MONTPELIER— Gov. Phil Scott signed an executive order Thursday that directs the state to prioritize local news platforms when deciding where to run its ads.
“Vermonters breathe and trust their community news,” Scott said after signing the order, a statement rare for him to make to a room of reporters.
The intent of the policy is for the state to both reach a key audience and sustain its bevy of small-yet-scrappy news organizations. And it’s essential, he said, that a responsible and impartial press corps keeps all corners of the state informed on the happenings of state government.
“While I know this is a drop in the bucket, it’s an important gesture,” Scott said.
Scott’s decision to invest in local news organizations comes as the nation has seen a sharp decline in local journalists per capita. According to a 2025 report from industry software platform Muck Rack and the national advocacy organization Rebuild Local News, the country has seen about a 75% decline in local journalists per capita since 2002 on average.
Amid that national decline, Vermont has maintained the most local journalists per 100,000 people compared to other states. Yet certainly small news organizations across Vermont still struggle to stay afloat. Industry employment has plummeted from 1,446 in 2000 to only 358 in 2023, according to the University of Vermont’s Center for Community News.
“Advertising with these folks is a smart way to reach Vermonters, but it also helps sustain these essential community resources. They are precious institutions,” said Kristen Fountain, interim coordinator for the Vermont Journalism Coalition.
When state employees are considering where to run advertisements, invest in marketing or sponsor events, “we now must look at options for local outlets and prioritize them whenever we can,” according to Rebecca Kelley, the state’s chief communications officer.
Scott’s executive order is in line with initiatives in other states. A part of Colorado’s 2026 budget directs the state to prefer local media when investing in state ads. And in Maryland, the state is directed to spend half its advertising dollars in local news outlets.
Vermont usually spends about $4 million to $5 million annually on the types of advertising affected by the executive order, according to Kelley, although the state doesn’t keep track of how much it spends on local news or broadcast platforms. Under the new policy, the state is directed to create a system to keep track of its advertising dollars.
While the order directs the state to give preference to news organizations, it also gives the state some discretion. State government is directed to use its advertising dollars on local news “whenever feasible and consistent with the best interests of the State,” the order says. And while the order highlights news platforms, it also gives preference to “resident bidders of the state” as well as products that were “raised” or “manufactured in the state”.
Scott, who is seeking reelection, said the policy’s mission tracks with his broader ideology that it’s important to buy local and support businesses in-state.
“Local media face the same challenges as every other sector in Vermont: a shrinking workforce and an increasingly unaffordable cost of doing business in the state,” he said.
Disclosure: VTDigger is a member of the Vermont Journalism Coalition. VTDigger’s chief executive officer, Brendan Kinney, serves on the coalition’s board.
