By Guy Page
This morning I opened my email and what to my wondering eyes did appear but an appeal from VTDigger to financially support “Vermont’s only online daily news publisher.”
I thought to myself, “Self, that is awfully nice of those good folks at Digger to ask people to pitch a few pennies in the direction of Vermont Daily Chronicle.”
Talk about selfless!
Then I realized…..”noooooo, Self. They’re talking about themselves. In fact, they claim that VTDigger is ‘Vermont’s only online daily news publisher.’”
Au contraire. Seven Days publishes news online every day. So does WCAX, and Vermont Public (can’t call it Vermont Public Radio, anymore, it’s a branding thing). So do others. Including, of course….
Vermont Daily Chronicle, publisher of 10 news stories and commentaries every Monday – Friday.
True, five days a week does not equal seven, the popular prejudice for the full complement of days in a week. But neither does six: “We work hard to deliver 8 to 10 critical and timely news stories six days a week – in addition to longer investigative pieces that have become the hallmark of our reporting.”
On the seventh day, even God rested from His creation, calling it good. We don’t begrudge Digger doing likewise.
So Vermont has at least two online [only!] daily news publishers. Which is not to say they’re the same. For example:
VTDigger is operated by the not-for-profit Vermont Journalism Trust, and is thus forbidden by federal law to attempt to influence electoral outcomes. Vermont Daily Chronicle is a (legally, anyway) for-profit enterprise, and thus can say whatever it wants about politics without fear of an IRS audit.
VTDigger has a big staff of highly skilled reporters, editors, IT professionals, development, and administrative staff. Vermont Daily Chronicle has, well, one staff member: me. But we also have a growing plethora of contributing reporters, opinion writers, and IT experts. And we’re working on adding staff.
VTDigger does indeed cover a wider breadth of news, and some of its investigative work is outstanding, just ask Bill Stenger and Ariel Quiros. On the other hand, Vermont Daily Chronicle publishes news and news perspectives not found anywhere else, including Digger.
What Vermont’s two online daily news publishers share in common is reliance on readers’ support. If your budget can find a little extra despite the skyrocketing cost of home heating fuel and food, please send a sadly non-tax deductible check for a $108/annual subscription to Vermont Daily Chronicle, P.O. Box 1547, Montpelier VT, 05601, or make a donation on Paypal to Vermont’s other online daily news publisher.