College of Arts and Sciences

Community News Service

Journalism and reporting experiences for students

The Community News Service is a student-powered partnership with local community papers and media outlets. We are a professionally-edited reporting service that pairs student reporters with outlets to provide community content at no cost. Go to communitynews.net to see our latest stories

With a focus on hyper-local and local news, the project has two primary goals:

To educate and engage students in journalism and build citizenship skills
To provide local content to community newspapers

Enroll in the appropriate section of CAS 3922 to join the Community News Service!

CAS 3922 A - Writing-focused with Carolyn Shapiro T/Th at 10:05 a.m.
CAS 3922 B - Writing-focused with Carolyn Shapiro T/Th at 1:15 p.m.
CAS 3922 C - For students working directly with editor Justin Trombly, contact Richard Watts
CAS 3922 D - Audio/Podcasting focused with Brittany Patterson

The Student Experience:

Students in the program...

cover a wide range of community-interest topics such as local government, arts & music, education, the environment, sports, police and crime, and elections and campaigns.
gain hands-on reporting and story-telling skills in multiple media formats
write and produce content for a number of Vermont newspapers and media outlets including Charlotte News, Shelburne News, Winooski News, The Other Paper, Hinesburg Record, Williston Observer, Essex Reporter, Milton Independent, Colchester Sun, St. Albans Messenger, Herald of Randolph, Waterbury Roundabout, The Islander, Valley Reporter, among others. Stories that have a statewide impact may also appear in VT Digger.org, Burlington Free Press, and others.
students will also be writing and producing stories for Vermont Public – one of the most listened to radio stations in the U.S. Students particularly interested in audio production should enroll in CAS 3922 D.

Community Impact:

Students in the program provide local and hyperlocal news content (print, audio and video) to local community papers in Vermont at no cost, helping to eliminate news deserts in our state. Run by experienced journalists and editors, the Community News Service matches talented student reporters with the needs of media platforms across Vermont

We also coordinate the web pages and electronic newsletters for the Hinesburg Record, Waterbury Roundabout, Winooski News.

Read our stories

Meet our current team

Our Community partners

VTDigger publishes student pieces

As mentioned above, some stories written by CNS students get picked up by VTDigger, which is a notable achievement because they have stringent reporting standards. Here are some recent examples:
Renewed THC potency proposal stirs the pot in Senate - Weaver '24 | Vermont legislators look to ban child marriage, joining other states this session - Weaver '24 | Education leaders: Staff shortages persist midway through the school year - Carroll '23 | Officials take stock of Vermont’s proficiency-based learning - Carroll '23 | Covid funds buoy wastewater projects statewide - McEneany '23 | Act 250 in the crosshairs as environmental groups prioritize forest loss - McEneany '23 | The latest solution to Vermont’s housing crisis? Paying landlords to rent to people - McEneany '23 | House bill looks to improve accessibility on new trails in Vermont - McEneany '23 | From sheep to shop: A Vermont sweater company fights fast fashion - Duvel '23 | Vacant Winooski equity job to remain unfilled in budget after ‘structural racism and microaggressions’ push out former director - Infante '24 | A ‘perfect scenario’: Waterbury gets its first new manager in decades - Conti '24 | As Casella aims to treat PFAS in leachate, what happens next with Vermont’s forever chemicals? - Solomon '23

Community News Service Editor:

Justin Trombly (he/him)

Justin Trombly is the editor of Community News Service. He coordinates with our media partners, workshops stories with student reporters and helps build CNS' effort to strengthen Vermont journalism. He's been a reporter at VTDigger, the Tampa Bay Times, the Buffalo News and local papers in upstate New York. Email: jtrombly@uvm.edu

Faculty Mentors:

Carolyn Shapiro (she/her)

Carolyn Shapiro is a freelance journalist and longtime reporter and writer at daily newspapers from upstate New York to southeastern Virginia. She has penned stories for The New York Times, Boston Globe, Seven Days and FedTech magazine. She also teaches advanced journalism at Champlain College in Burlington. She loves to talk about journalism and, when she's not doing that, walking her her two boxers and eating Vermont cheese. Email: carolyn.shapiro@uvm.edu

Richard Watts (he/him)

Richard Watts is a former journalist and political campaign manager who now studies and teaches courses in journalism and public policy at the University of Vermont. Richard is the co-director of the Reporting & Documentary Storytelling Program, directs the Center for Research on Vermont, and coordinates internships for the College of Arts & Sciences. Email: rwatts@uvm.edu (Richard is in sabbatical until July 1, 2023).

Brittany Patterson (she/her)

An executive editor at Vermont Public, Brittany is deeply entrenched in the audio news world and brings her experience, expertise, and production skills to the Community News Service audio branch. She holds degrees in journalism from San Jose State University and U.C. Berkeley's Graduate School of Journalism. A native of California, Brittany has nonetheless found a home in Vermont and enjoys playing with her dog Cooper and cat Mila. Email: brittany.patterson@uvm.edu