Focus: watchdog, investigative journalism in Virginia; conservative, small government/anti-tax slant; original reporting and some narrative coverage from other media sources

Started: October 2009

Staff: Paige Winfield, editor and writer

Funding: non-profit, 501(c)3, a project of The Franklin Center for Public Integrity, by the Sam Adams Alliance.

Site: virginia.watchdog.org

From About:

Virginia Watchdog is dedicated to balanced news reporting that promotes responsible state and local government.

The goal of Virginia Watchdog is to uncover the actions of government officials and agencies, offering carefully researched data, context and analysis.

We will investigate and inform the public about waste, fraud, abuse, ethical questions and safety concerns involving the use of taxpayer dollars. We’ll also applaud government services that are run efficiently and make exceptional use of funds.

Sample stories: “Citizens can check congressional office costs”; “Hamilton is third to resign on ethics charges”; “Imaginary Virginia districts reported on federal stimulus Web site”; “WaPo mention and Chesapeake Bay battles” news roundup.

Focus: “One man’s view of the world from Rappahanock County, Virginia”; a “personal blog” by a veteran print newsman. Coverage of municipal issues.

Started: October 2006

Staff: Founded by former Wall Street Journal reporter James P. Gannon, who also was editor of the Des Moines Register and a reporter for The Detroit News. In July 2008, Mr. Gannon entered a content-sharing agreement with local print newsweekly The Rappahannock News. Most news on site generated by Mr. Gannon.

Site: rappvoice.com

From About Us

The Rappahannock Voice was founded in October 2006 by James P. Gannon. He worked as a reporter for The Wall Street Journal for 17 years before becoming the Editor of The Des Moines Register, Iowa’s largest daily newspaper. Under his leadership, The Register won three Pulizer Prizes and was named to Time magazine’s list of the ten best daily newspapers in America. After leaving The Register, Gannon returned to Washington, D.C., where he had worked for The Wall Street Journal, to become Washington Bureau Chief for The Detroit News and to write a national affairs column for the Gannett Co. newspapers.

Sample Posts: “With its roots in India, a winery finds a home in Rappahannock”; “Board of Supervisors’ election sent a ‘don’t rock the boat’ message, but left leadership issue unresolved”; “How savers get punished while big banks that acted irresponsibly get rewarded”