RICHMOND, Va. — The Richmond Free Press announced Thursday it will cease publication after more than 30 years in business.
The free weekly newspaper, which focused primarily on Richmond’s African American community, had a stated mission to “empower its readers by contributing to the balance of news reporting and commentary in the Richmond area; and, simultaneously, to educate its readers about important issues touching their lives and to motivate them to be fully heard on these issues.”
The paper was founded in 1992 by veteran journalist, editor and professor Raymond Boone and his wife, Jean Patterson Boone.
"We’re a newspaper that targets the African American community, but at the same time we’re a newspaper for everyone,” Jean Boone said in a 2020 interview with WTVR.
WATCH: Jean Boone shares the story behind the Richmond Free Press
In a social media post announcing the closure, Boone reflected on the decision.
"This chapter in the life of the Richmond Free Press has come to a close. As we prepare to pivot, we want to express our profound gratitude to our loyal readers. Thank you for being part of our journey as we persevered through harsh economic times. All goodbyes are not forever. And this may be. Or not," she wrote. "We know for sure that we do not have the advertising support to continue."
The Mayor Responds
Mayor Danny Avula called Thursday's announcement a "sad day in Richmond."
"For more than three decades, this Black-owned newspaper has been a beacon. In a city with a history as complex and painful as ours, the Free Press did more than report the news. It reinvigorated the Black press, asked hard questions of the city’s leaders, and amplified voices often pushed to the margins," Mayor Avula said in a statement. "Many of the advancements we have seen in and around Richmond – in public awareness, in civic consciousness, in conversations about race and equality - did not happen in isolation. They happened because institutions like the Free Press did the steady, disciplined work of publishing stories that others might overlook, documenting injustice, and elevating community voices. I am deeply grateful to the founders -- the devoted and trailblazing Boone family -- the editors, reporters, photographers, and staff, who poured their talent and heart into this work. You helped move our city forward. The closing of your doors should inspire us all to remain active and involved neighbors in our communities. Thank you for the impact you have had on our city. You will be missed."
The Boone Family Shares Their Story
Raymond Boone died of pancreatic cancer in 2014.
Jean Boone and her daughter Regina recently spoke with WTVR about their own cancer battles as part of the station’s Buddy Check 6 series.
Regina was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2024, her second bout with the disease.
As a child, she had fought and beaten ovarian cancer at Massey Cancer Center, which had just opened in Richmond at the time.
She stepped away from her work at the Richmond Free Press for several months to heal.
In February 2025, Jean was diagnosed with breast cancer.
Jean's treatment included a mastectomy, radiation and oral chemotherapy. She stepped back from her role at the Richmond Free Press and hesitated to share her diagnosis publicly.
"The perception is that you’re weak and you cannot perform. And it could have, for us, a deleterious effect on the business,” Jean said in a Feb. 2026 interview. “I have good days, then I have not-so-good days. But I know rest is the antidote for that.”
Both Regina and Jean's cancers are now in remission, they said.
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