Why are local news outlets in the U.S. Virgin Islands often reluctant to aggressively expose corruption and conflicts among public officials? The answer is largely economic: weak and toothless public records and open-meeting laws make hard-hitting journalism financially risky.

To stay profitable, news organizations depend on steady access to public meetings and cooperative official sources. In a small territory with few alternative sources, alienating a public official can be a fatal blow to an outlet’s newsgathering. Compounding the problem, an unusually crowded local media market allows politicians to play outlets against one another, rewarding favorable coverage with leaks and timely access while freezing out critical reporters. This dynamic fuels high turnover among journalists who refuse to play along.

A partial solution lies in embedding robust, enforceable public access provisions directly into the territory's proposed constitution. When open records and sunshine laws are clear and self-enforcing, reporters and citizens do not have to bend the knee to public officials just to obtain basic and timely public information.

Unfortunately, the Virgin Islands Constitutional Convention (VICC) has resisted sharing its draft constitution. If the past is any guide, its proposal is likely to contain soaring rhetoric about transparency without the legal teeth required to enforce it—leaving an access-driven news culture firmly intact.

For a vivid and concise illustration of these tendencies, see the St. Thomas Source's "editor's note" at the top of its article on VICC's Public Education and Information Committee meeting held on Sept. 14, 2026.