About Courier Newsroom

Dogwood is owned and operated by Courier Newsroom, a civic media company with eight state-based newsrooms. Our mission is to protect and strengthen our democracy through credible, fact-based journalism that seeks to create a more informed, engaged, and representative America.

We reach audiences who are not regularly engaging with civic information, and who are unlikely to subscribe to paywalled journalism. As part of that effort, we deliver much of our reporting on the social platforms our readers use most frequently.

Courier’s newsrooms practice independent, point-of-view journalism. You can read about Dogwood’s values in the statement below. The managing editor of each site, in addition to Courier Newsroom’s VP of Content, has sole discretion and control over the editorial process.

Courier Newsroom is a public benefit corporation owned by Good Information Inc., and is supported by reader contributions, sponsors, philanthropic donations, and corporate underwriting. We maintain an editorial firewall between our newsrooms and underwriters, sponsors, and donors. We do not accept funding from any national or state political party, party committee, candidate, or campaign.

See Courier’s website for additional information about our national team and our funding model.

Contributions or gifts in support of Dogwood’s journalism are not tax deductible as charitable contributions.
Dogwood is part of the Courier Newsroom network. All payments will be made to Courier Newsroom.

Dogwood: Where We’re Coming From

Our mission is to report the news and information that Virginia families need to build strong, vibrant lives. We are writing specifically for the women who carried our state throughout its history and beyond this pandemic, often sacrificing their time, careers, and their sanity to keep their families afloat.

We believe that in order to build strong, vibrant lives, they need good information on the policies that affect them, and the rich culture our state provides. We do not define good (or bad) policy based on which political party supports it. Instead, we outline below what we believe is necessary to live a strong and vibrant life in the commonwealth:

Democracy must be protected and nurtured: Democracy is the best way to ensure all Virginians have a say in their own lives and their government. We repudiate any efforts to erode our democratic government, whether it be through restricting voting access, giving power to legislatures to overthrow popular votes, or allowing courts to overrule the will of the voters.
Health care must be accessible, including abortion and contraception: No Virginian should die for lack of health care or go bankrupt because of the care they received. We believe there is a public role in supporting that care. We also fervently believe that health care must include access to abortion. The state should never require a person to use their body to keep another–who cannot live on their own–alive.
Jobs that pay a living wage and recognize life is necessary outside of work: Public policy is necessary to ensure every Virginian who wants to work can do so, and makes a living wage doing it. And employers must accept and recognize that their employees will get sick, will have children, will have sick family members who need care.
Schools that fully educate our children and recognize child care as a public good: Quality, public education is a bedrock value of our country, and Virginia in particular. We believe access to that education must be protected against efforts to privatize schools. We also believe that public support must expand to the youngest children.
Public policy CAN be good: News often focuses on the negative. While the press plays a vital role in the accountability of elected officials, the truth is that without public programs, millions in Virginia would go without health care, without education, without heat, without housing, without food. We will explain to readers when and how their tax dollars support our entire state.

We believe ensuring more Virginia families have access to fact-based information on these issues and more will inspire them to participate in the democratic process—not only on Election Day, but every day.

Why are we doing this work? Because Virginia is our home. We have made our lives here, and we are invested in making our state a place where all can come to live a life full of opportunity, hope, and joy.