Welcome to our Pioneers in Health podcast! Here, we share inspiring stories of pioneering leaders working to improve health. We bring you guests from our state, from our nation and from your backyard to tell their stories of how they broke new ground and changed the landscape of health care. 

In episode 11, we interview Kansas native Clay Wirestone. He serves as the opinion editor at the Kansas Reflector, a non-profit news operation that is part of States Newsroom.

The Kansas Reflector provides in-depth reporting, diverse opinions and daily coverage of state government and politics. It’s free to readers and other news outlets.

Clay’s work has appeared in more than 100 outlets in two dozen states. He has written columns and edited copy for newsrooms in Kansas, New Hampshire, Florida and Pennsylvania. He has also fact checked politicians, researched for Larry the Cable Guy, and appeared in PolitiFact, Mental Floss and cnn.com.

Before joining the Reflector in 2021, Clay spent four years at the nonprofit Kansas Action for Children as communications director. Beyond the written word, he has drawn cartoons, hosted podcasts, designed graphics and moderated debates.

In this episode, he and Health Fund CEO David Jordan discuss the changing media landscape and how it has affected advocacy organizations.

“It makes it much, much harder,” Clay said. “Full stop.”

In the past, he said, advocacy organizations would send news releases to the media in an effort to educate policy makers and the public about issues of concern. News outlets were always looking for stories. Now, he said, the situation has changed. Now, advocacy groups must communicate directly with their audiences.

“You’re still going to have a role for traditional media. You’re still going to send those press releases. You’re still going to make those calls,” Clay said. “But if you really want to fulfill your mission, you’re going to have to do more stuff direct to your potential audiences.”

In this episode, Clay also discusses:

• His journey into journalism
• The role of local media and how the industry has changed
• How the changing media landscape impacts advocacy organizations and their ability to educate the public and to inform civic debates
• The non-profit news model and strategy
• His decision-making process on writing and sharing opinion pieces
• A book he’s writing about Kansas’ great opinion writers and how they connected with their communities and served as community advocates, as well as the role of opinion writers moving forward
• Misinformation and his perspective as a journalist entering the last weeks before an election (this episode was recorded a month before the Nov. 5 election)
• His hope for the future of Kansas journalism

And much more! Listen now anywhere you listen to your other favorite podcasts.

“There’s never been an audience problem. We’ve always had a lot of people reading what we do — no matter the paper or the platform,” he said of the media industry. “You know, the issue is, frankly, always how you raise the money and how the enterprise is supported.” — Clay Wirestone, Kansas Reflector

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