As many of you already know, there have been many changes at The Reporter this year. Mat Clouser became editor in the spring and set about returning the paper’s focus to the communities it serves. There were many more articles about local people, news, and events than had been the case for the previous few years. Mat did a terrific job, and we heard much appreciation and praise from our readers.
However, running a weekly paper is a demanding, relentless task, and Mat has decided to step down. We owe him a huge debt for reinvigorating The Reporter and hope we’ll work together again.
Angelo Lynn, the publisher, has graciously agreed to step back in and edit The Reporter while we sort out the next phase: the transition of the paper to nonprofit status and operation as a community resource. Angelo will transfer his ownership of The Reporter to this new, nonprofit entity but continue to provide necessary infrastructural support (e.g., ad sales, printing, distribution).
As required by Vermont laws governing nonprofits, we have assembled an initial Board of Directors, consisting of myself, George Fjeld, and Barbara Ebling, and drawn up a set of by-laws. We will be submitting these to the Vermont Secretary of State to establish our nonprofit status at the state level. The establishment of 501(c)(3) nonprofit status with the IRS is a separate process that we will also undertake as soon as possible.
We intend to add members to the Board to represent the varied communities we serve. We intend to feature more writing and photography by community members. We intend to develop cultural, civic, and educational programs. In sum, we intend to operate as a true community resource, run by community members, for the communities in which they live.
There are risks, however. Right now, The Reporter is operated as a subsidiary of The Addison Independent, with all the benefits of that larger paper’s infrastructure. Even though The Independent will continue to provide practical support, The Reporter will have to pay those costs. In order for The Reporter to survive, it will have to generate enough revenue to pay for its own operation. There are several ways you can help:
- Subscribe, if you don’t already. We will be raising the price from $0.75 to $1 per issue, for both subscribers and newsstand purchasers. We believe that we will be providing at least a dollar’s worth of content for you every week.
- Advertise, if you don’t already. If you run a local business but don’t currently advertise in The Reporter, please consider taking out a recurring ad. We have a range of options, and it’s really this revenue that keeps the paper going.
- Donate, if you can. Once we’ve established our nonprofit status at both the state and federal level, please consider a donation of whatever amount is comfortable for you.
If the community doesn’t step up and help continue the operation of The Reporter, the paper will simply cease to exist. It’s going to be a lot of work, but the alternative isn’t attractive. The paper provides a sense of shared experience necessary to the cohesion of the community. Without it, we will easily drift apart. If we lose the paper, we lose each other.
We understand that this may all come as a surprise and spark some controversy. This is why we’re arranging a town-hall style meeting for the community on Thursday, December 1, from 6-8 p.m. in the auditorium at Otter Valley Union High School. If you have questions, concerns, suggestions, please come and speak with us. This is going to be a community effort (Brandon, Pittsford, Proctor and other nearby communities) and we want to hear from you.
We hope you’re as excited by the prospect of a community-run paper as we are. We will need your support.
Steven Jupiter, Brandon
