Charlottesville Tomorrow gets over 100 messages from folks in central Virginia every day.
It’s humbling. We know that you value context, depth and care in the news we provide, and we know how important it is to make as healthy and safe a work environment as we can for our team. And as a news organization, we know that we simply cannot cover every issue, highlight every initiative and event that is important to you.
At the same time, we know that many communities in our region are the targets of misinformation and disinformation campaigns. We see how quickly falsehoods and half truths spread, and how that harms people.
And yet, I am hopeful.
This year, our nonprofit news organization is poised to grow, giving us more capacity than we’ve ever had to provide high quality, inclusive news that is free for anyone to access. Over the next three years we will be covering more of what matters to you.
We are ready to take on the challenges ahead with courage, to tell more of your stories, to continue to build trust across our differences, and work with you to build a local news ecosystem that is healthier for all of us.
It’s only possible because of your sustained support. In October, the 2024 State of Local News report from the Medill Local News Initiative at Northwestern University highlighted Charlottesville Tomorrow, chronicling our journey to becoming “a nonprofit local news leader in Virginia,” one of 12 “bright spots” in a beleaguered local news ecosystem. This is a testament to all of you who have invested in this newsroom since our founding in 2005, and those of you have stepped up to help us grow through the changes we’ve made since 2017 — whether you’re telling folks to subscribe, chipping in $5 a month, or making larger investments.
There’s a lot that we, as a community, cannot control. But we are not giving up our access to high quality information and equitable representation, and we are not simply allowing social media algorithms and the billions that are spent on campaign advertising to fill the gaps. Together, we are building media that helps us see each other, know each other, and engage with our local democracy.
Thank you for all your messages of encouragement, for telling us when our reporting, events and resources are helping you and for telling us when we can do better. Keep telling us what you think. And if it’s easier to have a conversation, let’s find a time to talk.
Next year, Charlottesville Tomorrow will celebrate our 20th anniversary, and we are planning for the next 20. We hope you’ll stay tuned and join us on the journey.
