Digger, VDC ‘not going to cover Vermont high school basketball game,’ Perchlik says

By Michael Bielawski

The Green Mountain State is experimenting with a new way to fund media, through a little-known initiative attached to the 2026 state budget, initially proposed by Sen. Andrew Perchlik, D-Washington.

As covered by VDC, this effort has brought about questions regarding the ethics of public funds supporting the same outlets tasked to watch over public policy. In an interview on Feb. 19 in the Senate Committee on Appropriations’ room, Perchlik agreed to discuss its constitutional, legal, and philosophical viability.

It’s also been revealed that some of the same media receiving such funds will cover the senator’s district.

Does state-funded media violate the First Amendment?

Perchlik was asked if state-sponsored media might violate the Compelled Speech Doctrine of the First Amendment of the US Constitution. According to the Free Speech Center at Middle Tennessee State University, this doctrine “sets out the principle that the government cannot force an individual or group to support certain expression.”

Perchlik said, “I don’t understand the argument that it would be contrary to [the laws regarding] compelled speech. I would be interested to hear it. I think it’s an interesting argument.”

Critics of the ruling party largely left out

It was noted that one of Vermont’s majority party’s staunchest critics, The Vermont Daily Chronicle, was not selected for funds.

Perchlik said, “My understanding is that these were nominations. I assume that Guy Page (the VDC owner and editor) or somebody nominated The Daily Chronicle, and there was a panel of journalists. I would hope that they were unbiased, but everybody has their bias of what types of journalism that they were thinking that these awards were supportive of. And it could be that in another year, other nominees would get it.”

He added, “I think it’s a fair argument to say, ‘Is it the role of the government to support the media?’ If these news media can’t get the support of Vermonters then maybe that’s a sign that they don’t have enough support.”

[Editor/publisher’s note: VDC did not apply for the funding, on principle of not supporting state-funded media.]

Is state-funded media ethical?

Perchlik was asked if it is generally ethical to have government-funded media.

He said, “I can see the argument where you don’t want the government to give the media money. I think that’s a fair critique in that you could say you don’t want to do that. 

“My feeling was that having media that is showing up to school boards and conservation commission, select board meetings, and covering local events that national [media] wouldn’t do or even a statewide thing, I mean VTDigger or The Daily Chronicle [both of which did not receive money] is not going to go to a Vermont High School basketball game.”

Is state-funded media legal?

On May 1, 2025, the White House issued a press release titled, “Fact Sheet: President Donald J. Trump Ends the Taxpayer Subsidization of Biased Media.”

The release states, “Unlike in 1967, when CPB [Corporation for Public Broadcasting] was established, today the media landscape is filled with abundant, diverse, and innovative news options, making government funding of news media outdated, unnecessary, and corrosive to journalistic independence.”

It continues, “No media outlet has a Constitutional right to taxpayer subsidized operations, and it’s highly inappropriate for taxpayers to be forced to subsidize biased, partisan content.”

Are there conflicts of interest?

Among the media recipients of Vermont’s taxpayer money are news outlets that cover the region in Perchlik’s voter district. As political commentator Rob Roper recently wrote earlier this month that there are several outlets that outright cover Perchlik’s district and/or neighboring region.

He wrote on Feb 18, “I don’t think it’s a coincidence that of the sixteen checks handed out, five went to outlets based in Perchlik’s Washington County Senate District: The Bridge (Montpelier), Waterbury Roundabout (Waterbury), Valley Reporter (Waitsfield), Vermont Community Newspaper Group (Stowe), and, sigh, Radio Vermont Group (Waterbury).”

He concluded that giving state funds to struggling small media – while perhaps alleviating some financial challenges – ultimately come at the expense of the public’s trust.

“Perchlik and Copeland Hanzas have done more harm than good. We may have too little reporting, but they have just severely undermined the credibility of what’s left,” Roper wrote.

Perchlik told VDC he was unaware of the applicants and winners of the grant funding. 

Michael Bielawski is a freelance reporter with over a decade of experience covering statewide and local Vermont politics.