Guha, Auditi

Guha, Auditi

Auditi Guha

Chittenden County Editor
VTDigger
aguha@vtdigger.org
Born 1974-Present

Auditi Guha is an award-winning journalist covering issues relating to race, immigration, reproductive rights, and criminal justice. She has worked for numerous news and media companies in India and the Northeast United States, including the Indian Express, Rewire News, the Somerville Journal, and the Milford Daily News. Guha currently works as the Chittenden County Editor for VTDigger, reporting on all things Chittenden County, Vermont. Her writing has helped uncover issues related to race and malpractice, helping advance change in her community.

“Find a mentor, ask questions, reach out, [and] don’t be shy” - Auditi Guha, 2023.

Selected Publications: 

Guha, A. 2023, August 17. Facing no-confidence vote, South Burlington school board chair steps down. VTDigger. https://vtdigger.org/2023/08/17/facing-no-confidence-vote-south-burlingt…

Guha, A. 2023, July 25. Flooding leaves tenants in ‘an untenable situation.’ VTDigger. https://vtdigger.org/2023/07/25/flooding-leaves-tenants-in-an-untenable-…

Guha, A. 2023, July 20. Barre bakery building, no stranger to calamity, cleans up from floods. VTDigger. https://vtdigger.org/2023/07/20/barre-bakery-building-no-stranger-to-cal…

Guha, A. 2023, July 12. Milton dam helps prevent more severe flooding. VTDigger. https://vtdigger.org/2023/07/12/the-dam-worked-as-it-should-and-milton-g…

Early Life and Education: 

Auditi Guha was born in Calcutta, India, in 1974. Her family lived near the city zoo, sparking an early interest and love for animals. She was involved with the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) from a young age, attending events with her aunt. This early exposure sparked Guha’s interest in the environmental field.

Guha studied English at Loreto Covenant School before transferring to Symbiosis International University. She graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in English in 1996. Guha then attended Sophia Girls College, earning a diploma in Social Communications Media in 1997. Guha then moved to the United States for graduate school. She attended Emerson College in Boston, Massachusetts, and completed a Master’s degree in Print and Multimedia Journalism in 2001.

Career: 

Guha has held numerous positions at editorial companies, starting as a City Reporter for India Plus TV in Mumbai in 1997. In 1998, she became a Copy Editor at Indian Express, covering politics, development, and the emerging internet in India. Before moving overseas to the United States, Guha was an Assistant Film Editor for Advani Productions, working on a children’s feature film.

After completing her master’s degree, Guha’s first role in the United States was as a Staff Reporter and Assistant Editor with the Community Newspaper Company. As part of this role, she wrote for various newspapers in Greater Boston affiliated with the company, including the Allston-Brighton TAB, Cambridge Chronicle, the Somerville Journal, and the Milford Daily News. While at the Community Newspaper Company, Guha wrote about racism at a popular nightclub, leading them to change their policies.

Starting in 2002, Guha volunteered as a Media Coordinator and Event Organizer for Amra Kojon, a Bengali folk music chorus, in Providence, Rhode Island. She volunteered in this role until 2014.

Upon leaving the Community Newspaper Company in 2006, Guha began working for GateHouse Media New England. There, she wrote for the Somerville Journal and Cambridge Chronicle. Guha started as a Crime Reporter and received promotions to Assistant Editor and then to Editor. She reported news, produced videos online, and recruited and mentored interns.

In 2013, Guha became a Staff Writer at The New Bedford Standard-Times, covering race, immigration, higher education, and breaking news. In 2016, she moved to Maryland to become a Race and Justice Reporter at Rewire News. With Rewire News, she reported on national injustice and inequality, including the Standing Rock protests, the Flint water crisis, the Black Lives Matter movement, and women’s rights. In 2018, Guha became the Northeast Regional Reporter for Rewire News before leaving the company in 2019 to return to Massachusetts for a position at Psych Expertise.

At Psych Expertise, Guha was a copy editor conducting health and criminal justice research. In 2021, Guha moved to Vermont to be Senior Editor at VTDigger. In 2022, she started her current position as Chittenden County Editor. She reports on Chittenden County, Vermont’s fastest-growing region, covering equity, economics, and other breaking news issues.

Outside of writing for newspapers and media, since 2002, Guha has been a lecturer, panelist, and public speaker at Emerson College, Boston University, University of Michigan, and Middlebury College. In these roles, she communicates narratives and teaches others about journalism. Guha has won numerous rewards for her reporting and was recently honored as a fellow for the Poynter Institute’s Leadership Academy for Women in Media in spring 2023. She is a member of the South Asian Journalists Association, the Society of Professional Journalists, and the Society of Environmental Journalists.

Importance of Mentoring: 

Mentoring has helped Guha grow into the journalist she is today. She particularly highlights Wayne Braverman, an early editor at Community Newspaper Co. in Boston, MA, as an important figure in her career. He championed Guha and her work in the newsroom, helping her gain confidence as a writer. Additionally, she cites Kat Power, Somerville Journal Editor, as someone who helped provide her with leadership positions.

Mentoring Others: 

Guha mentors aspiring journalists with the Report for America and the New England First Amendment Coalition. She serves every community she works in. She previously mentored an underserved student in the New Bedford Public Schools for four years through SMILES, a program dedicated to combatting chronic dropout rates that lead to poor development.

Advice to Young Professionals: 

Guha highlights the importance of mentoring in professional development. She advises young professionals considering a career in the journalism and environmental fields to “find a mentor, ask questions, reach out, [and] don’t be shy” (2023). She highlights that mentors want to help support you and your career, and thus young professionals should not be afraid of reaching out for advice related to work or life, anytime.

Sources: 

LinkedIn. (n.d.). Auditi Guha. https://www.linkedin.com/in/auditi/

Survey and interviews conducted by Justice, Equity, Diversity, and Sustainability Initiative staff. 2022-2023. Yale University-School of the Environment. New Haven, Connecticut.

VTDigger. (n.d.). Our Team. https://vtdigger.org/our-team/auditi-guha/

Last Updated: 
11/21/2023