BURLINGTON WEATHER

How Burlington Works

When I introduced myself at State Senator Cindy Friedman’s office at the State House on Wednesday, Constituent Services Director Fatou did a double take.

"Burlington Buzz?! Big fan!!!"

It turns out Friedman's staff reads Burlington Buzz every week to prepare their briefing on what's happening in the towns she represents. Friedman herself, when I sat down with her, said the kind of civic information Burlington Buzz and similar outlets provide is exactly what communities need more of.

That moment — a state senator's office depending on a one-person local newsroom to know what's going on in its district — is precisely why I was in Boston.

Thursday, April 9, is Local News Day, a nationwide day of action organized by Free Press Action, and Wednesday’s lobby day brought together local news leaders from across Massachusetts to meet with legislators and make the case for public investment in local journalism. Newsrooms represented included The Shoestring, Worcester Sucks, and the New Bedford Light, among others.

The ask isn't complicated: Massachusetts should create an independent public fund for local news and civic information — modeled on New Jersey's Civic Information Consortium, which has distributed more than $12 million in grants, funded more than 200 journalism jobs, and produced more than 13,000 news stories since its launch. Pennsylvania, Wisconsin, and California have all advanced similar legislation. Representative Andy Vargas, who met with the coalition Wednesday, said his office plans to bring the bill forward in January and called the issue one his office is passionate about.

The numbers behind the ask are stark. Since 2013, Massachusetts has lost 60% of its newsroom jobs, according to Free Press Action, the national organization that supported the New Jersey and Pennsylvania bills and is now backing efforts in the Commonwealth. The state once had roughly 40 journalists per 100,000 residents — that figure has dropped to 12. Gannett alone has shuttered or consolidated nearly 30 of its Massachusetts weeklies in recent years, including the Burlington Union.

Independent publishers are stepping into the void, but the math is hard. Philanthropy can't cover the gaps — a lot of the time, tiny hyperlocal outlets with relatively small reach aren’t even on foundations’ radar, and with public media stations having lost federal funding, competition for resources is intensifying.

The energy in the room on Wednesday was something I didn't entirely expect. News leaders who had never met were finishing each other's sentences, energized by the shared recognition of what's been lost — and what's still possible.

One colleague introduced me to a state senator who, upon hearing I was from Burlington Buzz, nodded enthusiastically and said she'd heard wonderful things about the letterpress work being done up there. She meant Burlington, Vermont. I gently clarified.

"I'm from Burlington. Massachusetts."

It was a small moment, but it stuck with me. Part of what we're fighting for is simply the right to be known — for Burlington, MA to have a newsroom visible enough that no one mistakes it for somewhere else.

No specific legislation has been introduced yet. The goal for 2026 is awareness-building and coalition formation, with a bill expected to be developed and introduced in 2027. But Wednesday felt like a real foundation — legislators who get it, a coalition that's aligned, and at least one state senator's office that already knows Burlington Buzz by name.

If you want to support this work, Burlington Buzz is running a short fundraising campaign through April 20 in honor of Local News Day. Donations are tax-deductible through our fiscal sponsor, Tiny News Collective. Donate here.

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