Announcing the new New Mexico Telegram

Most of you probably know me as the former editor of New Mexico Political Report. Before, that I ran my own website, New Mexico Telegram. I’m bringing that website back in a new format.

You probably don't remember signing up for this email back then. It happened back when Barack Obama was president; that feels like a million years ago, I know.

But, for those of you who may not know or remember, I’ll let you know who I am and why you should care.

In April, 2008, I began a new job.

Actually, I began two new jobs that same month. While the call center job paid more and had health insurance, the job I actually cared about was as a blogger at the New Mexico Independent.

Little did I know that taking that job—the blogging one—would lead to my career. Since then, I have worked as a freelance reporter, ran the first version of New Mexico Telegram and worked as the managing editor for a respected non-profit website, New Mexico Political Report.

In that time, I have seen the industry change in New Mexico and nationwide. There are fewer journalists working now than ever before. Newsrooms in New Mexico have shrunk or disappeared entirely. The Independent is long gone, as are a other places I have listed on my resume. Many coworkers at those places have since either left journalism entirely or found jobs outside New Mexico... or both.

With the current presidential administration, big mayoral races in Albuquerque and Santa Fe and a race for governor with no incumbent just around the corner, now is the time when New Mexicans need more trusted and reliable journalism, not less. 

That’s why I’m relaunching New Mexico Telegram as a newsletter. I’ll be writing about New Mexico politics and policy. But I won’t just rewrite the latest press releases or write the same stories as everyone else.

Instead, I’ll provide analysis based on my years of experience covering New Mexico politics. I’ll speak to elected officials and other experts. I’ll dig into what federal policies mean for New Mexicans and what our state’s congressional delegation is doing about it. I’ll follow state policy changes and potential changes through the interim legislative committees. 

But I will never, ever use LLM AI models to write any content. I won’t use AI photos. A friend asked me a few months ago if I would use AI in my writing, even to write headlines. I told them I’d rather cut off my arm than use AI in a way that represents my writing. That might be a bit hyperbolic, but I stand by my no for creating content stance. 

For a few weeks, I’ll be sending out my newsletter for free. Tell your friends to subscribe. If you or they want to support it monetarily, there's an option. Let me know if you have any problems.

Once August starts, I will still provide a free email each week, but for those who want the full experience of several posts a week on New Mexico politics, it will cost just $5 per month, or $10 a month if you want to give a little extra.

That full experience will grow depending on how many people subscribe. There could be a podcast, video content and, of course, more written stories. It all depends on the support I receive.

If you have any tips, advice or other feedback, feel free to email me at matthew@newmexicotelegram.com. 

-Matthew Reichbach