Richmondside may have only begun publishing June 25, but we’ve been talking to community members for more than a year to learn what Richmonders want us to write about. That intensive face-to-face and online listening campaign, which will continue in a new capacity, has resulted in over a thousand comments and suggestions from roughly 400 people who told us what issues matter to them most, what’s working and what’s not in current coverage from other media sources, and things they wish more people knew about their city.
Residents’ opinions were varied and covered a lot of topics, some of them general (“Report in an honest and fair way”) and others more specific (“cover the local skating community!”). But, over time, a handful of consistent themes emerged, and it’s those that we’ve drawn on to create Richmondside’s founding newsroom values — a set of guiding principles for our journalism.
These five core values — editorial independence, courage to report without favor, providing information that connects communities, highlighting progress and not just problems and reflecting Richmond’s diversity — aren’t just slogans that look good on paper: Our reporters and editors are already using these values, which you can read more about below, to prioritize what they report and write about, and how they approach specific stories. These values also help us set long-term newsroom goals as we expand. We’ll refer to them often, story by story, to ensure that our journalism is mission-driven and responsive to local communities’ needs.
Maintain editorial independence
Protecting our editorial independence is a bedrock value held not just by Richmondside’s staff, but all of Cityside’s newsrooms. This would be true whether or not Richmond residents brought it up, though it was nice to see that this is important to them as well:
As a nonprofit newsroom, Richmondside is funded by a mix of large and small reader donations, local advertising revenue and sponsorships and foundation grants.. But, as journalists, we know that building trust with the communities we cover requires us to be steadfastly independent, and this is why we never accept money from anyone if there are strings attached that might influence or restrict our reporting. Simply put, the choices we make as editors and reporters — about what to cover, and how — are always motivated by what we believe to be in the public interest, and never by the individuals or groups who give us financial support.
Have the courage to report without favor
Being editorially independent requires a commitment to reporting comprehensively and without fear, even on topics that are sure to ignite local passions and stir debate. This is something that Richmonders told us they want: Time and again, residents said they hope that the newsroom will be a fair and impartial voice on contentious issues.
One person we interviewed simply listed traits that they want the newsroom to embody: “Truth. Transparency. Honest. Unbiased.”
Richmondside is committed to upholding these qualities, even though we know it won’t always be easy. Richmonders care deeply about their city and have passionate opinions about what’s best for the people who live here. That’s why, if we’re doing our job, there will be times when our reporting ruffles feathers, makes people uncomfortable, and complicates narratives. Speaking truth to power and promoting accountability are core functions of journalism, and we’ll always do our best to fulfill those roles responsibly, even when doing so might elicit external blowback.
Provide information that connects communities
Feeling disconnected from other Richmonders was a theme that came up repeatedly during our many interviews with residents. This is partly because Richmond is spread out across a large geography with meandering boundaries. Large swaths of voting districts 2 and 4, for example, appear like islands floating among a sea of other neighborhoods or cities, making it nearly impossible for Richmonders to cross from one side of their city to the other without passing through San Pablo, El Cerrito, El Sobrante or unincorporated areas of Contra Costa County.
But people told us their feelings of civic detachment are also due to a relative lack of local reporting and information in Richmond. They would like to know who their neighbors are and about what’s happening in different parts of the city to help them make meaningful connections with community members outside of their immediate circles and become more active in civic life.
One local resident said she usually learns about activities in Richmond after the fact, and by then it’s too late to get involved. “Do articles on events that go on in the city BEFORE they happen,” she implored.
“Tell me more about my community,” said another resident. “Events and news.”
Others asked for information to help get them connected to critical community resources:
In the days to come, we’ll be publishing traditional news stories about topics such as city council decisions, economic development projects, school district issues, and the local environment. But we’ll place just as much emphasis on journalism that aims to strengthen the community fabric by bringing people together: local event previews, public service announcements, profiles of local restaurants and small business owners, and explainers that make it easier for local residents to participate in civic life.
Report on progress, not just problems
From its rich history to its beautiful waterfront and park spaces, its cultural scene and well-earned reputation for being socially and politically forward-thinking, there’s no shortage of things to admire about Richmond. Not surprisingly, many people we spoke to expressed a deep pride in living and being from here. But that sentiment was often matched by frustration over pervasive negative perceptions of the city — held mostly by those who aren’t from Richmond, fueled perhaps by regional crime reports that often don’t provide enough context or explore long-term solutions.
Many people we spoke to said they hope that Richmondside will provide a more complete narrative by reporting about the positive things happening here, and not just focusing on what needs to be fixed:
We look forward to producing journalism that challenges the prevailing narratives that have stubbornly followed Richmond. We’ll do this by telling the stories of people and groups working to improve long-standing systemic problems in the city, by applauding local policies when they’ve shown to have a positive impact, by documenting Richmond’s natural beauty, and by highlighting the artists and creatives who are protecting local cultural legacies and keeping Richmond unique and interesting.
Reflect the diversity of Richmond’s people
One of the questions we asked people in Richmond was: “What do you think is your community’s biggest asset?” We received many inspiring responses, including:
“All the different Richmonds inside of Richmond. It’s huge: big waterfront, big issues, big beautiful hills, big important history.”
“Hardworking and scrappy; lack of pretension; local boosterism in the face of Berkeley/Oakland spotlights.”
“The vibrancy of industrial and gourmet, the ability of art and squalor to live adjacent, like flowers growing through sidewalk cracks. The power of Richmond — with Chevron, the port, the people, BART, Amtrak. It has so much potential — it’s like a lake above a dam, ready to power something big.”
The array of answers was remarkable, and one theme stood out — the incredible variety of Richmond’s people:
At Richmondside, we’ll honor the community feedback we received by striving to produce local journalism that lives up to these founding newsroom values. But nothing is ever perfect, including us. So we’ll be relying on others in the community to let us know how we’re doing, by commenting on our stories, sending us a text message, or emailing us at hello@richmondside.org. We promise to keep listening and continue learning, so we can better serve all of Richmond’s communities with reporting and information they can use and trust.
