MONTPELIER – Leaders from the newly formed Vermont Journalism Coalition (VJC) and the Vermont Community Foundation (VCF), as well as Senator Andrew Perchlik and Vermont Secretary of State Sarah Copeland Hanzas held a press conference February 4, sharing a new report on the state of Vermont’s news media landscape and celebrating the local and regional media outlets that received this year’s inaugural Local Civic Journalism Awards.
photo by Gordon Miller/Waterbury Roundabout.
VJC’s new coordinator 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.
“In Vermont, local news helps people stay connected to their communities and to one another” said VCF’s Dan Smith. “We’re excited to share the findings of our Press Forward Vermont: News & Information Ecosystem Report (vermontcf.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/Vermont-News-Information-Ecosystem_Feb-2.pdf), which highlights the strengths of our news ecosystem and the challenges it faces. Sharing these findings alongside public and private partners reflects a shared commitment to sustaining local journalism as a vital part of civic life across the state.”
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.”
Senator Perchlik and Secretary of State Copeland Hanzas gave remarks about the recent Local Civic Journalism Awards (vermontcf.org/news/local-civic-journalism-awards/), a program designed to steer public support and interest toward fact-based media outlets that focus primarily on local news. Senator Perchlik secured $50,000 in funding for the inaugural Local Civic Journalism Awards program in the state’s Fiscal Year 2026 budget, which was matched with an additional $50,000 by VCF’s Press Forward initiative. Secretary Copeland Hanzas’ office administered the awards.
Sixteen Vermont news organizations were honored in the inaugural round of awards. They
Represent a broad cross-section of local and regional news organizations, including newspapers that have served their communities for well over a century and digital-only enterprises that have sprung up in recent years to fill a void. They include nonprofit and for-profit entities and are mostly locally controlled. Many of the recipients are based in regions of the state that are otherwise underserved, including the Northeast Kingdom, southern Vermont and the Upper Valley.
The panelists opted to award $10,000 to four news organizations that have particularly distinguished themselves in recent years by reimagining the way they foster civic engagement in their respective communities and sustain themselves for the future. They include: The Bridge, Montpelier; Vermont Independent Media (The Commons, Deerfield Valley News), Brattleboro; Waterbury Roundabout, Waterbury and White River Valley Herald, Randolph
The panel also chose to award $5,000 to a dozen news organizations that provide essential coverage to their communities. They include: Addison County Independent, Middlebury; Barton Chronicle, Barton; Caledonian-Record, St. Johnsbury; Chester Telegraph, Chester; Hardwick Gazette, Hardwick; Hinesburg Record, Hinesburg; Journal-Opinion, Bradford; North Star Monthly, Danville; Valley News, West Lebanon, N.H.; Valley Reporter, Waitsfield; Vermont Community Newspaper Group (Stowe Reporter, News & Citizen, The Other Paper, The Citizen, Shelburne News), Stowe and Radio Vermont Group (WDEV), Waterbury
In making its selections, the panel evaluated how nominees serve their audiences, contribute to civic engagement, produce reliable and ethical journalism and plan for long-term sustainability. The panel chose not to recognize statewide outlets this year, focusing instead on local and regional newsrooms.
“These awards recognize the incredible dedication and innovation found in our local newsrooms,” said Holly Morehouse, the Vermont Community Foundation’s Vice President for Community Impact.
“Local news is a public good that keeps our communities connected. Vibrant communities and robust local news go hand in hand.”
More than 30 different news outlets were nominated.
“We are seeing across our nation and world the collapse of decency, democracy and dedication to facts that follows the loss of local, professional and independent journalism,” said Senator Perchlik. “We can’t let that happen here. Vermont needs to cherish and support our strong civic connections, and building a thriving, local fact-based network of news outlets is the best way to do so.
“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.”
Paul Heintz, a senior adviser to the Center for Community News, convened the selection panel.
“The quality and quantity of nominations we received reinforced to me how much excellent community journalism is taking place throughout Vermont,” Heintz said. “But many of these nominees are struggling to stay afloat in an ever-changing news environment. I hope these awards inspire other Vermonters to subscribe to, advertise in and donate to the essential news outlets that keep us all informed.”
To ensure the selection process remained free from political interference, the statute authorizing the Local Civic Journalism Awards called for an independent panel to make all funding decisions. That panel included current and former journalists, as well as academics, none of whom could be employed by award nominees.
The event was livestreamed by ORCA Media and can be viewed at youtube.com/watch?v=wnF6N6Z1jf.
Paul Fixx is editor of The Hardwick Gazette and vice-chair of its publisher, Northeast Kingdom Public Journalism.
Paul Fixx is editor of The Hardwick Gazette and lives in Hardwick.
