Chesterfield On Point Blog

About the Program

Category: Civic Education and Public Information (Best in Category)

Year: 2023

Chesterfield Communications and Media formally launched the county’s official blog, Chesterfield On Point, in October 2021 as part of an effort to communicate directly with residents through a new medium and disseminate vital information in a fact-based and unbiased manner. Despite being the fastest-growing locality in the Richmond region and the fourth-largest county in Virginia, with an estimated population of 370,000, Chesterfield faces a challenging media environment. Staffing cutbacks at the region’s daily newspaper have had an adverse effect on the quality of its coverage, while both of the county’s weekly newspapers have stopped printing. That mostly leaves coverage to our three TV stations, all of which tend to hire young, inexperienced reporters who are new to the area. Chesterfield On Point blog has proven to be an important resource for the county government in providing depth, background and historical context to both residents and local media. The blog grew quickly from biweekly posting to weekly and now publishes multiple posts in the same week as needed. It has become a go-to source for Chesterfield news and information about the county’s many programs, services and events, and a valuable tool for educating residents about complex topics.