Powered by Kansas City PBS, Flatland is your local nonprofit news source committed to providing context and solutions to some of our region’s biggest challenges.
Founded in November 2013 through a gift from the Hale Family Foundation, Flatland produces multimedia stories that examine local news, highlight rural affairs and explore Kansas City history. As the digital news platform for Kansas City PBS, Flatland serves as a founding member of the Kansas City Media Collective, encouraging collaboration amongst Kansas City nonprofit news outlets to strengthen our community’s ever-changing media landscape.
We welcome your feedback and story ideas.
Editorial Change Policy
Despite living and publishing in the digital age, it’s our policy at Kansas City PBS to not remove or edit any of our content once it publishes without a) going through the proper internal channels and b) notifying you, our audience, when and where appropriate. As affiliate stations of PBS and NPR, we’ve sourced from their editorial policies, as well as from the Society for Professional Journalists, and from within our own company handbook and culture.
Guidelines
We work to respond to and interact with the public.
Accountability is a goal, including answering audience questions and responding to criticisms about programs or content. We will respond quickly to questions about accuracy, clarity and fairness, and encourage a civil dialogue. As a rule, we acknowledge mistakes and don’t make silent corrections to our stories. We make corrections to help keep the public accurately informed.
Gifts
Our editorial independence prohibits our journalists from accepting tokens of favor from the public.
AI Usage Policy
At Kansas City PBS and Flatland, we are dedicated to upholding the highest standards of journalistic integrity and ethics. To honor this commitment, our policy prohibits the use of artificial intelligence (AI) for the creation of original content. Our articles, reports and multimedia content are crafted by our talented team of journalists, producers and editors, ensuring accuracy, fairness and accountability.
Although we use AI tools for things like captioning, image extension for full-screen applications and audio adjustments, the heart of our content remains human-driven. This approach allows us to maintain the values of transparency, reliability and trust that our audience expects from us.
By adhering to this policy, Kansas City PBS and Flatland guarantee that our journalism and storytelling remain authentic and credible, reflecting our mission to inform and engage the public. Should we ever decide to incorporate AI into any aspect of content creation, we will transparently disclose this information alongside the relevant content.
Flatland + KC Media Collective
Flatland is proud to take part in a collaborative initiative involving a group of local, nonprofit media organizations designed to support and enhance local journalism. Learn more about the KC Media Collective.
Our Partners
Funding for Flatland Provided By:
