Telling the truth can be expensive
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The Richmonder turns 1 today! All week we're spotlighting our impact to date, and sharing our vision for the coming years.
When we started The Richmonder, I told our early donors and supporters that producing quality journalism would be expensive.
I had no idea.
Our reporters sit in City Council and School Board meetings, but that's just the start of the job. We use tools like FOIA to keep an eye on how taxpayer money is being spent, and work with sources who trust us to be fair in revealing the inner workings of powerful institutions.
Because of our work, the cost to insure ourselves against libel lawsuits went up this year.
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Even a frivolous lawsuit could have a damaging effect on our ability to operate, so legal representation (and ensuring stories are properly vetted before they reach your inbox) is crucial.
Our bill to date this year for FOIA costs, libel insurance and other protections is $6,181.30.
Thank you for your trust and support,
Michael Phillips, founding editor
mphillips@richmonder.org
