Vermont Public has declined to rebroadcast a locally-produced documentary about state history, citing concerns that the film lacks “essential context” regarding contested claims about Vermont’s Abenaki tribes.
The six-part film “Freedom & Unity: The Vermont Movie,” produced by Norwich filmmaker Nora Jacobson, originally aired on Vermont PBS in 2013 and 2014. The documentary features work from more than two dozen local filmmakers and offers what the original coverage described as “an uncritical look” at Vermont’s Abenaki tribes, which received formal state recognition in the early 2010s.
While the Public Broadcasting Service selected the film for national distribution last November and it has aired in other markets, Vermont Public has refused to rerun it locally.
“We felt distributing the documentary as-is could confuse our audience and not be a productive contribution to what is already a very complex state discourse,” wrote Kari Anderson, Vermont Public’s senior vice president of audience and community, in a statement to Seven Days.
The decision stems from a growing controversy over the legitimacy of Vermont’s four state-recognized Abenaki tribes. Two Western Abenaki nations based in Quebec — Odanak First Nation and Wôlinak First Nation — have challenged Vermont’s recognition process, according to the reporting.
The Canadian Abenaki leaders claim that most members of Vermont’s recognized tribes lack genealogical evidence to support their Abenaki identity. Last fall, these leaders released research they said proves certain high-profile members of Vermont-recognized tribes have no native heritage.
Vermont Public has since produced its own coverage questioning the Vermont tribes’ legitimacy. In 2023, the outlet aired a three-part series called “Recognized” that referred to the “self-proclaimed Vermont Abenaki” and examined their claims. The station also updated a 2016 episode about the Abenaki to direct readers to the newer reporting for “up-to-date” information.
Anderson said Vermont Public would consider rebroadcasting Jacobson’s film only if she agreed to remove the first two episodes, which contain interviews with members of Vermont-recognized Abenaki bands.
Jacobson rejected this proposal and accused Vermont Public of attempting to erase Vermont Abenaki in a letter sent to media outlets last week.
“Since when is it Vermont Public’s job to publicly adjudicate Abenaki identity?” Jacobson wrote. “Vermont Public is a news organization, not a state or federal agency. I can think of no other instance where Vermont Public refuses to allow people to identify their own ethnicity and identity.”
The filmmaker proposed alternative solutions, including adding a disclaimer noting that views in the film don’t necessarily reflect Vermont Public’s position and hosting roundtable discussions with Abenaki community members. However, she firmly opposes altering the documentary itself.
“The Vermont Movie is about people telling their own stories,” Jacobson said. “You can’t argue with someone talking about their lived experience.”
Instead, Jacobson plans to produce a follow-up documentary focused specifically on the current controversy.
The dispute highlights broader challenges news organizations face when covering contested identity claims and handling third-party content that may conflict with updated reporting standards.
Anderson confirmed that Vermont Public remains in discussions with Jacobson but currently has no plans to rebroadcast the film, according to the statement.
The controversy reflects what media outlets describe as a complex situation that has forced reconsideration of how Vermont’s Abenaki heritage claims are covered and presented to the public.
