversation and community.
‘First Edition’ opens with a message from Bland or Omer every weekday morning, followed by ‘five big stories’ for readers that are short of time.
The heart of the newsletter takes an in-depth look at one significant story, from original reporting or analysis of a late breaking news event, to an interesting perspective readers may not have heard before or a Q&A with a Guardian journalist or expert that goes behind a developing story.
The newsletter will also feature ‘what else we’re reading’, providing ‘First Edition’ readers with recommendations of non-news Guardian journalism, and ‘the upside’ for positive stories they might have missed.
Bland, editor of ‘First Edition’, has held various editor and deputy editor roles across national, foreign news and features, and has been an executive producer on the Guardian’s ‘Today in Focus’ podcast.
Omer, ‘First Edition’s assistant editor, is an award-winning new journalist who has worked in audio, newsletters and digital publishing.
The Guardian publishes nearly 50 newsletters globally, with several million subscriptions across its complete portfolio and over a million unique subscribers. The Guardian is currently refreshing its suite of newsletters to make them more compelling and easier to discover for readers, with updated designs and new formats.
Katharine Viner, editor-in-chief, Guardian News & Media, said: “Newsletters play an important part in how we communicate with readers, showcasing the breadth and depth of the Guardian’s global journalism and deepening the engagement and relationships we have with readers. Our new newsletters team are working across various editorial departments and have exciting and ambitious plans for this fast-evolving format.
“’First Edition’ is set to be a must-read in peoples’ inboxes, combining original analysis of major news events with all the ideas and expertise that inspire the Guardian and its journalism. I’m excited to see what Archie, Nimo and the team produce for readers in the coming weeks.”
Bland added: “I’m thrilled to be writing the Guardian’s new ‘First Edition’ newsletter and to become a part of our readers’ morning routines.
“My hope is that ‘First Edition’ will feel like a regular update from a well-informed friend: informal and insightful, leaving people with nuggets of knowledge they remember when they next see the big news stories of the day, or something they’ll want to pass off as their own in the pub later that night.”
Read the very first newsletter from the ‘First Edition’ team here.
