WMRA's October Books & Brews will feature David Poole, author of Trusted Source: How a Virginia Nonprofit Gained Bipartisan Support in an Era of Political Polarization.
Tuesday, October 14, 2025 at 7pm.
Our conversation will take place live at Pale Fire Brewing Company in Harrisonburg, and will be available to watch later on WMRA's Youtube Channel.
Signed copies of Trusted Source will be available at the event and online at Stone Soup Books - https://www.stonesoupbooks.net
WMRA's Books & Brews is made possible thanks to our series sponsor, Gaines Group Architects. The Gaines Group has offices in Charlottesville and Harrisonburg.
About the Book
In 1997, journalist David Poole launched a one-employee nonprofit to shine light on a blind spot in Virginia’s lax campaign finance system. Over the next quarter century, the Virginia Public Access Project (VPAP) assumed an increasingly larger role in state politics by addressing two crises in American democracy—the decline of newspapers and the tribalization of politics. VPAP built a sustainable business model that provided paywall-free insights into state politics. Most important, VPAP adhered to a fiercely independent, fact-based approach that won the trust of Republicans and Democrats alike.
Trusted Source, written by VPAP’s founder, tells the unlikely story of how his organization revolutionized political transparency in Virginia. It describes the precarious early days when VPAP was financially dependent upon the same powerful interests it was shining a light on. Reflecting on VPAP’s first twenty-five years, Poole brings a unique perspective to some of the most vexing issues of our time: money in politics, the crisis of American newspapers, the fracturing of information sources, and the precipitous erosion of confidence in our institutions. His account provides a blueprint for plucky nonprofits and offers hope that bipartisan trust is still possible, even in times as troubled as ours.
About the Author
David M. Poole is the founder of the Virginia Public Access Project, a nonpartisan compendium of information about state politics. At a time of political polarization, Poole's dedication to accuracy and fair play have won trust across the political spectrum.
Before VPAP, Poole was a state political reporter for the Lynchburg News & Advance and Roanoke Times. His mother's family were Scots-Irish who settled in the Valley in the 1700s. He lives in Richmond with his wife, Clare Tilton.