The Kansas City Defender

The Kansas City Defender is a news outlet primarily by and for African-American youth, especially in the Kansas City metropolitan area and the Midwestern United States more generally.[1] They won the 2022 Community Engagement Award from Local Independent Online News (LION) Publishers for "engaging Black youth both in digital spaces, and real-life community events. Their stories on racism in schools sparked national coverage and conversations.[3] Among other things, they work to understand the differences between the different audiences on different social media platforms and how to tailor their content to maximize the engagement of those different audiences.[4]

Kansas City Defender
Owner(s)Institute for Nonprofit News[1]
Founder(s)Ryan Sorrell
PublisherRyan Sorrell
FoundedJuly 2021 (2021-07)[2]
CityKansas City metropolitan area
CountryUnited States
Websitekansascitydefender.com

Kansas City Defender founder and publisher, Ryan Sorrell, insists, "young people are not unreachable. They are very interested in news. It just has to be produced and packaged the right way for them to be interested in consuming it".[5] Defender community engagement efforts have included basketball park takeovers[2] and grocery buyouts.[6] Among other things, they speak directly to high school age youth, writing about them and their concerns and inviting them to contribute content.[7]

Disappearing women

On September 23 (Friday), 2022, The Kansas City Defender published a video on TikTok claiming that Black women had been disappearing off Prospect Avenue (Kansas City, Missouri), and nothing was being done about it.[4] The following Monday the Kansas City, Missouri, Police Department said they had heard nothing about this. News outlets in Kansas City[8] and across the nation, including Newsweek[9] and the Atlanta Black Star,[10] chastised The Kansas City Defender for irresponsible journalism.

Two weeks later, before 8 AM October 7 (also a Friday), 2022, a woman began running around Excelsior Springs, Missouri, knocking on doors and crying for help. She said she had been held against her will, beaten, and sexually assaulted. She also said there had been other victims. [11] Police found the house in which the woman said she had been confined and staked out the place. An hour later, the owner, Timothy Haslett, Jr., returned and was arrested and subsequently charged with first-degree rape, first-degree kidnapping, and second-degree assault.[12]

References
  1. The World’s Most Innovative Black News Startup, The Kansas City Defender, Wikidata Q116193297
  2. James Anderson (11 August 2022). "The Kansas City Defender is a nonprofit news site for young Black audiences across the Midwest". Nieman Lab. Wikidata Q116194176.
  3. "Meet the winners of the 2022 LION Local Journalism Awards". Local Independent Online News (LION) Publishers. 28 October 2022. Wikidata Q116194094.
  4. Ryan Sorrell; Spencer Graves (22 November 2022). "Kansas City Defender founder Ryan Sorrell explains why you should care". Radio Active Magazine. Wikidata Q116194338.
  5. Victoria Holmes (15 November 2022). "The Kansas City Defender, reaching young Black communities currently underserved by mainstream media". Editor & Publisher. ISSN 0013-094X. Wikidata Q116194691.
  6. "Kansas City 'Defender' Blog Offers Giveaway After Spreading False Serial Killer Rumor". Tony's Kansas City. 11 October 2022. Wikidata Q116194908.
  7. Lauren Kaljur (7 June 2022). "This is what a youth-led editorial agenda looks like". small press. Wikidata Q116196452.
  8. Jack Anstine (26 September 2022). "KCPD: 'No basis' to social media rumors of killer targeting Black women". KSHB-TV. Wikidata Q116196124."KCPD: Social media post claiming serial killer on loose in KC 'completely unfounded'". KCTV. 26 September 2022. Wikidata Q116196231.
  9. Shira Li Bartov (27 September 2022). "Kansas City 'Serial Killer' Rumor Is 'Completely Unfounded,' Say Police". Newsweek. ISSN 0028-9604. Wikidata Q116196232.
  10. Nyamekye Daniel (28 September 2022). "Kansas City Police Shuts Down 'Rumors' of Serial Killer Targeting Black Women; Family, Searching for Missing Teen, Says It's Damaging". Atlanta Black Star. Wikidata Q116196248.
  11. Addi Weakley (7 October 2022). "Authorities investigating reported kidnapping, sexual assault in Excelsior Springs". KSHB-TV. Wikidata Q116196321.
  12. "Excelsior Springs kidnapping and rape: Everything we know and don't know about the case". KMBC-TV. 11 January 2023. Wikidata Q116196358. "KCPD Said Missing Black Women Reports In KC Were "Completely Unfounded." Less Than A Month Later, One Escaped After Being Kidnapped From Prospect & Tortured in a Basement For Over A Month". The Kansas City Defender. 14 October 2022. Wikidata Q116196369.
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