Our Stories
At Beacon Media, we focus on telling the stories that truly matter to our communities. Our reporting highlights the challenges and successes of North Carolinians, especially those whose voices often go unheard. From healthcare and education to housing and justice, our stories are crafted to inform, inspire, and spark meaningful change. We believe in the power of sharing these narratives far and wide. That’s why all our stories are free to republish. We encourage you to use and share our work to help amplify the voices and issues that need attention across our state. Together, we can make a difference.
Read The Latest Stories
Gwen Frisbie-Fulton: Congress is pushing to drastically cut food aid. Why?
There is no way that the charitable food bank network — as big and robust as it is — can make up for these devastating cuts. SNAP is, by far, the most efficient and cost-effective way to make sure that people in our communities have enough to eat. What’s more, grocers in poor and working-class neighborhoods like mine, as well as rural communities, rely on SNAP dollars to stay open.
Martin Henson: The unfulfilled promises of George Floyd’s legacy
Five years after the murder of George Floyd at the hands of police, Black Lives Matter activist Martin Henson reflects on Floyd’s legacy and the change that hasn’t come.
Martin Henson: It’s time to address ‘church hurt’
If the church really wants to entice an increasingly nonreligious society to come back into its fold, it is their responsibility to move past its own ego and provide a place for people to process their church hurt.
My church hurt was simple. One of my pastors cheated on his wife. The church fractured. I felt betrayed by the contradictions I witnessed, not yet old enough to understand that the church is made up of people who make mistakes.
Dalton George: Psst, elected officials — get out there and talk to people
Regardless of party, most people hate politics, they distrust the system, and they feel left behind, unheard, and sidelined. I understood how they felt. So how could I reconcile this with being an elected official? I decided on an “ambitious” idea — aiming to talk to people.
These town halls have very little format, lots of me answering questions, sharing frustrations, and inviting people to help me solve the problems. It’s risky, no doubt, for an elected official to deviate from the script, but to meet this moment it’s also necessary. Opening yourself to a dialogue, answering any question asked can be a challenge, but importantly it also humanizes our decision-makers.
Billy Corriher: N.C. can’t let sore loser candidates undermine our democracy
The losing candidate — Court of Appeals Judge Jefferson Griffin — couldn’t steal the election, but he did immeasurable damage to the public’s faith in our democracy. He challenged 65,000 ballots from voters who complied with all the rules, and four justices on our state Supreme Court agreed to throw out some of them.
Griffin never presented any evidence that voters did anything wrong in casting their ballots, but it suddenly looked like their votes might not count.
Ernestine Ledbetter: Duke Energy’s costly plans don’t help bills or the environment
We depend on Duke for electricity. They need to deliver that. But Duke also shouldn’t put shareholder profits over careful stewardship of the natural resources that we all depend on.
U.S. Army Veteran: The Trump era isn’t politics as usual. It’s a betrayal of veterans like me
This isn’t politics as usual. This is dangerous. Over the past few months, I’ve watched headlines roll in with a knot in my stomach. Cuts to vital veterans’ services. Mass layoffs of U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs’ staff. Unelected power brokers unraveling programs that took decades to build, with no accountability to the American people. President Donald Trump, backed by the likes of Elon Musk, has allowed his political allies to gut federal agencies, including those that directly serve veterans and their families.
Denzel Burnside: Housing in N.C. is a roadblock to the American Dream
A staggering 86 percent of voters between 30-40 years old say housing costs are impacting their ability to reach other financial goals, like saving for retirement, starting a family, or buying a first home.
I see this data as a call to action—not just for lawmakers, but for all of us.
Ray Hemachandra: North Carolina should show we value everyone — including those with disabilities
More than 14,000 North Carolinians with intellectual and developmental disabilities receive ‘Innovations Waiver’ benefits under Medicaid. My son is among those receiving help.
But thousands more North Carolinians with intellectual and developmental disabilities — almost 19,000 of them — are on the “Registry of Unmet Needs,” the waitlist to receive these services under Medicaid.
Rose Hoban: Should teens’ driving requirements be shortened in North Carolina?
As lawmakers in Raleigh consider a bill that would change the required hours for teens’ provisional permits, some are raising concerns. By Rose HobanN.C. Health News Credit: Ron Lach; Creative Commons License One night, not long after I’d graduated high...
Gwen Frisbie-Fulton: Why the costs of childcare shouldn’t be borne alone
As her son graduates high school, the writer realizes the tremendous costs of childcare early in her son’s life have ripple effects well past those years. By Gwen Frisbie-Fulton Beacon Media Credit: PickPik I’m a heck of a proud mom. My son is graduating next...
Ryan Wegener: How a Confederate monument shows what’s possible
An organizer considers his and his town’s past as he confronts a time of political division. By Ryan Wegener Beacon Media Source: UNC Chapel Hill - Documenting the American South Most Confederate monuments face North to represent defending against the...
Martin Henson: Student loan confusion, delays are stalling dreams
The writer calls on family and communities to rally around those affected by budget cuts and disarray in the federal government that is affecting student loans. By Martin Henson Beacon Media Creative Commons license. Credit: Wikimedia Commons user...