Bringing flood reporting from VTDigger and FRONTLINE (PBS) to more Vermonters

After 17 years as an all-digital newsroom, VTDigger is trying something new: our first printed project.

“In an era where screens are everywhere, I think even our most die-hard readers appreciate an analog experience where they can take their time and form a stronger connection with what they’re holding in their hands,” said VTDigger CEO Brendan Kinney.

VTDigger has partnered with FRONTLINE (PBS) to report on Vermont’s capacity to recover from flooding. The Coming Storm, a three-part series, exposes gaps in the systems meant to support communities in the months and years after the water recedes.

Why we printed it

We wanted The Coming Storm to reach as many people as possible, including Vermonters who don’t regularly read VTDigger online. In this case, making our journalism accessible meant considering readers’ access to internet and cell service, reading preferences and how people encounter news in their daily lives. That led us to think beyond our digital reach and explore new ways for people to discover our reporting.

The answer was a special 12-page VTDigger print edition, distributed in partnership with Seven Days inside its Oct. 28 paper. The insert brings the first story in the series, reported by Emma Cotton with photography by Glenn Russell, to print. The second and third stories will be available online.

Who is helping us distribute this work

Seven Days’ distribution network carries the print edition to communities across the state. We’re extending that reach with help from partners so that more people will encounter the reporting in places like grocery stores, libraries and coffee shops.

Community ambassadors who worked with us on Dirt Road News, a community listening project, are returning to help distribute copies, along with local businesses and community organizations. Together, they’ll help spread the reporting even farther.

We’re grateful to Seven Days (here’s publisher Paula Routly on why they said yes), our community ambassadors and the local businesses and partners helping put this reporting in more hands.

Listening through print

Pick up a copy of the print edition and you’ll find an invitation to tell us how flooding has affected you, in writing or by recording a short audio message. We’re grateful for whatever people feel comfortable sharing, and it will help inform future reporting.

“Our series is called ‘The Coming Storm,’ in part, because scientists expect the flooding problem to worsen in Vermont,” said Emma Cotton, who reported the series for VTDigger. “We’re committed to covering this topic beyond the series, and it’s important to us that Vermonters help guide that reporting.”

Don’t have a copy? Seven Days is available free at locations across Vermont. You can also share your experience or a tip with our newsroom at [email protected] or through our tip drop.

Help us build something useful

There is one thing every Vermonter can help with. We’re building a flood resource guide, but we want to build it from what you tell us would help you most.

What information would have helped you before, during or after a flood? What was hard to find? What is your community doing to prepare or respond that others should know about?

You can respond whether or not you pick up the print edition.

Why we’re calling this an experiment

VTDigger is a digital newsroom, and printing our journalism is new territory for us. We’re treating it as a test, and we’ll be honest about what we learn.

Here’s what we’re watching:

• How many people find the series through the print edition, and where they’re located in the state
• How many readers respond to our questions, and what they share with us
• Whether print reaches people who don’t already read VTDigger

What we learn will shape how we approach future projects, including whether and how we print again. We look forward to sharing what we heard and what we’re doing with it in 2027.

Pick up this week’s Seven Days to find the print edition and read The Coming Storm online. Thank you to everyone helping bring this reporting to more Vermonters, and to everyone willing to tell us what would make our work more useful.

You can always share your feedback about our reporting by emailing [email protected].

We’re grateful to the American Journalism Project and Google News Initiative for supporting the printing, distribution and community listening efforts connected to this project.

Read the story on VTDigger here: Bringing flood reporting from VTDigger and FRONTLINE (PBS) to more Vermonters.