2022 Annual Report
The mission of the Vermont Journalism Trust is to produce rigorous journalism that explains complex issues, promotes public accountability and fosters democratic and civic engagement.
Coverage areas
Topics and sections
- Public Safety
- Environment
- Economy
- Government & Politics
- Health
- Education
- Life & Culture
- Regional Reporting
- Opinion
- Obituaries
Geography
VTDigger has been working to expand our regional reporting staff to cover more rural and diverse communities across the state. In 2022, we deployed regional reporters to the following areas
- Northwestern Vermont
- Northeast Kingdom
- Chittenden County
- Burlington
- Southern Vermont
- Southeastern Vermont
2022 Impact Highlights
Exposing misconduct in county sheriff offices
‘Not enough oversight’: Scandals in Vermont sheriffs’ departments spur legislative action
Key state senators are proposing a constitutional amendment that would establish qualifications for sheriffs, on top of a bill that could get rid of sheriffs’ administrative fee for contract work their departments undertake.
State police probing ‘questionable’ financial records at Franklin County Sheriff’s Office
State police are also investigating sheriff-elect John Grismore, who is slated to take office next month. Officials were mum on details about the investigation Thursday.
Following the fallout of PFAS-contaminated water
‘Everyone loved Sandy’: Before he died, a Bennington resident advocated for medical monitoring
Sandy Sumner’s death has become a call to action for advocates of a pending medical monitoring bill and a symbol of the ongoing impact of the contamination in Bennington.
Teflon Town: Legal action to address PFOA-related impacts will take years
Residents who can’t sell their homes and who fear years of medical expenses hope that a settlement with Saint-Gobain will cover those costs.
Hundreds of Bennington-area residents qualify for PFOA medical monitoring
About 700 additional people have applied to participate in the free program, which was established under a multimillion-dollar settlement in a class-action suit against a French plastics company.
Transphobia and correcting the record
Family of transgender student in Randolph faces ‘wildfire of bigotry’ following media coverage of locker room use
“It’s been an absolute nightmare,” said the mother of a 14-year-old transgender student at Randolph Union High School.
Tracking an increase in violence in health care facilities
‘Constantly weighing the risk’: Emergency room nurses contend with rising violence
Violent incidents aren’t new in emergency rooms, but they have grown more frequent during the pandemic.
Showing what it’s like to live with housing insecurity
‘It’s never ending’: After eviction, St. Albans man struggles to get back on his feet
Dan Moss was evicted for ‘no cause’ from his apartment in May. He’s struggled to find a new place to live ever since — a story that’s become all too common across Vermont amid a historic housing crisis.
You guys rock. You’re one of my favorite and most trusted news sources in this region. Keep up the great work.
Reader
By the numbers
114,400
Social media followers
9,045
Members
438,954
Podcast listens
1,560
Confidential tips
626,339
Average monthly visitors
(44% from Vermont)
2,179,986
Average monthly pageviews
41,024
Email subscribers
91,001
Readers on Election Day
(Three times daily traffic)
I appreciate your comprehensive and intrepid reporting on issues that are important for Vermonters to know about and understand in depth. I also appreciated your recent events around the state that allowed us to hear Digger staff speak about their work in person. I grew up in Franklin County and am especially grateful for Shaun Robinson’s excellent reporting on important issues from that area that previously got little attention. Keep up the great work!
Reader
Community and events
VTDigger’s core mission is to produce rigorous public service journalism for Vermont. But as Vermonters, we understand that being part of a community means going the extra mile to lend a hand when you can. That’s why we partner with local organizations to support our neighbors and respond to community needs. Here’s what that looked like in 2022.
Member Drives
Our yearly membership drives have become opportunities to bring public attention to pressing issues and enable our members to support VTDigger’s journalism and other worthy causes at the same time.
During our spring and annual member drives, VTDigger members sent:
3,000 children’s books to Vermont kids in partnership with the Children’s Literacy Foundation
32,000 meals to Vermonters facing food insecurity in partnership with the Vermont Foodbank
Underwriting for Racial Equity
VTDigger launched our Underwriting for Racial Equity program in 2022. The program offers free underwriting to BIPOC-owned businesses as a means of redistributing resources and advancing equity in Vermont. This initiative is part of VTDigger’s ongoing diversity, equity and inclusion efforts in support of our mission to serve the news needs of all Vermonters.
In its inaugural year, VTDigger’s Underwriting for Racial Equity directed $8,000 in digital underwriting to BIPOC-owned Vermont businesses.
Recipients: VT AthletaFit, Vermont Professionals of Color Network, Harmony’s Kitchen and Little Patakha
Community Listening
We completed a community listening project aimed at better understanding the news needs of residents in Franklin, Chittenden and Grand Isle residents. The Northwest Vermont listening project, which incorporated the voices of over 500 people, has inspired new approaches and initiatives within our newsroom.
Financials
VTDigger 2022 Revenue
Grants | $495,813
Underwriting | $517,645
Individual contributions | $1,700,511
News Revenue | $14,350
Other | $69,175
Total: $2,797,494
VTDigger 2022 Expenses
Program | $2,018,724
General & administrative | $726,450
Fundraising | $658,770
Technology | $404,635
Total | $3,808,579
Workforce demographics
Gender
News and Editorial Staff
News and Editorial Management
News and Editorial Leadership
Race and ethnicity
News and Editorial Staff
News and Editorial Management
News and Editorial Leadership
Every day, VT Digger provides timely, relevant news in a clear, accessible format to all Vermonters.
Reader
Thank you!
2022 donor list | 2022 underwriters
Foundations that funded VTDigger in 2022:
American Journalism Project
American Press Institute
Arnold Ventures
High Meadows Fund
Inasmuch Foundation
Institute for Nonprofit News
Johnson Family Foundation
Lintilhac Foundation
News Revenue Hub Sustainable Publishing Solutions
Report for America
The Miami Foundation
Achieving our mission depends upon the generosity of donors, and we’re incredibly grateful for the thousands of individuals, foundations and businesses who support our work.
We maintain a firewall between news coverage decisions and all sources of revenue. Acceptance of financial support does not constitute implied or actual endorsement of donors or their products, services or opinions.
We accept gifts, grants and sponsorships from individuals and organizations for the general support of our activities, but our news judgments are made independently and not on the basis of donor support.
We are committed to transparency in every aspect of funding our organization. Each year, we publish a full list of donors and supporters, with all who gave a total of $5,000 or more in a given year separately listed. We accept anonymous donations for general support only.
