What it's like to work at The Richmonder
This Giving Tuesday, we'd like to introduce you to The Richmonder's newsroom, which is made possible by our donating members.
Graham Moomaw
Stories about people being wrongfully imprisoned tend to stay with you, and writing about what happened to Marvin Grimm Jr. in Richmond decades ago and the city’s apparent reluctance to pay him restitution money was no exception.
To me, that was a story about what society owes to someone who went into prison in their early 20s and didn’t come out until the age of 65. What do we do about all those years lost and memories never made?
You can’t give someone back a life, but the money is supposed to be a gesture that at least something has been done to right a past wrong.
Journalism can help focus attention on an issue that might otherwise be pushed off or kept below the surface, and I hope our coverage played a small role in getting city leaders to treat that issue with more urgency.
Victoria A. Ifatusin:
I’ve worked at a few different places — and I’m grateful for those experiences — but no newsroom has felt as on-the-ground and grassroots as The Richmonder. We’re a tiny but mighty team, where leadership isn’t an unknown entity on the 26th floor.
We’re empathetic, collaborative, and are always having insightful conversations on whether there’s something deeper or bigger behind a story we’ve already told.
We answer to the residents living in this city. And when I’m out reporting, I can feel that connection — people recognize The Richmonder and appreciate the work my colleagues and I do. Hearing residents say, “Thank you for what you do,” or “I love The Richmonder!” has become a regular — and really meaningful — part of my reporting routine that I truly enjoy.
Sarah Vogelsong
Since we launched, we’ve been clear that we see our work as a service to the community, not just a matter of chasing clicks.
For me, that outlook has meant I can invest time in stories like this explanatory piece on how Richmond’s affordable housing performance grant program operates and whether it’s working as intended so far.
There was no big event that forced us to do this story. But I got more questions from readers about the program than about any other issue, and so we thought it would be valuable to our audience to look into it.
Turns out, readers also thought it was valuable: That story got thousands of clicks, and I still have people tell me they had no idea the program existed before they read it. Some felt pride in the effort; others were skeptical it would be worth it. Either way, they got a better understanding of what the city was trying to prioritize, which at the end of the day is what we wanted.
Thank you for playing a part in making Richmond a great place to live, work and play.
Michael Phillips
Founding editor
mphillips@richmonder.org
P.S. — The work has only begun. We've got a long list of stories we want to dig into in the coming year. Your support allows us to inform Richmond on the issues that matter most to our community. Please donate now!
