The Edge has been the only outlet to break stories in important land use events locally, and to continue following the stories at every stage. This includes coverage of the Big Hill Line, an important eminent domain case where the development of a transmission line would have disturbed an historic and beloved natural landmark. The Edge brought exclusive coverage of the line to local, state and national readers as our coverage was carried by the Kentucky Lantern and other State Newsrooms.

When the battle over the line ended up in court, The Edge was alone in covering what, pending appeal, is a groundbreaking ruling from the judge who denied the utility from taking the landmark for the power line. The Edge’s founder, Whitney McKnight, believed at the outset that because this was a unique situation where the public good was being pitted against the public good, whatever the ruling, locals would need access to reliable coverage of the event to aid in their understanding of how important land use policy is to a community’s quality of life. 

This reporting project garnered immediate support for the local community which founded a Facebook page to track The Edge’s reporting on the topic and to aggregate relevant information about it and other developments like it. When The Edge covered the story all the way through to the judge’s decision, the group’s organizers decided to throw a party and feature The Edge’s reporting.

I learned a few important things about community-centered journalism. The first is that you don’t have to do back flips to come up with a project that the community will get behind. The second thing I learned is that I wasn’t actually in touch with how much I was already doing as a journalist for my community. The third thing I learned is that people want to help, especially if they care about what you care about. 

Ultimately, my readers wanted to throw a party that celebrated both a victory for the forest when the judge ruled against the power line, and to celebrate my having kept them all informed. 

Cite this article

McKnight, Whitney (2026, June 2). The Edge. Reynolds Journalism Institute. Retrieved from: https://rjionline.org/news/the-edge/