Draft:The Commons (newspaper)
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| Type | Free Alternative Weekly |
|---|---|
| Founder(s) | Barry Aleshnick |
| Publisher | Vermont Independent Media, Inc. |
| Editor-in-chief | Jeff Potter |
| News editor | Randolph T. Holhut |
| Founded | 2006 |
| Headquarters | Brattleboro, Vermont |
| Website | https://www.commonsnews.org/ |
| Free online archives | https://www.commonsnews.org/issues |
The Commons is an alternative weekly, free newspaper that is distributed every Wednesday in southern Vermont. It is distributed at 250 drop sites throughout Windham County, Vermont, as well as in neighboring towns in Windsor County, Vermont, Cheshire County, New Hampshire, and Franklin County, Massachusetts. [1]
The Commons is published by Vermont Independent Media, Inc., a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization. In addition to publishing The Commons, Vermont Independent Media also has an educational arm called the Media Mentoring Project, which seeks to support a regional culture of media literacy and civic engagement. [2]
History
[edit]In 2004, a group of community members came together to form The Commons in response to "what they were seeing with the loss of local papers and local ownership of papers and local accountability of papers." At the time of its founding, The Commons was one of the first newspapers in the United States to be recognized by the IRS as a 501c3 non-profit.[3]
The first issue of The Commons was published in January 2006. It was published monthly until June 2010 when it began a weekly schedule. [4]
Coverage & Circulation
[edit]The Commons covers many aspects of life in southern Vermont, with an emphasis on diversity, equity, and inclusion. Articles often concern topics such as state and local politics, education, arts and culture, and human interest stories. Their “Voices” section is a meeting place for discussion and debate with regular contributions from community members across demographics.
The paper has a circulation of 8,300 and reaches over 20,000 readers throughout southeastern Vermont. [4]
Awards & Recognition
[edit]As of 2015, The Commons had won 33 state and regional journalism awards. [5]
The Commons won two awards in the New England Newspaper & Press Association's (NENPA) 2009 Better Newspaper Contest and one in the 2010 contest, all top honors in general excellence, general news story, and human interest feature story, respectively.
In 2011, The Commons won three prizes for reporting and editorial writing in the annual New England Newspaper & Press Association's annual Better Newspaper Contest. In the biweekly/monthly division, Reporter Olga Peters took top honors in the general news story category for her chronicle of the November 2009 fire that leveled the Putney General Store. Editor Jeff Potter placed third in the same category for his coverage of the Vermont Yankee tritium leak, a story that appeared in the February 2010 issue. Potter also won first place for editorial writing, the only prize awarded in the division's category this year.[6]
References
[edit]- ^ "Welcome to THE COMMONS -- News and Views for Windham County, Vermont". Welcome to THE COMMONS -- News and Views for Windham County, Vermont. Retrieved 2025-01-02.
- ^ "Home". media-mentoring-project.mailchimpsites.com. Retrieved 2025-01-02.
- ^ "Brattleboro Words Trail". brattleboro.stqry.app. Retrieved 2025-01-02.
- ^ a b Hurley, Catherine (2024-10-08). "Founders of The Commons, Windham County's nonprofit newspaper, celebrate 20 years". VTDigger. Retrieved 2025-01-02.
- ^ Galloway, Anne (2015-08-23). "VTDigger and The Commons Hire Mike Faher". VTDigger. Retrieved 2025-01-02.
- ^ "Commons earns three journalism awards | Issue 88". Commons earns three journalism awards | Issue 88. Retrieved 2025-01-02.