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
Bringing Healthcare Home w/ Dr. Laurie Stradley
This week, Dr. Lori Stradley, director of Impact Health, joins Preston and Dalton to talk about what drives health outcomes before anyone ever sees a doctor. From rural transportation gaps to food box deliveries stabilizing families, Lori makes the case that investing...
Preston Blakely: What wielding a vacuum has taught me about power
Cleaning and vacuuming taught the mayor of Fletcher, N.C., a small Western North Carolina town near Asheville, what a gavel never could about leadership and how to be a mayor.
A Rosh Hashanah Sermon: Revisiting Our Truths as an Act of Teshuvah
Let us question ourselves and what we think we know as an act of empathy, Rabbi Hannah Bender of Judea Reform synagogue argued in their Rosh Hashanah or New Year’s sermon in September.
Kimberly Jones: Access to a good education is a civil right. How do we plan to enforce it?
Deep cuts and layoffs to the U.S. Department of Education endanger our students and our democracy in North Carolina.
Democracy does, in fact, die in darkness
The end of an era at the Washington Post marks a turning point for media’s role in strengthening our democracy in North Carolina and beyond.
Martin Henson: A murder on a Charlotte train, exploited for Black blood
The writer argues that the murder of a white woman by a Black man on a train in Charlotte, N.C., became the latest incident used for political convenience by our leaders.
Opinion: The price of eggs isn’t my fault
A Hillsborough, N.C., author and farmer knows about the economics of eggs from the perch of his small farm.
Opinion: Where Does Western North Carolina Stand A Year After Helene?
Those who have stepped up in the wake of disaster — and those who must do more.
Opinion: A life in the shadows of North Carolina fields
A former child farmworker and the daughter of immigrants reflects on her life and the current moment.