By Guy Page
VT Digger said yesterday it made a mistake by giving a pro-Proposal 5 lobby group $1000 in free advertising just days before the Vermont House of Representatives voted Feb. 8.
Proposal 5 would amend the Vermont Constitution to provide “reproductive liberty,” including unrestricted access to abortion regardless of age. The proposed amendment will go to Vermont voters at the general election in November.
VT Digger Anne Galloway (above, at left) promised to refrain from free underwriting – a/k/a advertising – for political organizations, candidates or advocacy groups. Also, Vermont for Reproductive Liberty has agreed to compensate VT Digger, she said.
The admission of error by Vermont’s pre-eminent online news outlet was made three days after March 20, when Vermonters for Good Government sent a letter to supporters informing them of the inappropriate donation.
As recorded on the screenshot from the Vermont Secretary of State’s webpage for lobbying records (above, right), VT Digger on Feb. 7 provided $1000 in “no-cost promotion, digital advertising.” On Feb. 8, the House voted 107-41 in support of Prop 5.
“We always knew pushing back against Proposal 5/Article 22 would come with challenges, but this one, frankly, took us by surprise,” Vermonters for Good Government Action Executive Director Matthew Strong wrote in the March 20 letter. “This $1,000 of free advertising from a supposedly neutral ‘news’ source is listed in the report as having been received on February 7, 2022 – the day before the House of Representatives voted on the proposal.”
“Biased reporting is bad enough,” Strong continued. “But a news outlet actively paying for one side’s propaganda on an issue they are covering, and timing their contribution specifically to influence a legislative vote, is beyond the pale. At least this incident makes it clear that this is what we’re dealing with.”
Publisher Anne Galloway yesterday told Vermont Daily Chronicle via email that the free advertising – referred to as “underwriting” by the not-for-profit VT Digger – was offered in the hopes of securing future business.
“As we often do with potential clients, we offered Vermont for Reproductive Liberty a promotion in an effort to secure future underwriting business,” Galloway said. “This was a mistake. VTDigger’s policy prohibits donations to political organizations or advocacy groups. In the future, we will ensure that no free promotions are offered to political organizations, advocacy groups or candidates of any kind.”
“We have asked Vermont for Reproductive Liberty to compensate us for the underwriting and they have agreed to do so. Needless to say, VTDigger’s news department had no knowledge of or involvement in this matter.”
The donation speaks for itself, Strong said.
“We see now that the Vermont media will not help us by fairly reporting the facts,” Strong said in the March 20 letter. “They are not interested in the truth about how Proposal 5 allows unregulated abortion until birth, opens the door to various avenues of eugenics, blocks parents from having a say in regard to their children’s physical and psychological sexual health, and more.”
Categories: Media
Interesting, as I called the Channel 3 Local News Channel after hearing their very brief commentary about this bill. They offered no transparency about the bill and claimed that the bill was to protect a woman’s right to choose. I said that this is not accurate and that the bill ratically strays from abortion laws, as people understand it. I then referenced that the bill would approve the abortion/killing of a baby right up until birth. Don’t you think that people should know this, as it constutes the murder of a fully developed child. The reporter kept repeating to me that they were using the approved language established back in the 70s and that this is the approved language they have used since then. I stated that the language is misleading, they then repeated the same statement over and over again.
Sadly wcax is just a misrepresentation of Real news and another disinformation outlet. Reporter erin brown, who recently left wcax, made and outright lie in a report about Emmitt Till’s death by saying a mob of angry white men killed him….2 is not a mob. When I called and asked for wcax to retract the statement and tell the truth…never happened.
One look at Mrs. Galloway….that’s all you need to know.
Sir – Would you please explain more deeply your comment above about “one look at Mrs. Galloway.” I don’t want to jump to any conclusions and hope you will provide more detail.
She’s a CRIMINAL. Does that help?
My ‘friend’ Kevin Ellis.
Anne Galloway is a ‘woman’.
How’s that for “more detail”?
Trust Fund Baby?
Tom….according to the new Supreme Court nominee, the definition of a woman cannot be determined. So we can’t call Anne that….we may be misgendering her. I love this world.
So scary – an all right attack on women, as they are no longer an identifiable gender.
Kevin Ellis……I agree with you that the comment about Anne is at best un-understandable and at worse it shouldn’t have been written.
On the other hand, you’re on the Board of Trustees of the VtDigger and you should be speaking out on the primary issue at hand……The VTDigger’s handing out of free advertising to Vermont for Reproductive Liberty……A advocacy group promoting abortion among other causes at a time when Prop 5 is about to be voted on in the legislature……..That’s wrong and harmful to the credibility of the VTD.
And in regard to writing comments or commentaries attacking other people, you’ll remember the commentary you wrote attacking NFL football coach Jon Gruden last October……You called Gruden a racist, sexist amount other things. I wrote to you on the Gruden piece pointing out the under VTD posting standards, if I attempted to post a piece such as yours it would never have been allowed and I would have been sent to the penalty box for breaking VTD rules.You responded by attempting to justify you attack on Gruden by saying “Speech and expression is uncomfortable” and then asked me to contribute to the VTD.
To refresh your memory here’s your attack on Jon Gruden posted on the VTD:
https://vtdigger.org/2021/10/25/kevin-ellis-emails-reveal-who-nfl-coach-jon-gruden-really-is/
Kevin your notice of the Alex A comment is a classic case of “the pot calling the kettle black” as demonstrated by your own behavior and attack on Jon Gruden.
At point to remember……..The internet maintains records of what is said and hypocrisy does not go unnoticed.
Thank you Guy Page for bringing this important issue to our attention!
At this point, it is no secret Vermont media (except Vermont Daily) is playing for one team and one team only. Legalized propaganda thanks to Obama and his merry band of nihilists. They lie and cover up it all up at the bequest of the installed regimes. Canada pays their media $600 million…why would they ever bite the hand that feeds?
Wait, so vtdigger is hoping for future advertising business by giving FREE advertising to political partisan hacks? Hardly an apology….more like, “nothing to see here, move along…”
was just about to comment on the same thing! Um wait you are offering free advertising for future business??? what? Kind of like Consumer Reports offering free space for Maytag to advertise. Free and unbiased my bottom.
Admitting a mistake, after you have provided one sided coverage of a proposed Vermont State Constitutional amendment, is really much too little, much too late. It is way past time for a public, honest debate on this issue. Organizations like “Vermont Family Alliance” and “Vermonters for Good Government” would welcome this debate. I think it’s time for our House Representatives and Senators who voted in favor of Proposal 5 to be willing to defend their position in such a public debate. Vermonters were largely excluded from this discussion while it was pushed forward with masked/limited access to the State House and interaction primarily limited to Zoom squares. Vermonters deserve to know the truth about Proposal 5 BEFORE November 8th General Election.
Well Diggers bias with protect our wildlife and other radical left agenda items is one of the reasons I stopped reading them and instead picked up seven days and this news outlet. Digger is the progressive/ progressive dems parties paper. While they do allow ppl to write in and hold it’s ground it’s lopsided as hell.
In my opinion Seven Days is just as much of a rag.
There. Fixed it:
“VT Digger said yesterday it made a mistake by [getting caught in] giving a pro-Proposal 5 lobby group $1000 in free advertising just days before the Vermont House of Representatives voted Feb. 8.”
Exactly. How many other times have they done this?
I stopped reading WCAX, Seven days, and VTdigger just after they shut off comments. If a newspaper can’t handle commentary about their article then they aren’t a newspaper, they’re only propaganda or opinion pieces.
It’s not like I was really believing what they wrote beforehand, but I was reading their propaganda.
Thank you Mr Page for Vermont Daily, a much more honest and centered news source.
A mistake, I say not. This was intentional but let’s just pretend it wasn’t. They have a responsibility to their readers and donors to at least appear to be bipartisan. Anne should be dismissed, a fine should be levied and sponsors should drop back until the paper redeems itself. Too many of us on all sides to our great debates are tired of being manipulated by the media.
Biased a waste of time
The whole paper is an ongoing continual donation in kind for the Progs and Dems.
I am expecting a refund of all my donations to Vermont Digger. These donations were made in the mistaken belief that Digger was an unbiased news outlet as per their claim They knowing lied, I deserve all $5 back
VT Digger intentionally donated and will never be compensated for a “so called” error. Face it. They are nothing more than another fake news organization that supports the murder of little baby girls!
VT Digger should have lost its 501 (c)3 non-profit status years ago for breaching its covenant to remain non-partisan.
I stopped submitting material to them for their biases in what they would publish, and their refusal to pay for some of their most read material over 7 years, on topics no one else was covering but me…written for another paper…and cribbed.
Anne was unapologetic and basically said, tough nuts, and never stopped cribbing my work until I stopped writing long form journalism (for a real paper newspaper).
Her ethics are in the trash, as evidenced by the last two years of rampant propaganda supplied by the State, she never questioned, and never ever paid a journalist to look into.
She has contributed to deaths in this State with that stance.
She COULD have printed the Truth, and she COULD have become a REAL Vermont newspaper.
But she opted for the corrupt journalism approach.
NOT someone I trust to have a handle on the Truth.
Disgusts me she gets funding from the State and Feds to print this stuff, and that that is more profitable for her than doing real journalism, and informing Vermonters so they can choose wisely as informed citizens.
Nope.
That’s NOT her agenda.
Vermont scratch as is chicken scratch, NOT a digger for Truth at ALL.
A digger of support for lies and murder.
Well I think you hit the nail right on the head there the (largest) problem is is that the state’s funding it, and funding at a higher rate than they can make in the open market.
The moment it gets to that point it is absolutely no different than communist propaganda and the exact opposite of free speech.
Goes to fit the bill though everything the state does turns to sh-t.
She sold her soul for Facebook grants and now has to toe their censorial and political lines.
That’s all you need to know.
Yep. The tail – Foundation Money – wags the dog. That dog being Anne Galloway & Vermont Digger.
Has Vt Chigger debunked all the stories about Hunter’s laptop? 🤣
If you wonder why Vermont is such a sh–hole now compared to the time prior to the great progressive infestation, just look to publications like vtgravedigger and it’s leader Ms. Galloway. The Vermont media has signed on the the idea that Vermonters want the truth withheld from them, censored and manipulated for the progressive/totalitarian movement. Vermont is now the east coast petri dish for progressive policies and laws to eliminate the constitutional freedoms of all Vermonters. In this case they preach the freedom to terminate little children as a right. Those who push, censor and print disinformation and the death of preborn children will rot in hell when their time comes. Karma will be waited for them and the limited power and the arrogance they have now will not stop their due reward for who and what they have done. If you support their mission you should be ashamed of yourself but the alt-left has no shame. Ann got caught and now she squirms her way out, maybe! Digger readers, take note and drop them from your life.
I do not read nor follow this online outlet. I’m not surprised by this far left leaning outlet. They got caught, they should be held accountable. They are lying now, trying to cover up their immoral actions. Strict violations of the First Amendment and the People’s trust. Totally disgusting Anne, disgusting! GMT