News coverage is fast evaporating across rural areas. The newspapers and TV and radio stations serving those communities in Missouri are struggling, giving them less time to cover substantive issues. That leaves people across rural Missouri grasping for information about their local government, their schools, their medical services and a variety of other issues that drive their prospects for good health.
This beat gives a reporter a wide berth to explore issues that relate to those things that determine the health of communities, from responsive local government to vibrant schools. But especially health care. So the reporter will focus on the social determinants of health, which covers a wide range of stories.
The job comes with a particular responsibility, and opportunity, to engage with disparate communities that define rural Missouri. Along with reporting, this journalist would lead our efforts to fully understand the needs of the news organizations that republish Beacon work, and to best understand what questions about public life audiences across the state demand more attention.
That means in the first three to six months on the job, the reporter will combine reporting trips around the state by meeting with people in different communities to better understand what news coverage would best serve rural Missourians.
Virtually all of the stories produced by this reporter demand depth, nuance and enterprise. Breaking news coverage would be rare. Car travel would be common, although mostly day trips. We prefer that the reporter is based in central Missouri, perhaps Columbia.
We want someone who approaches the rural beat with empathy for rural communities, a knack for spotting counterintuitive stories that relate to health and the drive to produce stories that go beyond daily developments:
This position is funded by a two-year grant from the Missouri Foundation for Health to support rural health reporting across Missouri. The grant allows us to hire a rural health reporter who will ensure the voices of rural Missourians are heard, expanding our reach and deepening our impact.
The reporter will conduct statewide listening sessions, build partnerships with local newsrooms and produce in-depth stories on critical health issues. In addition to expanding our health coverage, this role will also focus on growing our republishing network across rural newsrooms, helping to combat news deserts across the state.
Responsibilities
Compensation & Benefits
Location
Our plan is for this reporter to be based in central Missouri.
The organization
The Beacon cultivates engaged and informed communities through accessible reporting and active community engagement on crucial local subjects, anchored by a sustainable nonprofit revenue model.
Our core values
Truth Unwavering honesty and accuracy in all our reporting.
Inclusivity Championing diverse voices and perspectives.
Transparency Openness about our reporting and funding.
Equity Addressing systemic imbalances that affect us locally.
Job Type: Full-time
Pay: $50,000.00 - $70,000.00 per year
Preferred qualifications:
If you don’t check all the boxes, but think you’d crush this job, apply anyway. We know that building a diverse staff is important, and being flexible on requirements is part of that:
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