Ricky Young has joined Cardinal News as editor in chief.
Young will lead an expansion of one of the nation’s fastest-growing nonprofit, nonpartisan news organizations as it fulfills its mission to cover a journalistically underserved region of Virginia.
Young brings to Cardinal News a strong history of leading award-winning newsrooms.
“I am confident in his ability to build on our journalistic successes and inspire our team to pursue investigative and accountability journalism,” said Luanne Rife, executive director.
Young will be part of the leadership team as Cardinal News executes its vision to deepen its storytelling and its connections with its communities.
Young has spent more than 35 years in the local news business, including 10 years as a reporter and more than 25 as an editor.
He has worked at The Denver Post, The Orange County Register, the San Diego Union-Tribune, The Tennessean and the Chattanooga Times Free Press in Tennessee. His focus has been on digital innovation and accountability journalism, leading teams that uncovered nepotism at a district attorney’s office, corruption at the highway patrol, neglect in assisted living centers, unnecessary jail deaths and campaign finance abuses that resulted in the conviction of a congressman (later pardoned).
Young said he looks forward to bringing that same watchdog focus to Virginia.
“Cardinal News is an impressive news operation with a growing staff of journalists shining a light and telling the stories of Southwest and Southside Virginia,” he said. “It’s a beautiful part of the country, and I look forward to being part of a team dedicated to using the power of storytelling and making connections with readers to work together to make it better.”
He will oversee a journalism team that includes a managing editor, a founding editor, two associate editors, 12 reporters and two copy editors. He started Monday.
Cardinal News was founded in 2021 to report the untold stories of Southwest and Southside Virginia and strengthen the voices of the people in communities that have been sidelined in the commonwealth’s political, economic and cultural conversations simply because of where they live.
Young will be responsible for ensuring that Cardinal News’ stories are impactful, represent all voices and are adapted for multiple platforms so that Cardinal’s audiences can access local journalism in the places and on the platforms they seek to consume news. You can reach him at ricky@cardinalnews.org.
