Sean McGoey

Being part of the #PandoraPapers team fresh out of grad school remains on the very-shortlist of the coolest experiences of my life in journalism. (OK fine, my life as a whole.)

I also ate my first persimmon this year. Whole new world

And FOIA is not a cure-all, both for the reasons already laid out (namely: they can only uncover the kind of info that is subject to a state's FOIA law) and because filing a FOIA — which is itself public info — along these lines *if you aren't already pretty sure* is likely to shut reporting doors.

Former investigative reporter/current editor chiming in. To steal from The Boondocks: The absence of evidence is not the evidence of absence. You not seeing the effort that reporters make behind the scenes to dig into tips ≠ proof that the reporters are not making an effort to do so.

Hard agree. I had a miniature crashout a couple days ago when I drove across Richmond at lunchtime to go to ZZQ for a smoked turkey sandwich (coleslaw, pickled onions and a smoked tomato(!!!))…only to discover that they were already sold out of turkey for the day

Data: Analyzing Virginia's 2025 general election results VPM News dug into the Virginia 2025 election data and what it means.

If you were following election night returns, you probably heard at some point that every locality in Virginia was moving to the left. That might sound implausible in a state with 133 different voting jurisdictions, but it's true.

@seanmcgoey.com dug through the November General Election data!

Questions remain in dispute over Jim Ryan's exit at UVA "It's a public university. This information should be available."

Virginia lawmakers and University of Virginia faculty are raising alarm bells about ongoing patterns of secrecy and lack of transparency surrounding former UVA President Jim Ryan's resignation in June.

www.vpm.org/news/2025-11...

Curious Commonwealth asks: Has Richmond always been a Halloween town? And is the answer a trick — or a treat?

On this very special Halloween edition of Curious Commonwealth, @seanmcgoey.com asks: "I keep seeing houses in my neighborhood decked out with decorations every bit as insane for Halloween. Has Richmond always been like this?"

VPM News found the answer to be… no!

Read (and listen) if you dare 👻

i'll let the text from my brother, who *took time out of his mini-honeymoon to send me this story late last night*, do the talking:

"this is an insane story factually and also phenomenal writing"

shoutout @annabower.bsky.social and @lawfaremedia.org

Tavares Floyd indicted on election fraud charges A grand jury determined Monday that the case against Floyd could move forward.

@deanmirshahi.bsky.social and i are back on the tavares floyd beat for @vpm.org. why are we covering a former city council candidate, you ask? oh, no particular reason:

State Senate Democrats sue Youngkin officials in latest institutional push The governor said that appointees would need to be rejected by Virginia House or Senate.

Keep in mind re UVA's president being reportedly pushed out by feds: Youngkin's appointees now control the Board of Visitors, and they [eventually- it takes a while-] elect a successor. The Dem majority in the state senate says some BoV members are serving illegally

www.vpm.org/news/2025-06...

@nytimes.com reported Friday that Ryan told UVA's board of visitors that he would step down amid pressure from the US Justice Department.

DOJ was reportedly pressuring Ryan to resign in as a condition to settle a civil rights investigation into UVA's diversity, equity and inclusion practices.

UVA president Jim Ryan resigns under pressure from Trump administration The Justice Department has been investigating UVA over its diversity practices.

BREAKING: UVA President Jim Ryan resigned Friday, according to news reports.

VPM News is going deep on *JOY* this summer.

Who or what is bringing you joy in Central Virginia? Is there a hidden source of joy that you want people to know about? And why does it sometimes feel a little bit difficult to grab onto moments of joy right now?

We'd love to share your stories.

Is there a feed that we can subscribe to now that will start publishing in a couple days? Or does the feed go up on 5/7?

Regardless of your thoughts about NPR/PBS nationally, your local public media station relies on people like you. Continue to let us know what you want from us. And put your money where your mouth is. Let us amplify your voice and help us make it happen.

Nine years later, the #PanamaPapers investigation continues to inspire governments around the world to chase badly needed revenue lost offshore to tax evasion schemes.

Check out ICIJ's current tally based on information received from various governments: buff.ly/Yl2PJMA

Sweeping COVID program cuts hit Virginia Department of Health The $11.4B federal ‘claw back’ has led to layoffs and public health cuts nationwide.

The federal government is withdrawing up to $425 million in grant funding for several COVID-related programs operated by the Virginia Dept. of Health. The cuts have already led to ongoing layoffs and the early cancellation of existing contracts across the state.

*This is a developing story*

How could federal education cuts impact Virginia school budgets? Commonwealth schools receive $2.4B, collectively, from the feds each year.

my old rtd colleague chris suarez and i teamed up on this story for @vpm.org about the potential effects of cuts at usdoe on virginia school districts — hopefully the first of many stories exploring how the swirling chaos that is "the federal government, 2025 edition" is going to impact the state.

My dog: asleep on the couch, dead to the world, literally snoring

Me: walks to door

My dog: WHOA WHOA WHOA I’M UP WHERE YA GOIN

one of my most prized possessions is a gift from my partner: a framed needlepoint of one of @sheaserrano.bsky.social's many "shoot your shot today" tweets. etsy will definitely hook you up!

if a top-down approach to building the kind of world you want to live in isn't producing results, then go from the bottom up. build the community you're looking for, then work to expand those circles.

local journalism is all about strengthening local communities through information.

support your friendly neighborhood media outlet!

@vpm.org covered the hell out of the richmond water crisis in jan (and all its subsequent fallout) in no small part *because we were literally living through it too.*

local journalists are here to cover local issues, and we need your help to do it.

pretty confident i'm not finishing anything else by friday, so:

2. you didn't hear this from me - @mckinneykelsey.bsky.social 🎙️

3. mood machine - @lizpelly.bsky.social

Oyster eating focuses state lawmakers on Chesapeake Bay restoration The waterway’s foundation hosts an annual event to celebrate progress, advocacy.

From the incomparable @jahd.bsky.social and Patrick Larsen: The @chesapeakebayfdn.bsky.social hosts an annual oyster eating "contest" at the Virginia State Capitol to keep the conservation conversation on the table. @vpm.org

www.vpm.org/news/2025-02...

i may not have a bigger wheelhouse than "nerds going deep on nerd shit"

for real though, the fastest way to get me to finally dive in on your gigantic magnum opus is to get someone else to do an in-depth breakdown pod i can listen to as i go. finally took the plunge on game of thrones when the ringer did "binge mode" (however many years ago that was now)

take it up with roman mars lol

"wealth of basketball knowledge" is so generous, but i will take it!

highly recommend finding a job where you can have a silly video idea based solely on the fact that a major virginia legislative event shares a name with a sports move...and your colleagues go "yep, let's make that into reality."

Yesterday marked the halfway point in the General Assembly.
#ICYMI here's a nice explainer on what crossover day actually is, ft. @seanmcgoey.com and his wealth of basketball knowledge.