Editor-in-Chief

Founded in April 2019, The Beacon first started publishing in Kansas City in March 2020 during the COVID-19 pandemic. In June 2021, we launched a second newsroom in Wichita to become a regional nonprofit news network. The goal of The Beacon is to create a sustainable, non-profit news organization that engages the public, collaborates with other media and produces the highest level of accountability and solutions-driven journalism in Kansas and Missouri. https://kcbeacon.org/about/

The Beacon Values:

Shining a light: We believe that transparency about what is happening in our community and government ultimately leads to a better society for all. We also believe that if we demand transparency from others, we must model it ourselves as journalists — transparency in funding, journalistic practices, and our policies are integral to earning trust.
Power in independence: Our unique impact as journalists lies in our ability to tell the complete story, without consideration of profit, ideology, or advocacy. We can tell the truest story, and make the greatest possible difference if we take no predetermined position on the topics we cover. We work hard to build a business model that safeguards our independence.
Local first: We put down roots in the communities we cover and work with our readers as well as for them. We cover local people, institutions, and systems like they’re as important as the president (because they are). We aren’t interested in national stories unless there is a clear local or regional angle.
Anti-racism: We acknowledge and condemn the ongoing legacy of racism in the U.S. and the institution we are a part of — the press. We commit to standing against racism as we build our organization and conduct our work.
Impact: Writing stories is not enough. We are on a mission to get the full truth to the maximum number of people at the moments of greatest consequence. We do everything we can to bring stories, people, and stakes alive for readers so they can engage in informed action and debate

Beacon Media Inc seeks a visionary Editor in Chief to lead our newsrooms based in Kansas City, Missouri and Wichita, Kansas. The Editor in Chief will report to the CEO and act as a member of the executive leadership team (ELT) and will be responsible for developing The Beacon’s editorial identity and mission. This is an opportunity to be at the forefront of a movement to make local news a foundational part of civic life in the Kansas City and Wichita metros by enabling the kind of journalism that holds power to account while being accountable to the communities we serve. As the Editor in Chief, you will join a team of committed professionals with the goal of creating a sustainable, non-profit news organization that engages the public, collaborates with other media, and produces the highest level of accountability and solutions-driven journalism in Kansas and Missouri.

The Editor in Chief will guide The Beacon’s editorial staff to its next level of excellence, producing on-the-ground enterprise and investigative reporting on issues that matter to our readers. The Editor in Chief leads the charge in making The Beacon’s journalism worthy of support from its audience, ensuring the newsroom is setting and meeting ambitious goals for producing local journalism, in terms of both quality and quantity, and distributing it in a way that reaches as many people in the region as possible, with an emphasis on those who need it most. The Editor in Chief will also manage newsroom editors in multiple locations to ensure that local operations stay aligned with the editorial identity of the organization.