Digging into VTdigger.org

When I visited Vtdigger.org I wasn’t sure what type of site to expect, although I was pleasantly surprised by what I found. I like the earthy, retro looking header used on the site, and the sub-title “Led by journalists, powered by the public.” That business moto essentially defines what VTdigger is all about.

The business model tab clearly lays out how the people behind Vtdigger want to run their new outlet, and their reasons for doing so. The site wants to promote high-quality journalism for the public, journalism that is not in any way influenced by outside companies. Unlike the NSNsports.net site I looked at last week, I only noticed one add on VtDigger, an ad for Cabot cheese. What’s nice about Cabot cheese advertising on their site as opposed to, let’s say, McDonalds, is that Cabot Cheese is actually based out of Vermont, so there is a local connection.

Since VtDigger is a not-for profit company, Ms.Galloway must rely on donations and grants to fund her website. She does not have excessive oversight costs, since a news website is a low cost venture when compared with a full-fledged newspaper. Her two major grants have come from the Haymarket’s people’s fund and the Vermont Community Foundation. Readers have contributed a substantially large amount of money as well. I think this business model is sustainable, but it will take time to build up a loyal following of people. The only way this site will succeed is if the quality of reporting is strong and unlike anything else available. If they can do that, I think people will want to donate to keep them in business.

I am an environmental advocate, so right off the bat I was drawn to the link to articles about Energy and the environment on the right hand menu bar. Unfortunately, every article I noticed here was relating to or directly about the Vermont Yankee nuclear power plant. Of course Vermont Yankee is going to be a major focus, but there must be other environmental issues they could report on.
The quality of multimedia reporting is there, with videos embedded in the text. They avoid long articles and stick with the key facts, as online journalism should. There is a political leaning, as I think most of these articles are written from a liberal pov. Vermont is a liberal state, so this is not a bad approach to take.

I would be interested in submitting a multimedia segment for the site!