Advertising, underwriting and sponsorship policy

VTDigger accepts advertising, underwriting and sponsorships to pay for our journalism and operations. Because all of our reporting is original, independent and well-researched, it takes a lot of financial resources to produce the level of journalism VTDigger brings our readers each day. As such, we need a good deal of funding to fulfill our mission.

We believe the more varied our funding sources, the less likely we are to rely on any one revenue source — and therefore the variety strengthens our independence. One of the revenue sources we rely on is advertising, as we see it as a solution not only to fund our work, but to offer businesses and organizations a way to connect with our readers, and for our readers to learn about goods, services, events and opportunities in our region. We know our advertisers could spend their money with social media and search engines, and we appreciate that they support VTDigger journalism with their marketing budgets.

Editorial influence

Just like with all funders, advertisers, sponsors, and underwriters are not permitted to influence our editorial coverage. Advertisers are welcome to submit news tips just like any other reader, but they receive no special preference or treatment in light of supporting our work.

Prohibited content

VTDigger reserves the right to refuse any advertisement for any reason — and may do so without stating a reason. Explicitly prohibited are ads that include hate speech, violence or graphic sexual content, content that discriminates on race, color, sex, sexual orientation, religion, national origin, ancestry or place of birth or mental or physical disability, and anything that is patently false.

Political and advocacy campaigns

Political campaign ads and advocacy ads must carry the following disclaimer: VTDigger does not endorse or warrant the accuracy of political or advocacy messages. The advertisement must also state who paid for the placement if it is not evident from the artwork. We do not accept attack ads. VTDigger does not accept political or advocacy campaigns as sponsored content.

Cannabis and alcohol advertising

In light of Vermont’s loosening cannabis laws, VTDigger has made the decision to accept cannabis advertising, specifically Vermont-based companies that have met all of the conditions of the Vermont Cannabis Control Board and have been approved by the Board. We have for years accepted alcohol advertising, and we follow federal requirements in these instances. VTDigger reserves the right to refuse any cannabis advertisement, even those who have been accepted by the Vermont Cannabis Control Board.

BIPOC Business Owner Program

VTDigger’s Underwriting for Racial Equity Project is a pool of advertising space that VTDigger earmarks for businesses owned by Black people, Indigenous people and people of color in Vermont. Successful applicants can use VTDigger ad space to increase general awareness of their businesses and organizations by driving traffic to their websites, facilitating email list growth, promoting an event, or something else, depending on each organization’s goals. Click here for more information and to apply.

Geotargeted advertising

Geotargeting limits banner ad campaigns to readers identified as being within a specific geographic area. Because this reduces the pool of available impressions, and geographic location data is not always precise, VTDigger cannot guarantee full delivery of geotargeted campaigns, particularly for smaller and rural target areas.

When possible, VTDigger will provide a delivery forecast before or early in the campaign so advertisers can adjust the targeting if needed. Make-goods for undelivered geotargeted impressions may be provided at VTDigger’s discretion.

Programmatic advertising

At certain times of the year, VTDigger may have extra ad space available that hasn’t been purchased by a local business. This space is then offered — via technology — to national advertisers participating in Google advertising. This “programmatic advertising” brings a healthy chunk of revenue to our work. We have numerous guardrails in place to protect against ads that don’t comply with our standards, however, every once in a great while something may get past the technology monitors. If you ever see a distasteful ad on VTDigger, please don’t hesitate to reach out (please don’t click on the ad, but rather send us a screenshot of it) and we can look into it.

Cancelation policy

VTDigger charges a cancellation fee of 10% of the total contract. Advertisers are expected to pay for any ads that ran prior to the cancellation.