The Richmonder
| Format | Online |
|---|---|
| Founder | Michael Phillips |
| Editor | Michael Phillips |
Staff writers | Victoria A. Ifatusin, Sarah Vogelsong, Graham Moomaw |
| Founded | 2024 |
| City | Richmond, Virginia |
| Website | https://www.richmonder.org |
The Richmonder is a local online-only, payment-free, subscription-supported[1] news organization in Richmond, Virginia.[2]
History
The site was created by founding editor Michael Philips after he was cut from his job at the Richmond Times-Dispatch[3] in 2023.[1] His initial role there was the coverage of sports, but grew to involve leadership of teams covering other subjects as well.[3]
When he was laid off, he found that no one was regularly sending reporters to local government meetings—the Times-Dispatch had stopped doing so—and decided to create an organization that would do that itself. Philips was inspired by Cardinal News, which was founded in response to similar cuts at The Roanoke Times;[3] he said that they provided a lot of guidance as he was starting up. Further, other laid-off reporters and editors at traditional newspapers had also gone on to new roles, including working as reporters at the Virginia Mercury and VPM; and founded sites of their own, such as Axios Richmond and a digital weather consulting firm launched by Sean Sublette, who also planned to contribute to The Richmonder's weather coverage.[1]
The site was launched on September 9, 2024.[3] Their initial goal was to focus on City Council and School Board meetings; they said that it was important to cover those matters but that it was an area without a lot of competition. At the time, the Richmond mayoral, City Council, and school board elections were getting into full swing, and the site's launch coincided with this period.[1]
To help them get off the ground, David Poole, founder of the Virginia Public Access Project, came on as business manager.[3]
The goal is for the site to eventually cover the surrounding counties with the same watchdog-style journalism as they do the central city.[3]
References
- 1 2 3 4 Newton, Mark (2024-09-03). "New Horizons". richmondmagazine.com. Retrieved 2025-10-27.
- ↑ "RTD, Virginia Mercury alums launching news nonprofit The Richmonder next month - Richmond BizSense". richmondbizsense.com. 2024-08-06. Retrieved 2025-10-27.
- 1 2 3 4 5 6 Peifer, Karri (2024-06-25). "Exclusive: New nonprofit news site launching in Richmond this fall". Axios. Retrieved 2025-10-27.