Hello,

This is Whitney McKnight, publisher of The Edge. I've been in news and publishing most of my career. With thousands of bylines in dozens of national and trade publications, I thought I was done with journalism when I left Washington, DC, and moved to my native Kentucky.

But when I got here, there was a lot happening, but no news outlet adequately reporting on it. So, I founded The Edge (Reporting from The Edge of Appalachia), a grassroots journalism project filling a critical information gap around land-use policy and local governance in Madison County. The Edge began publishing in October 2024.

Our mission is to turn readers into empowered citizens. By reporting in plain language and centering community voices, The Edge equips residents with the information they need to confidently and effectively participate in civic life.

We are online only for the time being, and are free to all who wish to read fair coverage of their community in Madison County, Kentucky. We accept for publication all signed letters-to-the-editor and other opinion pieces,written by readers. For more information, contact us here:

A note about our use of AI/machine learning tools: we use machine learning tools to transcribe our interviews, occasionally use AI tools such as ChatGPT and Perplexity for research, and tools like Datawrapper and Canva to create graphics.

A note about our ethics policies: we adhere to the ethical guidelines codified by the Society of Professional Journalists.

We are currently applying to the IRS (August 2026) for nonprofit status. In the meantime, we are fiscally sponsored by the Tiny News Collective and accept tax-deductible donations and offer paid subscriptions:

Thank you for your time and interest, and for making us your source for real news and information from The Edge of Appalachia in Berea, Kentucky.

Whitney