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Now hiring: Health Accountability Reporter

Now hiring: Health Accountability Reporter

If you’re a journalist who can uncover the stories where health policy and people collide, and bring those stories to life, we want you to apply to be a Health Accountability Reporter at The Kansas City Beacon.

As Kansas City struggles to recover from a pandemic — and faces a reckoning about the successes and failures of its health system now and in the future — the health beat provides the opportunity to cover vital stories that affect everyone. COVID will continue to cast a long shadow over Kansas and Missouri, and coverage of it is vital to this beat. Meanwhile, before COVID, health equity, access and funding were all important issues — and continue to be.

We seek a passionate journalist who is able to execute stories that break new ground in service to our community. Someone who can find and analyze data in pursuit of great stories. Someone who will closely follow evolving state policies and dig deep to hold government and institutions accountable. Someone who will seek out every day people and advocacy groups and explore their challenges and experiences with the health system. A writer who can craft narratives that weave human experience with politics, policy and data.

You’ll explore questions like:

  • Do local and state health policies and programs meet the needs of Kansas City’s diverse population?
  • How does your environment and where you live affect your health?
  • What’s working (solutions journalism) and how do we compare to other communities?

Responsibilities include:

  • Report and write longform and shorter-turn stories about local and regional health issues with close attention to policies and legislation, health outcomes, patient experience, industry behavior and advocacy positions.
  • Find and analyze health data to uncover hidden developments.
  • Engage with readers and participate in radio shows, public events and live video.
  • Use sources, story ideas, research and writing that reflects Kansas City’s diversity and the difference in health experience for many communities.

Requirements:

  • A passion for community journalism.
  • Residing in or willing to relocate to the Kansas City metro.
  • At least three years of professional reporting experience and strong interpersonal and communication skills.

These are a plus:

  • Familiarity with data sets and records, especially health-related.
  • Knowledge of health policies and issues, particularly in Kansas and Missouri.
  • Fluency in Spanish or another language besides English.

About us

In our second year of publishing, The Kansas City Beacon has grown rapidly, and our parent organization is launching a sister newsroom in Wichita. We’re a journalist-founded, nonprofit, nonpartisan organization. We collaborate and share our coverage at no cost with other media outlets in Kansas and Missouri. Beacon stories are revelatory, data-driven, contextual and solutions-driven. We put a big emphasis on impact and community engagement and feedback. You can learn more about our efforts here and supporters here.


Compensation and benefits


  • Full-time, competitive salary with benefits. 
  • We pay 100% of employee monthly health, vision and dental premiums, and a portion of dependent premiums. 
  • Paid time off: Federal holidays, a birthday holiday, the last week of the year and two weeks vacation/sick leave. 
  • Hybrid work environment.
  • Paid parental leave.
  • Quarterly cell phone reimbursement.
  • $50,000 in employer-paid life insurance with supplemental life insurance available. 
  • 100% employer-paid long and short term disability.


Next steps


Questions? Email kelsey@thebeacon.media. Apply here.

Applications will be reviewed and interviews scheduled on a rolling basis, giving an advantage to early applicants. 

We are an expanding and collaborative newsroom, successfully forging a new model for sustainable, intelligent, nonprofit journalism. We’re committed to diversity and especially encourage members of underrepresented communities to apply.