When The Beacon first launched its newsroom and community journalism lab in Kansas City, we made a commitment to do more than just cover the news. We wanted to transform who shapes it, how it’s told and whom it serves.

That commitment came into focus when a parent and advocate, Tricia McGhee, emailed The Beacon with concerns about children with dyslexia being overlooked by the education system in the Kansas City area. 

Rather than jumping straight into publishing a single article and moving on, our team took a more deliberate approach.

We met with McGhee in October. Over the next six months, we interviewed at least a dozen others — including seven families, a student, experts and educators — before publishing the first story of a series on dyslexia. A second story followed about a month later, covering dyslexia-focused school Horizon Academy. 

But we still wanted to hear more from the community. So we held a listening session and panel open to the public to gather community questions and concerns. We asked the panelists about the basics of dyslexia, how to know if you’re getting proper help and the additional challenges for those who don’t speak English as a first language. And we gave the audience a chance to ask questions as well.

Those insights helped shape the next part of our series, an explainer meant to guide families through common questions they might have when they realize their child struggles with reading. The listening session particularly inspired the section on avenues for getting involved with systemic change after that emerged as a key theme in audience questions.

Going beyond the article: Community as a source and collaborator

Our community journalism lab played a crucial role. It allowed us to test new ways of connecting families, advocates and educators to one another. We enjoyed watching the people we invited into the same room exchange contact information and float ideas such as collaborating on a resource for families to identify positive signs of quality reading education in classrooms.

The result? Our stories and listening session have helped demystify what dyslexia is, how it shows up in schools and what families can do when support is denied. We also heard from parents who said our reporting resonated with their experiences. 

A model for depth, not just reach

At The Beacon, we often talk about choosing depth over breadth. The dyslexia series is a prime example of what that looks like in practice.

Rather than chasing headlines, we spent nine months — so far — following the genuine concerns of a community and striving to offer something meaningful: not just exposure, but insight. Not just a platform for reporting, but a partnership with community members.

And that’s the kind of journalism we believe creates lasting impact. We hope that through these loops from community insights, to reporting, to a community listening session, to even more reporting we can continue to publish news that addresses local concerns by consistently engaging with people about what they feel is missing from the conversation.

If you have a story idea or idea for a community listening session let us know on our website or email our community manager at estrella@thebeacon.media.