Our Stories
At Beacon Media, we focus on telling the stories that truly matter to our communities. Beacon Media is built around the people who are preserving and strengthening democracy in North Carolina communities. From healthcare and education to housing and justice, our stories are crafted to inform, inspire, and spark meaningful change. It is these community leaders and trusted messengers who will shift our collective narrative and show us what is possible — and then they are the ones who will make it a reality. We share their words and voices far and wide. That’s why all of our commentary is 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.
Read The Latest Stories
Opinion: A life’s journey to help working-class communities rise
Down Home N.C. candidate recruiter Isra Allison, originally from Philadelphia, Pa., writes about her journey to help the working class ascend to the halls of power. By Isra Allison Beacon Media Sometimes life is preparing us to become something, and we...
Scott Peoples: The Trump Administration is betraying transgender troops
The military veteran reflects on the Trump Administration’s recent decisions around transgender troops.
Shannon Moretz: Are we neighbors or enemies?
A recent trip to Western North Carolina has the writer thinking about what we all have in common.
This crisis is also an opportunity
In North Carolina, we are organizing the trusted messengers we need to preserve democracy one storyteller and community at a time.
James Lee: Veterans deserve better than Medicaid cuts
U.S. Air Force veteran James Lee reflects on his service and the thousands of veterans in North Carolina who are now facing the loss of Medicaid coverage.
Sam Grote: CNBC is wrong. North Carolina is not the No. 1 state for business
Sam Grote asks why North Carolina politicians from both parties cater to a ranking built on political ideology instead of real results for our state’s businesses and residents?
Dalton George: Why do we hate places we’ve never been?
The writer discusses the politics of place amid a larger cultural phenomenon: vilifying places we’ve never actually seen.
Opinion: experience taught me to prepare for climate disasters
The author writes about her experience with the N.C. League of Conservation Voters Foundation and the events that led her to urge others to prepare.
Shannon Moretz: Why we need to tell the stories of rural North Carolina
The writer reflects on why she’s committed to telling stories of struggle, hope and progress in rural North Carolina.
Martin Henson: Let’s talk about HIV — and getting tested
The author, who leads discussion groups with Black men, writes about why he’s pushing himself and others to talk about HIV and take away the stigma from getting regularly tested.
Opinion: High Duke Energy bills and rate hikes force difficult choices
Anita Yates, a retiree living in Mt. Airy, N.C., argues that Duke Energy’s plans cost people like her too much every month.
Rose Hoban: Considering Artificial Intelligence for local news reporting
The Editor-in-Chief at the local newsroom N.C. Health News considers the ethical use of AI in a local newsroom — and finds AI won’t soon replace humans in many respects.
Preston Blakely: My grandmothers couldn’t vote freely. I’m now the Mayor.
Mayor Preston Blakely of Fletcher, N.C., reflects on his legacy and the struggle for Civil Rights that he inherited from his family.