Brattleboro Reformer
Encyclopedia
The Brattleboro Reformer is the third-largest daily newspaper
in the U.S. state
of Vermont
. With a weekday circulation of just over 10,000, it is behind the Burlington Free Press
and the Rutland Herald
, respectively. It publishes six days a week, Monday through Saturday, with its Weekend Reformer having the largest readership; the offices of the paper are in Brattleboro, Vermont
and it has a market penetration (weekday sales per 100 households) of 62.8 in its home zip code.
The Reformer covers all of Windham County, Vermont
, as well as some towns in neighboring Cheshire County, New Hampshire
. It has been owned by the Denver-based MediaNews Group
since 1995, and is run by New England Newspapers, a MediaNews Group subsidiary.
It is the only newspaper in the United States called "Reformer."
and Democrat Samuel J. Tilden
prompted the Vermont Record and Farmer, the third paper in the state, to describe the new paper as dedicated to "Tilden and reform."
While local historians believe that the original conception of the paper was for it to last only for the duration of the 1876 campaign, Davenport's son, Charles H., ran the paper for twenty-five years after which it was passed on to editors unconnected with the Davenport family. The paper went from a weekly to twice-weekly publication schedule in 1897. While the paper had financial troubles for many years, it managed to maintain a continuous publication schedule.
In 1903, it was bought by the Vermont Printing Company, and its new editors turned the paper away from its partisan Democrat emphasis. The Phoenix and Reformer were merged in 1913 under the management of the Brattleboro Publishing Company, with the Phoenix serving as the Reformers weekly companion and the Reformer going to a daily publication schedule. The Phoenix weekly was discontinued in 1955.
The 1913 merger was considered by some to be the "true" founding date of the paper; according to an article in the March 4, 1925 issue, "Daily Reformer Now 15 Years Old":
Records at the Brooks Memorial Library, the main library of Brattleboro, list the publication history of the paper in 2006 as
Much of the historical information in this section comes from a special 1981 section of the Reformer, published on the occasion of the paper's moving from downtown Brattleboro to its headquarters on Black Mountain Road.
announcements in parallel to the usual wedding notices, beginning the practice in 1989, well before the state of Vermont legalized civil unions.
In the past the paper has been controversial for running letters to the editor that many have found offensive; in 2003 it ran an anti-semitic letter whose publication the then–managing editor Kathryn Casa defended, saying that "only by bringing [bigoted opinions] into the open can we expose and eliminate them."
Casa was replaced by Kevin Moran, who was recruited from the North Adams
Transcript in Massachusetts
, which is also owned by MediaNews Group. Moran moved to work as managing editor at the Berkshire Eagle.
In November 2005, the Reformer hired Sabina Haskell as the new editor. She had previously been assistant editor at the Rutland Herald and had also run the Bennington Banner. Haskell quit to take a PR job for Republican Vermont governor Jim Douglas in 2007. Then managing news editor Tom D'Errico was promoted to fill the editor position.
The publisher of the Reformer, Martin Langeveld, resigned after two years on the job in April 2008. Ed Woods, publisher of the Bennington Banner, replaced him in the same month.
Union leaders and members of the public protested in 2003, when the management fired a reporter during a campaign to form a union at the Reformer. More than 1,000 people signed a petition that called on Media News to re-hire the union supporter.
Readers complained when the parent company fired managing editor Kathryn Casa without giving a reason in 2004. Critics asserted that the firing was in part connected to her liberal politics; on the other hand, Casa was accused of intimidating staff into voting against a union drive. Judith Gorman, a columnist for the paper, resigned in protest following Casa's dismissal; about 150 people protested Casa's dismissal outside the Reformer offices on April 25 of that year.
Newspaper
A newspaper is a scheduled publication containing news of current events, informative articles, diverse features and advertising. It usually is printed on relatively inexpensive, low-grade paper such as newsprint. By 2007, there were 6580 daily newspapers in the world selling 395 million copies a...
in the U.S. state
U.S. state
A U.S. state is any one of the 50 federated states of the United States of America that share sovereignty with the federal government. Because of this shared sovereignty, an American is a citizen both of the federal entity and of his or her state of domicile. Four states use the official title of...
of Vermont
Vermont
Vermont is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. The state ranks 43rd in land area, , and 45th in total area. Its population according to the 2010 census, 630,337, is the second smallest in the country, larger only than Wyoming. It is the only New England...
. With a weekday circulation of just over 10,000, it is behind the Burlington Free Press
Burlington Free Press
The Burlington Free Press is a daily newspaper based in Burlington, Vermont, in the United States. With a circulation of about 48,042 daily and 56,295 Sundays, it is the most circulated paper in Vermont....
and the Rutland Herald
Rutland Herald
The Rutland Herald is the second largest daily newspaper in the U.S. state of Vermont . It is published in Rutland. With a daily circulation of about 12,000, it is the main source of news geared towards the southern part of the state, along with the Brattleboro Reformer and the Bennington Banner...
, respectively. It publishes six days a week, Monday through Saturday, with its Weekend Reformer having the largest readership; the offices of the paper are in Brattleboro, Vermont
Brattleboro, Vermont
Brattleboro, originally Brattleborough, is a town in Windham County, Vermont, United States, located in the southeast corner of the state, along the state line with New Hampshire. The population was 12,046 at the 2010 census...
and it has a market penetration (weekday sales per 100 households) of 62.8 in its home zip code.
The Reformer covers all of Windham County, Vermont
Windham County, Vermont
Windham County is a county located in the U.S. state of Vermont. As of 2010, the population was 44,513. Its shire town is Newfane.-Geography:According to the U.S...
, as well as some towns in neighboring Cheshire County, New Hampshire
Cheshire County, New Hampshire
-Demographics:As of the census of 2000, there were 73,825 people, 28,299 households, and 18,790 families residing in the county. The population density was 104 people per square mile . There were 31,876 housing units at an average density of 45 per square mile...
. It has been owned by the Denver-based MediaNews Group
MediaNews Group
MediaNews Group, based in Denver, Colorado, is one of the largest newspaper companies in the United States. It is privately owned and operates 56 daily newspapers in 12 states, with combined daily and Sunday circulation of approximately 2.4 million and 2.7 million, respectively...
since 1995, and is run by New England Newspapers, a MediaNews Group subsidiary.
It is the only newspaper in the United States called "Reformer."
History from 19th to mid-20th century
The Reformer published its first issue, under the name Windham County Reformer, in 1876. Publisher Charles N. Davenport, a prominent lawyer and supporter of the Democratic Party, founded the paper in part due to dissatisfaction with what he saw as a Republican bias in the coverage by the Vermont Phoenix, the main political paper in the state. The presidential campaign at the time, between Republican Rutherford B. HayesRutherford B. Hayes
Rutherford Birchard Hayes was the 19th President of the United States . As president, he oversaw the end of Reconstruction and the United States' entry into the Second Industrial Revolution...
and Democrat Samuel J. Tilden
Samuel J. Tilden
Samuel Jones Tilden was the Democratic candidate for the U.S. presidency in the disputed election of 1876, one of the most controversial American elections of the 19th century. He was the 25th Governor of New York...
prompted the Vermont Record and Farmer, the third paper in the state, to describe the new paper as dedicated to "Tilden and reform."
While local historians believe that the original conception of the paper was for it to last only for the duration of the 1876 campaign, Davenport's son, Charles H., ran the paper for twenty-five years after which it was passed on to editors unconnected with the Davenport family. The paper went from a weekly to twice-weekly publication schedule in 1897. While the paper had financial troubles for many years, it managed to maintain a continuous publication schedule.
In 1903, it was bought by the Vermont Printing Company, and its new editors turned the paper away from its partisan Democrat emphasis. The Phoenix and Reformer were merged in 1913 under the management of the Brattleboro Publishing Company, with the Phoenix serving as the Reformers weekly companion and the Reformer going to a daily publication schedule. The Phoenix weekly was discontinued in 1955.
The 1913 merger was considered by some to be the "true" founding date of the paper; according to an article in the March 4, 1925 issue, "Daily Reformer Now 15 Years Old":
- The Brattleboro Daily Reformer celebrated yesterday its 15th anniversary as a daily. As a weekly publication The Reformer dates back to the dim and distant date of 1876, but its debut as a daily – with that word ‘Daily’ in emphatic black-face letter-spaced Gothic type on its first page – came on Monday, March 3, 1913.
Records at the Brooks Memorial Library, the main library of Brattleboro, list the publication history of the paper in 2006 as
- Windham County Reformer, 1876-1897
- Semi-weekly Windham County Reformer, 1897-1901
- Windham County Reformer, 1901-1912,
- Brattleboro Daily Reformer (after merger with Vermont Phoenix), 1913-1955
- Brattleboro Daily Reformer and Vermont Phoenix, 1955-1973
- Brattleboro Reformer, 1973-present
Much of the historical information in this section comes from a special 1981 section of the Reformer, published on the occasion of the paper's moving from downtown Brattleboro to its headquarters on Black Mountain Road.
The Reformer in the late-20th and 21st centuries
The Reformer was possibly the first newspaper in the United States to run same-sex unionSame-sex union
Same-sex unions are legal or religious unions between two persons of the same sex.In legal contexts, their recognition varies based upon the region in which the union is formed. Some regions allow same-sex marriage, civil marriage between two persons of the same sex. Others recognize civil unions...
announcements in parallel to the usual wedding notices, beginning the practice in 1989, well before the state of Vermont legalized civil unions.
In the past the paper has been controversial for running letters to the editor that many have found offensive; in 2003 it ran an anti-semitic letter whose publication the then–managing editor Kathryn Casa defended, saying that "only by bringing [bigoted opinions] into the open can we expose and eliminate them."
Casa was replaced by Kevin Moran, who was recruited from the North Adams
North Adams, Massachusetts
North Adams is a city in Berkshire County, Massachusetts, United States. It is part of the Pittsfield, Massachusetts Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 13,708 as of the 2010 census, making it the least populous city in the state...
Transcript in Massachusetts
Massachusetts
The Commonwealth of Massachusetts is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. It is bordered by Rhode Island and Connecticut to the south, New York to the west, and Vermont and New Hampshire to the north; at its east lies the Atlantic Ocean. As of the 2010...
, which is also owned by MediaNews Group. Moran moved to work as managing editor at the Berkshire Eagle.
In November 2005, the Reformer hired Sabina Haskell as the new editor. She had previously been assistant editor at the Rutland Herald and had also run the Bennington Banner. Haskell quit to take a PR job for Republican Vermont governor Jim Douglas in 2007. Then managing news editor Tom D'Errico was promoted to fill the editor position.
The publisher of the Reformer, Martin Langeveld, resigned after two years on the job in April 2008. Ed Woods, publisher of the Bennington Banner, replaced him in the same month.
Staff and union controversies
The paper was involved in a number of controversies in the years 2003-2004.Union leaders and members of the public protested in 2003, when the management fired a reporter during a campaign to form a union at the Reformer. More than 1,000 people signed a petition that called on Media News to re-hire the union supporter.
Readers complained when the parent company fired managing editor Kathryn Casa without giving a reason in 2004. Critics asserted that the firing was in part connected to her liberal politics; on the other hand, Casa was accused of intimidating staff into voting against a union drive. Judith Gorman, a columnist for the paper, resigned in protest following Casa's dismissal; about 150 people protested Casa's dismissal outside the Reformer offices on April 25 of that year.