The Beacon | Wichita welcomed Maria Carter as its new editor and lead reporter this spring. Before joining The Beacon, Maria acted as managing editor at 90.5 WESA and editor of Harvest Public Media at KCUR, where she researched and shaped important daily stories for regional audiences. She’s received regional and national recognition for her work including awards from Public Media Journalists Association, Missouri Broadcasters Association, Kansas Association of Broadcasters, the Kansas City Press Club and the Edward R. Murrow Awards.

Maria brings extensive experience in producing digestible, accessible journalism that empowers local communities. She is driven to publish stories about pressing issues facing Wichita’s communities that are both understandable and enjoyable. A proven leader and mentor, having coordinated a team of 25 during her tenure as KCUR’s news director, Maria is poised to lead our Wichita newsroom to new heights as part of The Beacon’s community-first journalism serving Kansas and Missouri. 

In May of 2024, Maria relocated to Wichita from Pittsburgh to grow our local reporting team, further develop community partnerships and ensure diverse perspectives are included in our journalism. Maria will lead The Beacon’s Wichita newsroom of three new full-time reporters dedicated to issues around local education, local government and health, in partnership with The Beacon’s editor-in-chief, Scott Canon.

With Maria’s robust local news background and a shared passion for community-sourced journalism, The Beacon | Wichita is in a unique position to fill gaps in local coverage, as is central to our mission. Working with the Wichita Journalism Collaborative and developing strong relationships with existing outlets are essential to Maria’s mission as she raises awareness around our stories that are free to republish online or in print.

“​​I’m excited about the opportunity for growth here in Wichita, at The Beacon itself and in Wichita’s journalism community as a larger ecosystem,” said Maria. “There’s a connected network of reporters doing good work, supporting one another, across multiple outlets, that’s rare to find. The more that we can work together, as journalists and thought partners, the better that is going to be for Wichita and for Sedgwick County.”

“In the short time that Maria has been in Wichita, we can see the positive impact she’s already having,” said Naomi O’Donnell, director of audience at The Beacon. “Her genuine, thoughtful and approachable nature is exactly what we need in a time when trust for news media is weakening – while the need for reliable, local news has never been greater.”