October 30, 2023

Andrew Haeg joins the Institute for Nonprofit News (INN) as network product manager. 

In this newly created role, Haeg will develop a range of digital products aimed at helping INN’s rapidly growing network of 425+ newsrooms reach new audiences, deepen the impact of their journalism, and tap into new revenue streams. 

He will initially focus on building an SMS distribution hub for newsrooms in INN’s Rural News Network (RNN) aimed at expanding the reach of nonprofit news to rural areas and news deserts. The texting digest will aggregate stories from RNN outlets, summarize them using an AI tool developed by partner Nota, add to a queue of stories editors can approve in Slack, and finally route personalized texting digests for delivery via SMS based on the texter’s location and interests.

Prior to joining INN, Haeg helped more than 150 newsrooms connect with audiences through GroundSource, a two-way texting platform for newsrooms that he founded. He also co-founded Minneapolis Voices, a family of local news sites serving Minneapolis, and the Public Insight Network at American Public Media, a groundbreaking crowdsourcing platform used by nonprofit newsrooms around the country. 

“Andrew brings a unique combination of experience both in starting and growing individual newsrooms and in leveraging the collective capabilities of a broad network of organizations,” said Jonathan Kealing, INN’s chief network officer. “I’m excited to see how Andrew will be able to bring his community-centric approach to growth and engagement on behalf of the INN Network.”

Earlier in his career, Haeg served as a business and economics correspondent for Minnesota Public Radio, Midwest correspondent for The Economist and entrepreneur-in-residence at the Center for Collaborative Journalism in Macon, Georgia. He is also a former Reynolds Journalism Institute Fellow, former JSK Fellow, and is a graduate of Columbia University’s Graduate School of Journalism.