Strengthening local news in rural Virginia: A look at our new support for Cardinal News
On Oct. 28, the American Journalism Project announced $800,000 in new support for Cardinal News to deepen its reporting across Southwest and Southside Virginia, expanding coverage that connects and informs communities across the region. Below, we share more about Cardinal News’s plans for growth and what its work can teach us about building sustainable local news in rural communities.
Southwest and Southside Virginia is home to 1.1 million people spread across one-third of the state — a vast, largely rural region where strong local news has been scarce for years. Since 2021, Cardinal News is changing that, delivering independent reporting that serves these underserved communities and keeps institutions honest.
In just a few years, Cardinal News has built a strong foundation. The newsroom produces enterprise investigations and daily reporting on policy and politics, business, education, technology, and health, distributed through its website, newsletters, podcasts, and events. With 25,700 daily newsletter subscribers and nearly 400,000 average monthly visitors, Cardinal News has already reached an audience comparable to much older peers. And crucially, the organization has demonstrated meaningful revenue growth, proving that audiences in rural markets will support quality local reporting when it serves their needs.
The American Journalism Project’s investment will help Cardinal News continue building the foundation for long-term sustainability. As its revenue and operations strengthen, the organization plans to expand its reporting capacity and reach more readers across the region.
Cardinal News has divided its region into six hyperlocal subregions, each with distinct needs and coverage gaps. Our new support will help the organization deepen coverage across all of them. Plans include expanding its team of place-based reporters in areas like the New River Valley and Alleghany Highlands, adding energy and environment reporting, and building visual storytelling capacity. The organization also plans to expand its hyperlocal Agenda stories, which preview important weekly community decisions, and to partner with universities to develop reporter pipelines.
What Cardinal News is building matters beyond Virginia. Rural communities nationwide face similar challenges: shrinking news coverage and growing gaps in local accountability. Cardinal News is demonstrating how nonprofit local news can build sustainable operations in these markets, offering a model that other rural regions are watching closely. We’re proud to support Cardinal News as it builds on its foundation and continues serving communities across Southwest and Southside Virginia.
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