The phrase “labored mightily and brought forth a mouse,” which I thought was Shakespeare but turns out to be from Aesop’s Fables, crossed my mind while reading the latest cover story in Seven Days. It chronicles the experiences of two rookie lawmakers in their first session in office, not a bad idea in itself. But the longer I went on reading (it’s long), the more I realized that this story was a mile wide and an inch deep. It traded in the obvious, provided little context, indulged the outsized expectations of the two lawmakers, and did little to justify its length or the sheer quantity of reporting that went into it.

And reporting time, in these days of diminished media outlets, is an extremely precious resource.

The story is the latest installment in “Ways and Means,” billed as “a deeper read on the Vermont Legislature.” It’s been heavily promoted by Seven Days, which secured special funding from “Vermont philanthropists”(see below) to hire reporter Hannah Bassett to explore the Legislature’s competence, efficiency, or lack thereof. It’s been an underwhelming effort so far; Bassett’s been on the case for six months and produced a mere five stories, most of which trafficked in the obvious (Lobbyists have influence! Legislative disclosure rules are weak! The Legislature’s lawyers work really hard!). Still waiting for an in-depth look at The Marble Palace.

A lot of Bassett’s time was invested in this latest effort. She followed the two lawmakers throughout the session, from early January to adjournment in mid-June. The story is rich with detail about their hopes, dreams, and blow-by-blow experiences. But that’s what it is: a compendium of details, a prime example of what editors disdainfully call a “notebook dump.” There was no effort to provide perspective or other points of view. Everything is seen through the eyes of the two principals.

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