The Beacon hosted an open community conversation to provide an inside look into decisions our newsroom is making in real time about covering protests around police brutality. Celisa Calacal, The Beacon’s assistant editor and a reporter at local protests, and Kelsey Ryan, The Beacon’s editor and founder, responded to questions our readers sent in and asked during the live chat. We addressed criticisms of how local media frames unrest, the ethics of covering protests and editing protest stories, and reader concerns about newsroom diversity and equity awareness.
Why Kansas City’s protest story is different
Thirteen black men killed at the hands of Kansas City police. The only major police department without local control. As demonstrations against police killings of black Americans continue across the country, we dive deeper.
Bridging the digital divide in a work-from-home era
At a time when most work and school has moved online, a digital divide has deepened between the haves and have nots. According to the Federal Communications Commission, more than 24 million Americans have no access to broadband internet.
Representation — and federal funding — at stake with 2020 Census
Local leaders fear a bigger undercount in 2020 — and its potential impact on services. The risks of an undercount are even higher for people of color, children, rural communities, and other vulnerable groups who rely on social safety programs that distribute funds based on Census data.
How invasive plants could overrun America’s largest remaining tallgrass prairie
America’s last stand of tallgrass prairie — primarily located in the Flint Hills of eastern Kansas and extending to the north and south — is being overgrown by non-native plants.
Faced with a pandemic, nonprofit leaders get creative
Throughout the Kansas City region, nearly 13,000 nonprofits are scrambling to carry out their missions under uniquely adverse circumstances: They’ve altered services. Canceled fundraising events. Changed internal operations. And many can no longer use in-person volunteers because of the pandemic.
Pandemic poses new troubles for elections
The prospect of voting in a pandemic is creating fears and logistical nightmares across the U.S. Democrats and some Republicans are urging Missouri’s political leaders to follow the lead of Kansas and other states and encourage mail-in voting — or at least create early voting opportunities to reduce crowds on Election Day.
As Child Care Options Dwindle, Parents are Left Scrambling
For many parents, the coronavirus pandemic has disrupted any semblance of a normal workday. With day cares temporarily closing down because of the pandemic, parents like the Everetts are now tasked with juggling full-time childcare with full-time jobs.
Faced With a Global Pandemic, Truck Drivers are in for the Long Haul
More than 1.9 million truck drivers in the U.S. have delivered vital supplies in the midst of the coronavirus pandemic, which so far has infected more than 700,000 people and caused more than 30,000 deaths. And although millions across the country are ordered to stay home, most truck drivers are still on the roads.
As coronavirus lurks, locked down nursing homes scramble for supplies — and connections
In the general population, most cases of COVID-19 are relatively mild. But so far, 8 out of 10 COVID-19 deaths reported in the U.S. have been in adults 65 years old and older.