WELCOME TO THE EDGE!
Reporting from THE EDGE of Appalachia in Berea, Kentucky
Hello!
Welcome to The Edge, Berea’s source for quality local reporting, delivered straight to your email inbox. My name’s Whitney McKnight, a career writer, journalist and editor, and I’m glad you are here.
The Edge keeps you up to date on what’s happening in Berea, Southern Madison County—including the borders with Jackson, Rockcastle, Estill, and Garrard counties. The Edge’s primary interests are important developments in land use, politics, business, and culture.
What’s the mission?
The Edge’s mission is to empower Bereans with quality information to help them make the most informed decisions about their community.
What is the ethos of The Edge?
I believe in the power of useful, independent reporting and good writing that is freely available, not hidden behind a paywall.
My take on journalism is that it is a customer service for citizens engaged in civic life. I suspect that means you. I have always sought to ask the questions that my audience would ask if they also had access to the sources and background information that journalists have. If there is something you want to know, just ask me.
Why do you need The Edge?
If you think it’s vital that Berea has a publication which shines a light on the fast-moving changes happening here as climate change and other states’ tax policies prompt a rapidly increasing migration to our region, then you need The Edge. If you’ve ever pondered how the land we live on and our relationship to it engenders the culture and traditions we hold dear, then you need The Edge. If you’ve ever wondered to yourself, “How did that happen and why didn’t I know about it?”, The Edge is what you’ve been looking for.
Who are you, Lady?
I was born in Lexington while my dad was attending UK. My family originates from Estill and Woodford counties, but I did not grow up here. I have lived in other areas of Appalachia such as Western New York State, East Tennessee, and Pennsylvania—the latter states being where sudden in-flows of people and industry brought rapid development not always planned well or with adequate—if any—public discourse.
Over my 30+ years in media and communications both at the local and national level, I have won awards for my trend spotting, solutions-oriented journalism, and have proven I have a nose for news. I have experience with breaking coverage of federal policy, and other topics globally, as well as with coverage of healthcare and economic policy on Capitol Hill and at the Department of Justice and Federal Trade Commission, working for titles at Medscape/WebMd and Mergermarket, formerly of the Financial Times.
Additionally, my work has been featured in the Philadelphia Inquirer, the Christian Science Monitor, NPR’s Marketplace, and many other local, regional, and national outlets, including my own award-winning newsletter, docu-mental: mapping the american states of mind. I have also been the editor of two metro Philadelphia life-style publications and was the local columnist for a Gannett paper in New Jersey, so I know how much people rely on their local media for stories and highlights of who they are as a community.
Thanks for reading The Edge!
Whitney McKnight,
Founder, Publisher, Chief Reporter,
Marketer, Fundraiser,
and Citizen of Berea