Jay Weiner is a writer, speechwriter, editor, author, and communications consultant based in St. Paul, Minnesota, USA.
He spent more than 30 years in daily journalism, specializing in off-the-field sports issues, mostly the public financing of sports facilities. He was one of the nation’s leading Olympic reporters, covering every Winter and Summer Games between 1984 and 2010. In the final years of his news gathering career, Weiner’s work pivoted to political reporting.
His coverage of the 2008 Al Franken-Norm Coleman Minnesota U.S. Senate recount earned Weiner the prestigious Frank Premack Public Affairs Journalism Award for breaking news, Minnesota’s highest journalism honor. His reporting formed the basis for his book, “This Is Not Florida: How Al Franken Won The Minnesota Senate Recount,” which was nominated for a Minnesota Book Award in 2010.
The Star Tribune of Minneapolis was Weiner’s long-time professional home, with stops at Long Island Newsday and MinnPost, a startup public affairs website. He was also a regular contributor to Minnesota Public Radio and Twin Cities Public Television’s “Almanac” public affairs program.
Weiner became the speechwriter to University of Minnesota President Eric Kaler in 2011. After a seven-year stint at the ‘U,’ Weiner jumped to the Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis. He managed the content on the Bank’s vibrant website and helped launch “For All,” the magazine of the Minneapolis Fed’s Opportunity & Inclusive Growth Institute.
The author of three books, his freelance work has appeared at ESPN.com, The Sports Business Journal, and Washington Post, among other local and national outlets.
Today, he writes, edits, and consults from his home office in the St. Anthony Park neighborhood of St. Paul.
