Leaders of 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, will hold a joint press conference at 10 a.m. Wednesday, February 4 in the Cedar Creek Room of the State House in Montpelier.
VCF President and CEO Dan Smith and a representative from VJC will outline 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.
Senator Perchlik and Secretary Copeland Hanzas will give remarks about the taxpayer-funded Local Civic Journalism Awards, a program designed to steer public support and interest toward fact-based media outlets that focus primarily on local news.
Recipients of this inaugural round of awards, representing a broad cross-section of local and regional news organizations from across the state, will be recognized.