The Winooski News, the local paper for the town of Winooski, Vermont, has been experiencing an increase in readership lately, thanks in part to a trio of ¶¶Ňő̽̽ students. They’re participating in the university’s Community News Service (CNS), which pairs student reporters with local community papers and other media outlets to provide content at no cost. “I think the partnership with CNS has been a good one for the Winooski community and for getting students into the journalism space,” says Murphy Anderson, managing editor of . “Things are going pretty well.”
That’s no small deal. According to Richard Watts, Ph.D., director for the Center for Research on Vermont and coordinator of CNS, many local news sources have been forced to shut down over the last couple of decades. Without these local news outlets, he says, “there’s less knowledge about what’s going on in the community, less local engagement, lower levels of trust, and lower levels of people running for office.” That’s where CNS comes in. Students gain experience in reporting on a wide range of topics—from politics to entertainment to business—and community news outlets are revived.
Kayla Duvel, a senior majoring in English, is one of three CNS students reporting for The Winooski News this fall. “I was interested in getting journalism experience before I graduated,” she says, “and CNS has a ton of different opportunities to be in a newsroom, whether it be as an audio journalist, print journalist, researcher, videographer, or social media manager.” Duvel adds that she’s learned how to manage her time and be an effective communicator through the internship. “Interacting with folks from Winooski has been my favorite part,” she says. “Writing for The Winooski News has allowed me to make sure that their stories are told so that everyone can grow and learn as a community.”
“A big part of my job at The Winooski News,” Anderson says, “is pitching stories to students, connecting them to their first point of contact, and talking them through what would be a good angle for the story.” The students—a group that includes Téa Van Linde and Charlotte Burns along with Duvel—also are encouraged to pitch story ideas that they’ve talked about in class or have been brainstorming. Once a story is assigned, it typically takes about two weeks for them to complete it. The first week is usually spent doing all the interviews and research while the second is focused on writing the article and going back and forth with CNS editor Justin Trombly. Anderson stays in touch with the students about their story progress throughout the process. “Whenever they need me, I’m here,” she says. Each student writes about five to 10 stories per semester.
One of the things Anderson enjoys most about her job at The Winooski News is talking to the students before and after they write a particular story. “I can see their confidence growing,” she says. “For me it’s about coaching and mentoring and not necessarily about forcing a specific way of doing things because, in the end, as much as we want good stories, we also want these students to take ownership for what they’ve created and be proud of the product they’re putting forward. To uplift that while using it as a learning experience to guide them is really fun for me.”
Duvel was recently given the opportunity to do that took her several weeks to research and write. “During the process, I was able to speak with folks in the music community with a shared desire to connect to each other through musical performance,” she says. “Storytelling can be a powerful vehicle for change and a way to connect with people. I’ve learned how empowering and healing it can be—for the author, the subject, and the community. Without The Winooski News, I would not have considered journalism as a career path.”
The Winooski News recently received some good news of its own, securing two new $10,000 grants. The Vermont Community Foundation awarded one to help foster sustainability within the news outlet. The second grant came from the Vermont Community Health Equity Partnership Community Project Funding to Address Health Inequities, which is guided by the idea that people who are more connected to their communities are healthier.
Anderson says she’s excited about the future at The Winooski News and CNS’s continued involvement with the paper. “For the community members, seeing students who aren’t afraid to ask questions and who can look them in the eye lets them know that young people care about the issues that are happening locally, that people care about the communities in which they live. And as long as we can give the students an outlet to exercise that care, they’ll be involved, and I think that’s good for everybody.”