Free service gives journalists instant, searchable access to committee hearings—with video verification and shareable SmartClips
by Tom Evslin
GoldenDomeVT.com, a free public service widely used by Vermont journalists and policy watchers during the 2025 legislative session, has been enhanced for 2026 with new AI-assisted analysis tools, improved search, and better ability to include SmartClips in articles and newsletters.
GoldenDomeVT publishes SmartTranscripts—AI-generated, searchable text synchronized to official YouTube videos of Vermont House and Senate committee meetings. Unlike video alone, SmartTranscripts help reporters quickly locate key testimony, confirm quotes, and review context without scrubbing through hours of footage.
Any selection in a SmartTranscript can be highlighted to instantly play the corresponding video clip, making it easy to confirm wording, tone, and audience reaction. This helps journalists answer practical questions such as: Did the witness really say that? Was it serious or a joke? How did committee members respond?
“Trust but verify in the age of AI,” said Tom Evslin, a former Vermonter who developed the SmartTranscript technology. “Transcripts—whether produced by people or machines—are never perfect. But they are essential for covering the roughly 50 committee meetings that occur each legislative day in Vermont. By linking every line back to the original video, reporters can verify quickly and focus on analysis and reporting.”
Designed for Committee-Level Reporting
Legislative committees are where most consequential decisions are made, yet they rarely receive live press coverage. SmartTranscripts are typically available shortly after meetings conclude, giving reporters and editors time to surface issues while public input can still influence outcomes.
SmartClips for Stories, Newsletters, and Social Media
SmartClips are shareable links that connect quoted text directly to video. They can be embedded to add transparency and credibility:
- Embed a short, verifiable clip in a news story to support a quote or claim.
- Drop a SmartClip into a newsletter or Substack so readers can hear the exchange.
- Use SmartClips in emails to sources or stakeholders to confirm exactly what was said.
- Share a clip on social media with a direct pointer to the underlying transcript text and video.
AI-Assisted Analysis Added for 2026
In response to newsroom requests in 2025, GoldenDomeVT now supports optional AI analysis of transcripts, enabling faster deeper dives into meetings:
- Summarize testimony by topic, speaker, or agenda item.
- Identify key arguments, data points, and points of contention.
- Generate questions and follow-ups for interviews and fact-checking.
The 2026 service supports integration with ChatGPT, Gemini, and Grok. (ChatGPT and Gemini require user registration; Grok does not.)
SmartTranscripts in Other Jurisdictions
- San Francisco: SmartTranscripts on sfgovernmentconnection.com cover Board of Supervisors and Planning Commission meetings and were used in public coverage of zoning-reform debates.
- New York: An experimental site, nys.smarttranscriptsai.com, covers New York State Senate proceedings.
- Additional jurisdictions: SmartTranscript coverage of nearly a dozen other jurisdictions is under consideration.
Fine Print
- Free and open: GoldenDomeVT and other SmartTranscript sites are free and require no registration.
- Privacy: The sites do not collect personal information.
- Official sources: All clips link to the original government-posted videos.
- Open source: The SmartTranscript code is open-source shareware at github.com/tevslin/smarttranscripts.
Tom Evslin is a retired technology entrepreneur and former Vermont Secretary of Transportation, Stimulus Czar, and CTO. His career includes senior roles at Microsoft and AT&T, as well as founding the VoIP company ITXC and the Vermont natural gas company NGA. He lived in Vermont for more than two decades before recently relocating to Ohio and was on the Board of Vermont Journalism Trust and Planning Chair of the Vermont Public Board.