Cutlines
Vermont Secretary of State Sarah Copeland Hanzas presents Valley Reporter editor Lisa Loomis with an award. Photo Gordon Miller for the Waterbury Roundabout
Vermont Civic Journalism award recipients Cassandra Hemenway, Montpelier Bridge editor, Lisa Loomis, Valley Reporter editor, Tommy Gardner Vermont Community Newspaper Group editor and Lisa Scagliotti Waterbury Roundabout editor at last week’s award ceremony. Photo Gordon Miller for the Waterbury Roundabout
The Valley Reporter and the Waterbury Roundabout were among 16 media organizations in Vermont recognized at a State House ceremony last week, receiving grants from Vermont’s inaugural Local Civic Journalism awards.
The program represents a partnership between the Vermont Secretary of State’s office and the Vermont Community Foundation (VCF). It is funded by the VCF and the Legislature under a directive led by Washington County Senator Andrew Perchlik and administered by the office of Vermont Secretary of State Sarah Copeland Hanzas. VCF provided $50,000 in funding as did the Legislature.
The Valley Reporter received a $5,000 award and the Waterbury Roundabout received a $10,000 award.
In brief remarks after Secretary Copeland Hanzas presented the awards, Loomis said that she and all those gathered for the ceremony believe strongly in local journalism as a way to create community connection.
“Without that connection, we become fractured. Without local journalism people don’t eat less news, they eat more non-local news and it’s partisan and does not have the same connections that we may have with whether we agree on the school budget or paving or speed bumps. We’re connected at a level where we can affect change and be part of change,” Loomis said.
Copeland Hanzas outlined why her office has prioritized Vermont’s media eco-system and sustaining a strong free press.
“Bolstering Vermonters’ civic engagement is one of the top priorities of my office, and a robust network of independent local journalism is crucial to that effort,” said Secretary Copeland Hanzas. “In order to get involved, we need access to information about what’s going on in our communities and the actions of our leaders. The local and regional media outlets we recognized today with these local civic journalism awards are essential to Vermont’s civic health, and we need to ensure their sustained vitality.”
At the press conference VJC’s new leader Kristen Fountain and VCF’s president and CEO Dan Smith outlined key findings from the newly released Vermont News & Information Ecosystem Report. Commissioned by VCF’s Press Forward initiative, the report assesses the current state of local news in Vermont, identifying opportunities to strengthen news access, newsroom sustainability, and local media coordination statewide.
Key findings from the report include:
- With over 60 news and information providers statewide, and 80% of those locally owned and operated, Vermont has a strong foundation for local reporting that is serving the information needs of most communities.
- Newsrooms are operating with limited staff and capacity while adjusting to rapidly changing models for news distribution and consumption. This is challenging the long-term sustainability of local newsrooms and making their future uncertain.
- A strong majority (92%) of Vermonters who participated in surveys, interviews and focus groups agree that local news should be available to everyone and (70%) believe a well-informed community benefits everyone.
- Access barriers for many Vermonters persist, including cost, format, and language access. And youth, LGBTQ+, immigrants and refugees, do not consistently see their experiences or the things that matter to them reflected in local coverage.
- The path to a strong local news ecosystem includes mobilizing public and private funding, deepening collaboration among news outlets and empowering communities to work with and support their local news providers.
“This report accurately reflects the vibrancy and precarity of Vermont’s local news producers, including the ones being honored for their work with a Local Civic Journalism Award today,” said VJC’s Kristen Fountain. “It’s remarkable that so many small local news outlets continue to operate in our state. That’s because the people who work there share a deep commitment to continue being part of the fabric of their communities. More than 40 organizations have joined the Vermont Journalism Coalition because we know that collaboration makes us stronger as we face the challenges ahead.”
