The Beacon

The Opportunity The Wichita Beacon is seeking a seasoned journalist to lead its newsroom as the Editor/Senior Reporter, based in the Wichita area. You will manage a newsroom of three reporters (we have plans to grow more) with responsibility for the steady production of in-depth news stories designed to give the community the information it needs to understand its challenges and assess possible solutions to public policy. The position oversees daily editorial functions of the newsroom. That includes guiding reporters and self-directing your own reporting (the role may shift as the Wichita newsroom grows). This position reports to the editor-in-chief based in Kansas City, who sets a broader strategy for the newsroom. This position also supervises The Wichita Beacon’s community engagement manager to best identify the stories the Beacon invests its time in. You’ll have the chance to report as much or as little as you like. How much time you spend as a reporter will depend on your ability to help the reporters regularly file stories. We only very rarely cover breaking or daily news. Instead, we focus on in-depth stories. We need about two of those a week (perhaps more as we grow) from the Wichita newsroom. So if those reporters are filing regularly enough, any pressure for the Editor/Senior Reporter to write stories will wane. But you’ll retain the ability to pursue stories on your own or with our other reporters regardless. You’ll also be our liaison to the Wichita Journalism Collaborative, a collection of news outlets that include The Wichita Eagle, the local NPR affiliate and several other organizations. In that role, you’ll look to collaborate on stories with other outlets, to identify stories they produce that we should publish and pitch our independent work to them. About The Beacon: The Beacon stands as a bastion of independent, nonprofit journalism, committed to fostering a thriving ecosystem of independent newsrooms throughout Kansas and Missouri. Since our inc