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 while the Free Press, under Austin and Foote, supported incumbent President John Quincy Adams.^[5]

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.^[6] The weekly newspaper published every Friday.

The Burlington Free Press became a daily newspaper on April 1, 1848, in response to the invention of the telegraph that brought more up-to-date news to the Burlington area. The first telegraph message was received in Burlington on February 2, 1848.^[7][8]

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."^[7]

The daily Burlington Free Press was published in the evening every day except Sunday to offset the leading Burlington morning paper, The Daily Sentinel.^[7] The weekly edition was continued on Fridays until March 29, 1923.^[6][9]

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.^[10]

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.^[8] 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, women's suffrage and prohibition.^[5]

Under ownership of George Wyllys Benedict and his son George G. Benedict (owners 1853–1897), the paper was strongly and vocally opposed to slavery, which was the issue of the day.^[8]

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.^[7][9] The Burlington Free Press absorbed the Burlington Daily Times and was suddenly publishing both a morning and an evening edition.^[8]

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.^[8]

In 1894, the Free Press employed Walter J. Bigelow as night editor.^[11] He remained in this position until 1909. A Republican, he served as mayor of Burlington from 1907 to 1909.^[11] The Free Press installed the first Linotype printing press in Vermont in 1895.^[6]

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.^[8] In the end of 1922, the Burlington Free Press stopped publication of the Friday weekly edition.^[6] In 1927, the Free Press had 14,468 subscribers.^[7]

Photo-engraving was added to the Burlington Free Press' capabilities in 1929 and the paper was able to produce photo news coverage.^[6]

In 1932, the circulation of the daily Free Press was 16,554 and increased to 23,500 only fifteen years later in 1947.^[8] In 1950, the Free Press had 26,703 subscribers. That number rose to 33,225 in 1962.^[7]

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 throughout the Watergate scandal.^[5]

The Burlington Free Press merged with Gannett. Co., Inc. based in Rochester, N.Y. in 1971.^[12]

The Sunday edition of the Burlington Free Press was introduced in 1975 and it became the first seven-day newspaper in Vermont.^[12]

Recent history

In June 2012, the Burlington Free Press switched from broadsheet to all-color tall tabloid format.

March 30, 2014 was the first edition of the Free Press that included the USA TODAY insert showing national news and national sports reporting.^[13]

In June 2015, Gannett Company split into two entities: TEGNA and Gannett Company, Inc. The Burlington Free Press fell under the new Gannett Company Inc., which is the publishing side of the old Gannett Company. Gannett Co. Inc. owns USA TODAY, over 100 daily newspapers and nearly 1,000 weekly newspapers.^[14]

In February 2024, the newspaper announced it will switch print delivery from carrier to postal.^[15]

Headquarters

From the creation of the Burlington Free Press in 1827 to 1833, the offices were located in Burlington, Vermont on the north side of Court House Square, now City Hall Park, on College St. between Church and St. Paul Streets.^[6][9]

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.^[6]

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.^[5]

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.^[5]

On January 20, 2014, the Burlington Free Press offices moved from College Street to occupy the new facility at 100 Bank St.^[5]

In 2021, the Burlington Free Press moved out of offices in downtown Burlington to leased space in nearby Williston, VT. ^[3]

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.^[16]

Pulitzer Prize

The Burlington Free Press was a finalist for a Pulitzer Prize 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.^[19]

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").^[26]

Vermont Press Association

^[27]

Scripps Howard National Journalism Awards

The Burlington Free Press won the "Distinguished Service to the First Amendment" award from the Scripps Howard Foundation in 2010 for its editorial work focusing on open government during the 2010 elections.^[31] It was a finalist in 2008 for the same award.^[32]

Associated Press Media Editors Association Journalism Excellence Awards

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

Writing style

The Burlington Free Press follows AP Style.

Additional print products

Ownership history

Executive editors

Notable staff members

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

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.^[62]