Rutland Herald
Encyclopedia
The Rutland Herald is the second largest daily newspaper in the U.S.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

 state 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...

 (after 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....

). 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
Brattleboro Reformer
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...

and the Bennington Banner
Bennington Banner
The Bennington Banner is a daily newspaper published in Bennington, Vermont. Established in 1841, the paper covers local, national, and world news. The Bennington Banner sells 7,800 papers daily with a penetration of 65% in Bennington. It is distributed throughout Southwestern Vermont and eastern...

. The Rutland Herald is the sister paper of the Barre Montpelier Times Argus
Barre Montpelier Times Argus
The Barre Montpelier Times Argus is a daily morning newspaper serving the capital region of Vermont. It was established in 1897. The newspaper claims that "80% of all adults in the Barre/Montpelier area read the Times Argus for local news, state government, sports, and advertising...

. The Herald is the oldest family-owned newspaper in continuous operation, published under the same name in the same city, in the United States. Its seven eras of ownership, much simplified, are sketched below

History

I
The Williams-Williams partnership, which launched the Herald as a weekly on December 8, 1794, was brief but among the most interesting. The Rev. Samuel Williams was a federalist with high journalistic standards, but his newspaper, as was true of most during these times, barely touched upon local news or state issues. Both Williamses are buried on North Main Street in Rutland in the same cemetery.

II
The era of printer William Fay, 1797-1840, was somewhat unfocused during a time when all transportation and commerce depended upon the horse. The paper was largely devoted to biblical parables, fables, poems and homilies.

III
George Beaman (1844 to 1856) provided welcome invigoration - for journalistic, political and technological reasons. He was a strong abolitionist who wanted to influence his Whig party (which soon became the Republican party) with anti-slavery sentiments. During his time the railroads arrived, ending rural isolation, providing a boom for commerce, industry and population. Due to Beaman's boosterism, the railroad was routed through Rutland and became its defining industry for the century to follow.

IV
During the era of George and Albert Tuttle (father and son, 1856-1882), the Herald moved to daily publication when the Civil War began and provided some distinguished reportage on the war. The paper was weakened during postwar depressions and several competitors sprang up. In 1877 the major competitor, the Globe, and the Herald merged. Seeking new investors, Albert Tuttle netted the important P.W. Clement.

V
Mixing business, politics and publishing was what Percival W. Clement was all about; he owned the Herald from 1882 to 1927. A Rutland native, Clement also owned Rutland Railroad, the Clement National Bank and New York real estate interests and a brokerage house. He blatantly used his newspaper to support his own projects and political aspirations. He had a strong rivalry with the strong Proctor family of the Vermont Marble Co. Clement held several political offices, and ran for governor three times before being elected in 1918 at the age of 73.

VI
The time of William H. Field and his son William (1927-1947) was one of vastly increased professionalism. Also a Rutland native, Field had a successful career as executive with the Chicago Tribune and was co-founder of the nation's largest-circulation newspaper, the New York Daily News, before returning to Rutland on the death of his father-in-law, Clement, in 1927. At the Herald he started an advertising department, modernized business operations and wrote the annual "Lilac Time" editorial. Bill Field engaged a distinguished typographer to re-design the paper, resulting in major national awards; and he moved the Herald into its present Wales Street building.

VII
The principled era of the Mitchell family began well before Robert W. Mitchell became owner-publisher in 1948 (in partnership with Leroy Noble, the business manager Field had brought from Chicago). Mitchell started at the Herald in 1935 as Vermont Press Bureau reporter in Montpelier, became editor in 1941, and was acting publisher during World War II, when Field enlisted. After 1950 Mitchell took a major role in rebuilding the economy of Rutland, which suffered a massive flood in 1947 and was losing most sources of employment - railroads and stoneworking and "smokestack" industries. He launched an era of some 10,000 editorials over 40 years that promoted the economy and helped rebuild regional confidence, and he gave leadership in commercial and industrial diversification. Mitchell's editorials also supported the ski industry and modern highways, and stood for human rights, amicable race relations and First Amendment freedoms of speech, press, assembly and petition.
Mitchell opposed "chain" newspapers, but the Herald in 1964 acquired the Barre-Montpelier Times Argus to keep it in local ownership; and in 1975 his papers launched a joint Sunday edition. In 1986 the Mitchells acquired the Noble interests in both papers, fending off interest from national newspaper chains, based on a Noble-Mitchell handshake agreement. Bob Mitchell died in 1993, and his son R. John Mitchell, publisher since 1978 of the Times Argus, succeeded his father as Herald publisher.

Notable contributors

In 2001, the Herald won a Pulitzer Prize
Pulitzer Prize
The Pulitzer Prize is a U.S. award for achievements in newspaper and online journalism, literature and musical composition. It was established by American publisher Joseph Pulitzer and is administered by Columbia University in New York City...

 for the work of journalist David Moats . Given for his series of editorial
Editorial
An opinion piece is an article, published in a newspaper or magazine, that mainly reflects the author's opinion about the subject. Opinion pieces are featured in many periodicals.-Editorials:...

s defending the civil union
Civil union
A civil union, also referred to as a civil partnership, is a legally recognized form of partnership similar to marriage. Beginning with Denmark in 1989, civil unions under one name or another have been established by law in many developed countries in order to provide same-sex couples rights,...

s decision in Vermont, this was the first Pulitzer given to the state for journalism.

Award-winning cartoonist Jeff Danziger
Jeff Danziger
Jeff Danziger is a syndicated political cartoonist and author.Danziger served in the United States Army from 1967 until 1971. An intelligence officer and linguist during the Vietnam War, he was awarded the Bronze Star and Air Medal in 1970...

 started his career with the Herald in 1975 and still contributes editorial cartoons and a weekly serial titled 'The Teeds: Tales of Agriculture for the Young and Old'.

Susan Youngwood's 2007 article detailing the anti-Wikipedia stance of professors at Middlebury College
Middlebury College
Middlebury College is a private liberal arts college located in Middlebury, Vermont, USA. Founded in 1800, it is one of the oldest liberal arts colleges in the United States. Drawing 2,400 undergraduates from all 50 United States and over 70 countries, Middlebury offers 44 majors in the arts,...

 has become a commonly cited description of the lack of expertise of Wikipedia editors. See Reliability of Wikipedia
Reliability of Wikipedia
The reliability of Wikipedia , compared to other encyclopedias and more specialized sources, is assessed in many ways, including statistically, through comparative review, analysis of the historical patterns, and strengths and weaknesses inherent in the editing process unique to Wikipedia.Several...

.

External links

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