The Highlight by Vox launches on Apple News+

Five years ago, Vox launched with a goal to bring audiences the most important context needed to understand the news — and the world around us.

As our talented journalists and editors have delivered on that mission again and again over the past five years, the world has become more complicated, intense, and all-consuming. At the same time, many of the platforms on which audiences consume the news have become more crowded and untrustworthy for users, while hurting the reputable news businesses they rely on for content.

Two of the many consequences of this evolving landscape are that the news industry must continue to seek out ways to monetize quality journalism, and that important, interesting stories that are outside of the daily conversation are at increasing risk of getting lost in the churn.

It’s at this particular moment that we’re excited to launch The Highlight by Vox, a new section that’s part of Apple News’s new subscription service, Apple News+. The Highlight is a dedicated home for the signature features, essays, and explainers that are of the news but not on the news.

Consider this section a premium complement to our free daily coverage — a space dedicated to helping our audience understand not the most talked-about headlines of the day but the big ideas and issues that are changing our present and influencing our future.

In The Highlight, you’ll find in-depth features, conversation-driving essays, on-the-ground dispatches, deep Q&As, and profiles that put a spotlight on the people who are influencing policy, culture, technology, and academia. With regular contributions from Vox staff writers whom our audience has come to know and trust, along with a diverse range of new voices and contributors, we’ll build a smart, deeply satisfying collection of articles that will inform and surprise readers.

We chose to launch The Highlight on Apple News because we think it’s the right platform, at the right time, for us to continue to explore Vox subscription offerings. Apple doesn’t just rely on algorithms for its news judgment — it employs a staff of experienced journalists to uphold editorial standards. We have a large, consistent audience on the platform. And the scope of Apple News’s reach is impressive.

This partnership allows us to reach a broader audience while expanding on the journalism we want to do and that we want our audience to see — without compromising on our mission. Additionally, our participation in Apple News+ is a crucial step in defining our own plans around membership. Later this year, Vox will launch membership tiers, and, as Vox Media CEO Jim Bankoff said recently, “We’re not going to take away anything you’re already getting. But it will add to the experience.”

For now, all the stories on The Highlight will be exclusive to Apple News+ for a week after they publish, and will then be available on Vox.com. Head over to Apple News+ to check them out. And stay tuned for what’s next in this space from Vox.