Insights from the Seven Days “Locked Out” Team
Posting: Wednesday, July 6, 2022
On January 18, 2022, Seven Days partnered with JFP to help the New England weekly raise community funds to employ a full-time Report for America reporter covering issues facing rural communities in Vermont and fund its investigative unit. Recently, Seven Days started an ongoing series, “Locked Out,” to examine Vermont’s housing crisis and what can be done about it.
We spoke with Matthew Roy, News Editor at Seven Days about this ongoing series and to find out more about their reporting process and goals.
Q. Having reported on the housing crisis in Vermont for a couple of months, what have been some key takeaways you've noticed?
My key takeaway: The housing crisis is worse than we thought, and is having a profoundly negative effect on the state. We knew that a housing shortage had been building in Vermont even before the crisis hit nationally. And we knew COVID was putting more pressure on Vermont's housing, since the state had quickly developed a reputation for handling the pandemic, and people flocked here. But from the get-go, it was quickly apparent that the crisis was truly upending Vermonters' lives.
I reported our first story, and I was amazed to drop by an open house for a modest little World War II-era cottage that was selling for $450K. Buyers were lining up with bids. I met a young couple who shared their experiences trying to buy; as I reported, they later bid $50K more than asking price for one house — and didn't get it.
We’ve talked to people who say they are considering leaving the state because of housing, and employers who took extraordinary measures to help out-of-state hires find homes here. Some employers are constructing housing. We've talked to companies that say they are planning to stay in Vermont, but plan to grow further in other states because of the lack of housing. Our state is graying, our workforce has shrunk, and more out-of-staters with money are headed here.
All that adds up to gentrification, a future Vermont of wealthy retired homeowners who rely on a service class of younger renters who are the police, nurses, waiters and teachers. (We've added plans for a final story this fall that points out what the future will look like if trends are not reversed.)
We've learned a lot more, but that's the global view.
Q. With multiple reporters working on the "Locked Out," series, is there one single approach to reporting, or are there several diverse reporting styles?
We decided before the series started that I, as the lead editor, would report and write the first story. That was to ensure that I understood the crisis; knew the key sources in the state; had a working awareness of legislative efforts; and could direct reporters accordingly. While it's true our reporters have different styles, all of our Locked Out stories to date have been cover stories. Seven Days still devotes 5,000 words-plus to a cover, meaning that each of the stories has had depth, context and colorful examples. Our staff knows what we expect from cover stories, so those key elements are always present.
That said, we are planning to mix things up a little. For instance, trailer homes account for about 7 percent of all housing in Vermont. We plan to visit some mobile home parks a bit later this year, profile each one, and show that these places are not really what they are reputed to be. It should be a fun, colorful package.
Q. "Locked Out" reporters openly ask readers for news tips. What are some examples of news stories that came from the community?
The tips have been invaluable. One reader wrote to us about her apartment building going condo; she has the option to buy her apartment for $300K or so or get out. We started asking around and realized this has happened to several buildings. We've added a "condo-ization" story to the plan. (This is an example of something we learned after starting the series.)
We've also heard from many renters who can no longer afford their homes because they've been priced out, a huge help for our rental story. People have raised other issues that we are actively considering for stories, such as the proliferation of land-conservation groups in Vermont. They've kept our state beautiful and preserved key spots — but they also impede housing development. All the Locked Out tips come to a small set of editors, including me. I've responded to each one. One thing about housing: Everybody has a story.
Q. Where do you see the success of this series heading by the end of the year?
Measuring the success of a series such as this is a bit difficult, and subjective. Our series is explanatory, so we're not exposing a poor government practice that can be easily remedied, as an investigative series might. Still, the information available to me, which is feedback from readers, the public and our sources, as well as page view data, suggest we are nailing it. Here's why:
A. We've got influential people talking. State Sen. Michael Sirotkin read the lede of my housing story on the Senate floor as they gathered to vote on a housing bill. I've attached screenshots of a couple of tweets of our work, one by a Middlebury College professor and the other from Vermont Gov. Phil Scott. Our stories are leading to interesting threads on social media where our reporting is often confirmed and praised.
B. State and local governments are addressing issues we've highlighted. I hesitate to claim we caused the government to do this or that. But the Vermont legislature has addressed a myriad of housing problems we identified by allocating pandemic-era relief aid. We wrote about Airbnb and other short-term rental companies taking homes off the rental market; Burlington just enacted a local ordinance to rein them in.
C. We're providing depth and context to an examination of a complex problem, which is helping to lay the groundwork for future solutions. We've laid bare Vemont's NIMBY-ish nature, demographic challenges and impediments to attracting and keeping young families. Many of the state's business, cultural and political leaders are sounding the alarm — and seeking solutions. We've elevated housing as an issue, and candidates on the campaign trail are all identifying it as a key concern.
D. The stories are attracting robust readership. While we are not a click-driven organization, we know from our analytics data that the Locked Out stories are among our best-read. In our experience, in-depth stories such as these have a long shelf life and will continue to attract readers long after publication.
Seven Days’ “Locked Out” series can be viewed here.
About Seven Days: Seven Days is an independent weekly newspaper covering Vermont news, politics, food, arts and culture. New issues are published each Wednesday and distributed free at 1,000 locations in Northern and Central Vermont and Plattsburgh, N.Y. Visit online: https://www.sevendaysvt.com/
About JFP: The mission of Journalism Funding Partners is to strengthen the depth, diversity and sustainability of local news by building and shepherding relationships between funders and local news organizations. JFP is a recognized nonprofit that acts as fiscal sponsor, allowing foundations and individual funders to contribute directly to local news, regardless of the news organization’s business model. JFP manages the funds feeding numerous news initiatives, including more than a dozen Climate reporters in the Southeast, an Equity Desk at The Sacramento Bee, an Education and Economic Mobility Desk in California’s Central Valley, the Investigative Fund of The Miami Herald and for Inclusivity and Investigative funds at the Associated Press.
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Media Contact: Rusty Coats, Executive Director | rusty@jfp-local.org | (813) 277-8959
