''The Burlington Free Press'' (sometimes referred to as "BFP" or "the Free Press") is a digital and print community news organization based in

Burlington, Vermont Burlington is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Vermont and the seat of Chittenden County. It is located south of the Canada–United States border and south of Montreal. As of the 2020 U.S. census, the population was 44,743. It ...

, and owned by

Gannett Gannett Co., Inc. () is an American mass media holding company headquartered in McLean, Virginia, in the Washington, D.C., metropolitan area.USA Today Network and offers local news coverage both in print and online. Free Press Media, a division of the ''Burlington Free Press'', is a comprehensive media company that creates, implements and manages online and print marketing campaigns for local and national businesses. ''Free Press Media'' is the B2B marketing branch of the ''Burlington Free Press'' and is able to utilize the reach and coverage of the news organization to target audiences on behalf of local companies.

Current format

The Burlington Free Press print product is a “tall tab” newspaper that contains specialized sections that cover business, arts & entertainment, sports, food and local history. As a part of the USA Today Network, the Free Press also includes a daily inserted section from

USA TODAY ''USA Today'' (stylized in all uppercase) is an American daily middle-market newspaper and news broadcasting company. Founded by Al Neuharth on September 15, 1982, the newspaper operates from Gannett's corporate headquarters in Tysons, Virgini ...

that covers national politics, entertainment and sports.

Coverage area

The Burlington Free Press mainly reports on stories that occur in Chittenden County with a focus on the towns of Burlington,

Essex Essex () is a Ceremonial counties of England, county in the East of England. One of the home counties, it borders Suffolk and Cambridgeshire to the north, the North Sea to the east, Hertfordshire to the west, Kent across the estuary of the Riv ...

South Burlington South Burlington is a city in Chittenden County, Vermont, United States. Along with neighboring Burlington, it is a principal city of the Burlington metropolitan area. As of the 2020 U.S. census, the population was 20,292. It is home to the hea ...

, Williston,

Colchester Colchester ( ) is a city in Essex, in the East of England. It had a population of 122,000 in 2011. The demonym is Colcestrian. Colchester occupies the site of Camulodunum, the first major city in Roman Britain and its first capital. Colch ...

, Winooski and Shelburne. Stories from the

Associated Press The Associated Press (AP) is an American non-profit news agency headquartered in New York City. Founded in 1846, it operates as a cooperative, unincorporated association. It produces news reports that are distributed to its members, U.S. new ...

and from the national USA Today Network are also pulled in to the Burlington Free Press website and printed paper to help round out coverage.

Online presence

The Burlington Free Press website carries both local and national stories, videos and live streams and offers a digital-only subscription as an alternative or supplement to print delivery. Non-subscribers are limited to five articles per month before they need to subscribe to see more content.

History

Early history

The ''Burlington Free Press'' began as a weekly publication on June 15, 1827. It was created by lawyers Seneca Austin and Luman Foote in response to the 1828 presidential election cycle. ''The Burlington Sentinel'', another Burlington newspaper, favored

Andrew Jackson Andrew Jackson (March 15, 1767 – June 8, 1845) was an American lawyer, planter, general, and statesman who served as the seventh president of the United States from 1829 to 1837. Before being elected to the presidency, he gained fame as ...

while the Free Press, under Austin and Foote, supported incumbent President John Quincy Adams. The format of the weekly ''Burlington Free Press'' was four pages, with five columns of copy on each page. The paper itself was 18 inches long. The weekly newspaper published every Friday. Burlington Free Press motto

The ''Burlington Free Press'' became a daily newspaper on April 1, 1848, in response to the invention of the

telegraph Telegraphy is the long-distance transmission of messages where the sender uses symbolic codes, known to the recipient, rather than a physical exchange of an object bearing the message. Thus flag semaphore is a method of telegraphy, whereas ...

that brought more up-to-date news to the Burlington area. The first telegraph message was received in Burlington on February 2, 1848. Editor DeWitt Clinton Clarke (1846-1853) made the following statement regarding the telegraph:

''“We trust it did not escape the notice of our readers that our Saturday evening’s paper contained news from New York of that very afternoon – half past two o’clock! The wonders achieved by the telegraph are absolutely incredible if one attempts to reflect on the subject.”''

The daily ''Burlington Free Press'' was published in the evening every day except Sunday to offset the leading Burlington morning paper, ''The Daily Sentinel''. The weekly edition was continued on Fridays until March 29, 1923. The format of the daily ''Burlington Free Press'' consisted of one column of editorial, three columns of political and general news, half a column of state and local news and 100 words or less of telegraphic news (reported from afar and transferred via telegraph to Burlington). 15 columns were dedicated to advertisements and “uncalled for letters”, a list of people who had not collected their mail from the postmaster. The daily ''Burlington Free Press'' paper cost subscribers $4 a year and was not an immediate success. It had only 275 subscribers in its first year. The population of Burlington was 7,000 at the time. Compare this to the weekly Burlington Free Press which had a circulation of 1,200. Early coverage included letters from the battlefields of the

Civil War A civil war or intrastate war is a war between organized groups within the same state (or country). The aim of one side may be to take control of the country or a region, to achieve independence for a region, or to change government polici ...

women's suffrage Women's suffrage is the right of women to vote in elections. Beginning in the start of the 18th century, some people sought to change voting laws to allow women to vote. Liberal political parties would go on to grant women the right to vot ...

and

prohibition Prohibition is the act or practice of forbidding something by law; more particularly the term refers to the banning of the manufacture, storage (whether in barrels or in bottles), transportation, sale, possession, and consumption of alcoholi ...

. Under ownership of George Wyllys Benedict and his son George G. Benedict (owners 1853–1897), the paper was strongly and vocally opposed to

slavery Slavery and enslavement are both the state and the condition of being a slave—someone forbidden to quit one's service for an enslaver, and who is treated by the enslaver as property. Slavery typically involves slaves being made to perf ...

, which was the issue of the day. In 1868, the Free Press Association was formed and purchased the ''Burlington Daily Times'', a daily morning newspaper founded by former ''Burlington Free Press'' owner and editor DeWitt Clinton Clarke after he sold the ''Burlington Free Press'' in 1853 to G.W. Benedict. The ''Burlington Free Press'' absorbed the ''Burlington Daily Times'' and was suddenly publishing both a morning and an evening edition. In 1872, ''The Daily Sentinel'', the ''Burlington Free Press''’ major competitor in the morning newspaper market closed its doors. The Free Press ceased publishing the evening edition and continued as a morning paper in 1882. In 1890, circulation of the daily Free Press was 3,250. In 1894, the Free Press employed Walter J. Bigelow as night editor. He remained in this position until 1909. A Republican, he served as mayor of Burlington from 1907 to 1909. The Free Press installed the first Linotype printing press in Vermont in 1895. In 1900, circulation of the daily Free Press was 4,649. That increased to 7,366 in 1907, 8,569 in 1914 and 11,459 in 1922. In the end of 1922, the ''Burlington Free Press'' stopped publication of the Friday weekly edition. In 1927, the Free Press had 14,468 subscribers. Photo-engraving was added to the ''Burlington Free Press''’ capabilities in 1929 and the paper was able to produce photo news coverage. In 1932, the circulation of the daily Free Press was 16,554 and increased to 23,500 only fifteen years later in 1947. In 1950, the Free Press had 26,703 subscribers. That number rose to 33,225 in 1962. In the 1960s and 1970s, The ''Burlington Free Press'' remained a Republican newspaper in a state that was slowly moving across the political spectrum toward Democratic. The Free Press stood behind

Richard Nixon Richard Milhous Nixon (January 9, 1913April 22, 1994) was the 37th president of the United States, serving from 1969 to 1974. A member of the Republican Party, he previously served as a representative and senator from California and was ...

throughout the

Watergate scandal The Watergate scandal was a major political scandal in the United States involving the administration of President Richard Nixon from 1972 to 1974 that led to Nixon's resignation. The scandal stemmed from the Nixon administration's contin ...

. The ''Burlington Free Press'' merged with Gannett. Co., Inc. based in

Rochester, N.Y. Rochester () is a City (New York), city in the U.S. state of New York (state), New York, the county seat, seat of Monroe County, New York, Monroe County, and the fourth-most populous in the state after New York City, Buffalo, New York, Buffalo, ...

in 1971. The Sunday edition of the ''Burlington Free Press'' was introduced in 1975 and it became the first seven-day newspaper in Vermont.

Recent history

In June 2012, the ''Burlington Free Press'' switched from

broadsheet A broadsheet is the largest newspaper format and is characterized by long Vertical and horizontal, vertical pages, typically of . Other common newspaper formats include the smaller Berliner (format), Berliner and Tabloid (newspaper format), ta ...

to all-color tall

tabloid format A tabloid is a newspaper with a compact page size smaller than broadsheet. There is no standard size for this newspaper format. Etymology The word ''tabloid'' comes from the name given by the London-based pharmaceutical company Burroughs We ...

. March 30, 2014 was the first edition of the Free Press that included the

insert showing national news and national sports reporting. In June 2015, Gannett Company split into two entities:

TEGNA Tegna Inc. (stylized in all caps as TEGNA) is an American publicly traded broadcast, digital media and marketing services company headquartered in Tysons Corner, Virginia. It was created on June 29, 2015, when the Gannett Company split into t ...

and

Gannett Company, Inc Gannett Co., Inc. () is an American mass media holding company headquartered in McLean, Virginia, in the Greater Washington DC, Washington, D.C., metropolitan area. In 1833, new owner Henry B. Stacy built new offices on College Street between South Winooski Avenue and Church Street. He retained the upper floors of the building as a residence for his family. The offices on College Street continued to grow, and additional space surrounding the building was purchased until it comprised twelve buildings. The buildings were connected by ramps, tunnels and sky-walks to allow freedom of movement for workers in the winter months. In September 2013, seven of the twelve buildings were sold to the Handy family. The Burlington Free Press held on to the five buildings on South Winooski Ave. that housed the printing press, mail room and circulation department. On January 20, 2014, the Burlington Free Press offices moved from College Street to occupy the new facility at 100 Bank St.

Size and format changes

The Burlington Free Press has had many size changes and format changes throughout its history, the most drastic of which was in June 2012 when it switched from broadsheet to an all-color “tall tab” format.

Burlington Free Press (weekly edition)

Burlington Free Press (daily edition)

Awards

The ''Burlington Free Press'' has won numerous awards and accolades honoring both its reporters and its online presence. Under ownership and management of the Benedict family (1853-1897), the Free Press was listed several times on the 100 best newspapers in the United States list.

Pulitzer Prize

The ''Burlington Free Press'' was a finalist for a

Pulitzer Prize The Pulitzer Prize () is an award for achievements in newspaper, magazine, online journalism, literature, and musical composition within the United States. It was established in 1917 by provisions in the will of Joseph Pulitzer, who had made h ...

in 2012 for Editorial Writing by Aki Soga and Michael Townsend. Specifically for their campaign that resulted in the state's first reform of open government laws in 35 years.

RTDNA Edward R. Murrow Awards

The Free Press has won many Edward R. Murrow Awards, a distinction that has historically been reserved for television and radio publications.

New England Newspaper and Press Association

The Free Press, in the category "Daily newspapers, Circulation <30,000" has won several awards from the ''New England Newspaper and Press Association'' (also known as "NENPA").

Vermont Press Association

Scripps Howard National Journalism Awards

The Burlington Free Press won the "Distinguished Service to the First Amendment" award from the

Scripps Howard Foundation The Scripps Howard Fund is a public charity that supports philanthropic causes important to the E. W. Scripps Company, an American media conglomerate which owns television stations, cable television networks, and other media outlets. The goal of ...

in 2010 for its editorial work focusing on open government during the 2010 elections. It was a finalist in 2008 for the same award.

Associated Press Media Editors Association Journalism Excellence Awards

Content

Format

Today, the Burlington Free Press is printed in full color and produced in ‘butterfly’ format. Each section is layered on top of each other and then the whole paper is folded in half to create one booklet. The sections can be separated, or read together.

Sections

Main

The ‘Main’ or ‘A’ section of the ''Burlington Free Press'' contains news coverage including politics, society, weather, crime, education and sports. It also contains obituaries, birth announcements, wedding announcements and advertisements from both local and national businesses. Depending on the day of the week, the section can be anywhere from 16 to 32 pages in length.

USA TODAY

The

section is included every day as the ‘B’ section of the paper. It is produced at the national USA TODAY office and is inserted into the ''Burlington Free Press'' at the time of printing. It contains national news, politics, entertainment and business.

Innovate

The ''Burlington Free Press'' publishes its business and technology news in a weekly Innovate section on Thursdays. This section also includes the jobs listings.

Weekend

The Weekend section publishes on Thursdays. It contains arts and entertainment news from around Burlington and Chittenden County. This section also includes the crossword puzzle, jumble, comics and TV guide.

Savorvore

Printed on Fridays, Savorvore is the ''Burlington Free Press''’ food section. It features recipes, restaurant profiles and an area restaurant guide.

History Space

Printed on Sundays, the History Space features local history profiles written by community members, professors and historians.

Premium Editions

The Free Press publishes Premium Editions of the paper that focus on certain national or local topics. The edition costs $1 extra and is included in the Sunday paper four times a year.

Writing style

The Burlington Free Press follows

AP Style The ''AP Stylebook'', also known by its full name ''The Associated Press Stylebook and Briefing on Media Law'', is an American English grammar style and usage guide created by American journalists working for or connected with the Associated Pr ...

Additional print products

Freshies

Freshies
is a ski and snowboarding magazine produced by the ''Burlington Free Press'' and Free Press Media. It features articles written by experts, photography and advertisements for winter equipment, resorts, restaurants and beer. It publishes two times a year: Spring and Fall.

Hometown Weekly

Hometown Weekly is a community news publication that is mailed out to households that do not subscribe to the ''Burlington Free Press'' within Chittenden County. It features photos and stories focused on community and local events. Total distribution of this product is 42,000 homes.

Buyers Digest

Buyers Digest Mega is a community news publication that is mailed out to non-subscribers in

Franklin County, Vermont Franklin County is a county located in the U.S. state of Vermont. As of the 2020 census, the population was 49,946. Its county seat is the city of St. Albans. It borders the Canadian province of Quebec. The county was created in 1792 and organ ...

and select homes in

Addison County Addison County is a county located in the U.S. state of Vermont. As of the 2020 census, the population was 37,363. Its shire town (county seat) is the town of Middlebury. History Iroquois settled in the county before Europeans arrived in 160 ...

and

Lamoille County Lamoille County is a county located in the U.S. state of Vermont. As of the 2020 census, the population was 25,945, and it is the third-least populous county in Vermont. Its shire town (county seat) is the town of Hyde Park, while Morristow ...

. It features advertisements tailored to that community as well as photos and short articles.

Real Estate Extra

Real Estate Extra (also referred to as "REX") is a monthly glossy magazine featuring advertisements and home listings from Vermont's largest real estate companies. It is delivered with the ''Burlington Free Press'' to homes in Chittenden County and Franklin County and is placed in racks in various retail locations around Burlington.

Podcasts

The ''Burlington Free Press'' co-produces a craft-beer podcast called It's the Beer Talking with Farrell Distributing, Vermont's largest beverage distribution company. The hosts, Jeff Baker and Jason Strempek both work for Farrell Distributing as does co-producer Ryan Chaffin. The podcast is co-produced, edited and recorded by Sophia Trigg, News and Social Media assistant at the ''Burlington Free Press''. Episodes are released weekly on Tuesdays and are 20–40 minutes in length. Each episode begins with a beer-sampling segment called “What’s in the Fridge?”. It then features an interview with a leader in the beer industry. Past guests have included Ken Grossman, founder/CEO of Sierra Nevada, and guests from large brands like

Goose Island Brewery Goose Island Beer Company is a brewery in Chicago, Illinois, that began as a single brewpub opened in 1988 in Lincoln Park, Chicago, and named after a nearby island. The larger production brewery opened in 1995, and a second brewpub, in Wrigle ...

and Citizen Cider.

Staff

Ownership history

Executive editors

Notable staff members

Madeline Kunin Madeleine Kunin (née May; born September 28, 1933) is a Swiss-born American diplomat, author and politician. She served as the 77th governor of Vermont from 1985 until 1991, as a member of the Democratic Party. She also served as United State ...

, former governor of Vermont, joined the ''Burlington Free Press'' in 1957 after graduating at Columbia University's journalism school. She left the Free Press in 1958 to take a job at the

Brussels World's Fair Expo 58, also known as the 1958 Brussels World's Fair (french: Exposition Universelle et Internationale de Bruxelles de 1958, nl, Brusselse Wereldtentoonstelling van 1958), was a world's fair held on the Heysel/Heizel Plateau in Brussels, Bel ...

. In 1984, Kunin was elected Vermont's first female governor.

Major coverage

Bernie Sanders’ 2016 presidential campaign

Because The ''Burlington Free Press'' is from the hometown of Sen. Bernie Sanders, their staff led the charge on behalf of the USA Today Network during Bernie Sanders’ presidential primary campaign in 2015–16. Free Press reporters and editors traveled to campaign stops across the country and reported back on Sanders’ progress. Videographer Ryan Mercer created an award-winning video reflection on the Sanders campaign in November 2016.

References

External links

*
Historic Newspaper Pages (1866-1920) on Chronicling America
{{DEFAULTSORT:Burlington Free Press Free Press Newspapers published in Vermont Gannett publications Publications established in 1827 1827 establishments in Vermont