Eric Lipton, a four-time Pulitzer Prize winner and investigative reporter for The New York Times, talks to an audience at the Delta Hotel in South Burlington on 9 October 2026. Photo by Daria Bishop for Vermont Digger. Eric Lipton, an investigative journalist for the New York Times, spoke Friday , Oct. 9, at Delta Hotels in South Burlington about his reporting on profiteering within the Trump administration. More than 180 people attended the sold out event, hosted by VTDigger and Seven Days. Lipton described how he and his colleagues investigated the Trump family’s pursuit of personal profit across the world, including an estimated $2.2 billion earned by President Trump during the first year of his second term. He also recounted how federal agents arrived at his and his colleagues’ homes with subpoenas seeking phone records and information about their confidential sources and how The New York Times fought back. Lipton reflected on the critical role of a free press in a democracy and the importance of vigorous, innovative news organizations, including Seven Days and nonprofits like ProPublica and VTDigger. He ended with a promise, “We will not be intimidated.”  The talk capped a two-day visit to his alma mater, University of Vermont, where Lipton met with students and delivered a free masterclass in investigative reporting to Vermont journalists. A full recording of the event, produced by CCTV, is available online. VTDigger thanks CCTV, Seven Days and the Delta Hotels for helping make the event possible. Read the story on VTDigger here: A free press under pressure: New York Times’ Eric Lipton speaks in Vermont. ...read more read less