Trusted Source
How a Virginia Nonprofit Gained Bipartisan Support in an Era of Political Polarization
David M. Poole
How the Virginia Public Access Project revolutionized political transparency and won public trust
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.
Trusted Source shows the magic that happens when a gifted writer provides a candid firsthand account of truly interesting and transformative events. David Poole’s narrative about the improbable nonpartisan achievement that VPAP represents makes for a really good read about a really good deed.- Frank B. Atkinson, author of Virginia in the Vanguard and The Lion's Den: A Story of American Renewal
David Poole does a masterful job of recounting the story of how VPAP went from an idea on a napkin to an invaluable resource for citizens, journalists and politicians. The lessons here could benefit any non-profit leader by pointing out the necessity of staying true to your ideals and constantly upping your game.- Beth Macy, author of Dopesick
Trusted Source is the entertaining, informative, and timely tale of David Poole’s transformation from kickass reporter to founder of a small nonprofit seeking to shed light on Virginia’s system of opaque, sky’s-the-limit political donations.- Chip Jones, author of The Organ Thieves, winner of the 2021 Library of Virginia Award for Literary Nonfiction
His bipartisan success story is especially refreshing in this troubling time of tribal politics. By respecting differing points of view and engaging the many actors in and around state government, the Virginia Public Access Project started slowly, only to become a vital source of unbiased information from the statehouse to the courthouse. Today, it’s a trusted and accessible source for everyone – from elected officials to
lobbyists to average citizens.
Drawing on VPAP’s extensive records and his own original reporting, Poole colorfully chronicles the organization’s origin story. Adding to the book’s charm, he fesses up to his mistakes, self-doubts, and occasional bad jokes. Through it all, though, Poole’s passion for the truth never wavered.
Sunshine is the best disinfectant in politics, and thanks to David Poole, Virginia now has more sun than Florida. Poole is a former journalist and ‘a subversive with a smile’, as he describes himself. He undertook a difficult mission—creating a nonprofit called the Virginia Public Access Project (vpap.org) that would show news organizations, political groups, and everyday citizens who was giving money to which candidates. Over three decades VPAP has done that and much more, and achieved it in a nonpartisan way. Politicians are not always comfortable with the disclosures; you might say some have been sunburned. Yet it is impossible to imagine going back to the way it once was.- Larry Sabato, Director of the Center for Politics, University of Virginia
Virginia is the Wild West of campaign finance, with few rules and restrictions, so transparency is the only available check. This book is a roadmap to finding solutions, removing roadblocks, and securing enough funding to make transparency happen. It was often a struggle. You will come, as I did, to admire this author for his gritty determination and personal sacrifices to achieve a lasting institution for the public good.
Finally, this volume serves as a modern history of the campaigns and elections that have shaped the Commonwealth of Virginia. Poole had a front-row seat for much of it, and he shares what he learned with the reader.
Trusted Source tells the story of how the vision of one person and one organization transformed Virginia politics and aided in promoting transparency, trust and accountability in election campaigns and in government. I highly recommend this book for what it teaches about how those with a passion for making the operations of campaigns and governing more open to the public can make a difference. After reading this book, others outside Virginia should be inspired to emulate David Poole’s incredible legacy.- Mark J. Rozell, Dean of the Schar School of Policy and Government at George Mason University, and coeditor of The New Dominion: The Twentieth-Century Elections That Shaped Modern Virginia
David Poole’s Trusted Source is as wonky a book as you’re likely to read this or any year, seeing as how it’s the origin story of an effort to force political string-pulling into the light. But this behind-the-scenes account from the founder of the influential Virginia Public Access Project also happens to be a damn well-written and compelling story, and essential reading for those seeking to understand the commonwealth’s shifting political landscape. An unexpected page-turner.- Earl Swift, New York Times bestselling author of Chesapeake Requiem and Hell Put to Shame
- Cardinal NewsAnyone who cares about Virginia politics now will be fascinated by the politics back then that gave rise to VPAP. Those are the people who ought to read Poole’s book.
David M. Poole was Executive Director of the Virginia Public Access Project, Inc., from 1997 to 2023.
