'For all that, thank you': Burlington Free Press editor Aki Soga retires

Dear readers:

Friday, Nov. 1, was my last day with the Free Press, and I bring to a close a career in Vermont journalism that spanned just shy of 33 years – fully half of my life.

I am retiring from daily journalism after nearly 40 years of reporting and editing. I am truly grateful for the opportunity I’ve been given to help deliver the news vital to understanding who we are as a community.

I leave the newsroom in the very capable hands of a dynamic group of reporters who are laser-focused on local journalism and supported by colleagues throughout New England who are part of the USA Today Network. You can expect them to continue to deliver stories big and small that matter to Vermonters.

The scale and character of this state allows journalists in Vermont to cover what the major stories without losing sight that we are writing about our friends and neighbors we might run into at the grocery store.

I thank all the readers who over the years have reached out to me and the Free Press, sometimes with praise, but just as important with criticisms. I appreciate the criticisms because they are evidence that the readers care about the Free Press, signs that they felt an ownership of the coverage we delivered into their lives, a call to do better.

I came to the Free Press in 1991 after five years working as a reporter in Tokyo, first at an English-language newspaper, then as a correspondent for a financial news wire in the very early days of digital journalism.

At the Free Press, I have been a reporter on the features and business desks, business editor, in charge of the opinion pages under various titles and, finally, editor. I’ve been able to build a fulfilling career in a single newsroom that has a deep connection to the people and communities we cover. That’s a rare privilege in our profession these days.

Now, I’m just one more subscriber who turns to Free Press journalists to keep me informed about my community.

I came to Vermont for a job and by choosing to sink our family’s roots in this community, I found a home. Even as I leave the Free Press, Vermont will remain my home. For all of that, thank you.

Burlington Free Press office location

The Burlington Free Press is back in Burlington. The Free Press newsroom and distribution office moved into 305 St. Paul St. (that’s the St. Paul end of the long building along Kilburn Street next to Citizen Cider) at the beginning of August.

The Free Press newsroom moved to Williston in 2021 to join our colleagues in the circulation department who had set up shop at the White Cap Business Park. This spring, we saw an opportunity to move our offices again and focused our search on Burlington.

We found our home in the heart of the South End, a vibrant center of arts, entertainment, food and craft brewing, and only a short walk from downtown. It’s good to be back.