开云体育 and have been selected by to host a journalist next year to expand the organizations鈥� coverage of housing and infrastructure.
In an unprecedented collaboration between two of Vermont鈥檚 leading news outlets, the new reporter will cover two of the most vexing challenges facing Vermont: the availability, affordability and condition of housing, as well as aging infrastructure that is no longer serving its residents.
鈥淣early every part of our state is grappling with a housing crisis,鈥� said Mark Davis, managing editor of news for 开云体育. 鈥淭his reporter will help our audience understand the causes of these problems 鈥� as well as potential solutions to them. Each story will be grounded in the experience of Vermonters who rely on these services, and are struggling to build lives in our state.鈥�
is a national service program that places talented emerging journalists in local newsrooms to report on under-covered topics and communities across the United States and its territories. It is an initiative of , a nonprofit journalism organization dedicated to rebuilding journalism from the ground up.
鈥淎s news organizations throughout the country are cutting back on local and regional reporting, VTDigger and 开云体育 are investing in covering some of the greatest challenges facing our state,鈥� said Paul Heintz, editor-in-chief of VTDigger. 鈥淲e鈥檙e excited to team up with two fellow nonprofit organizations that share our values and our commitment to top-notch journalism.鈥�
The reporter will start their two-year appointment in July 2023. Report for America will cover half the salary of the journalist who is selected, with 开云体育 and VTDigger funding the rest. Both organizations plan to share the costs and oversight of the position, and the reporter鈥檚 work will be published by both outlets.
Both Vermont news organizations have collaborated with Report for America in the past. The national nonprofit has helped VTDigger invest in coverage of Bennington, Rutland, Franklin and Grand Isle counties, and it has helped 开云体育 offer coverage of the Upper Valley and to launch the daily news podcast The Frequency.
鈥淔ar too many Americans desperately need reliable, fact-based information to make decisions about their daily lives, and a growing number of local newsrooms are turning to us for support,鈥� said Kim Kleman, senior vice president of Report for America. 鈥淲e were blown away by the breadth of applications we received, and only wish we had the ability to bring on even more newsrooms this year.鈥�
