Cardinal News

The news about the news business is stark. Legacy newspaper “shrinkage” continues at an alarming rate.  Hundreds of counties across America are now considered “news deserts.”

We won’t let that happen here. 

Cardinal News was formed in 2021 specifically to address “shrinking” news coverage in our part of Virginia. We tell the stories of Virginians who often get sidelined in the state's political, economic and cultural conversations simply because of where they live. We use a nonprofit, donor-based model for news coverage. We don’t put up a paywall; everyone, regardless of financial ability, deserves to be informed about what’s happening in their community.

Your donation ensures Cardinal News can keep covering all that matters in the New River Valley, whether it's the Mountain Valley Pipeline, wages in Wythe and Pulaski, campus protests in Blacksburg, college tuition in the region, or broadband access in Montgomery County. Donate any amount and our news coverage can remain paywall-free for everyone. Thank you! 

Photo of student protesters at Virginia Tech from May 2024, from Cardinal News education reporter Lisa Rowan. 

Cardinal News was recognized as Startup of the Year by the Institute for Nonprofit News in 2023. Members of INN are held to a high standard of fiscal transparency and journalistic integrity.  Cardinal News held a series of open houses across the region earlier this year so we could get to know residents and ask them how best to serve them. This photo is from a "Cardinal Connects" event at Coffeeholics in Blacksburg.