Vermont Local News & Information Ecosystem

As the most rural state in the country, Vermont’s small towns, limited connectivity, and deep civic culture profoundly shape how residents access and rely on local news. In partnership with Vermont Community Foundation as part of the Press Forward Vermont initiative, Impact Architects conducted an assessment of the state’s local journalism ecosystem, applying our Local News and Information Ecosystem Framework originally developed in 2020. The research assesses the state’s 61 largely independent and community-rooted news and information providers, and includes a community survey, stakeholder interviews, focus groups, and listening sessions involving residents, journalists, and community-based organizations, including youth, immigrant, BIPOC, and LGBTQ+ communities.

The research, conducted in the fall of 2025, reveals both the strengths and fragility of Vermont’s news ecosystem: while many residents report access to trusted local news, significant gaps remain in equitable coverage, workforce sustainability, and digital access. The findings point to urgent opportunities to stabilize independent outlets, strengthen collaboration, and reimagine local news as a public good that evolves alongside Vermont’s changing communities.

Key findings and opportunity areas include:

• A dense but fragile ecosystem of primarily local, independent outlets facing mounting revenue and workforce pressures

• Uneven local coverage, with some municipalities lacking consistent reporting and others relying on aging or volunteer labor

• Opportunities to expand editorial and revenue collaboration, deepen partnerships with community-based organizations, and build succession pathways for small newsrooms

• Potential for Press Forward Vermont to coordinate and grow long-term philanthropic and public support for local journalism