Emmy award-winning, faith-driven journalist is changing the broadcast game at UMKC

  Professor Joshua Jackson was introduced to UMKC’s communications department in 2023, after 12 years as a broadcast journalist. 

  In his few years at UMKC, Jackson has already made an impact. 

  “What really struck me is how sincere he was,” said Dr. Peter Morello, a broadcast communications professor who led the committee that hired Jackson. “He wanted to do good.”

  Jackson spearheaded the creation of KMKC News, the university’s new broadcast station.

  “He’s a professor who consistently goes above and beyond for his students to see them succeed,” said sophomore digital journalism student Lily Page. “From covering Kansas City Fashion Week to shadowing at KMBC 9 and working at Chiefs games, Professor Jackson has allowed me to grow my portfolio and skill set.” 

  With every class he teaches and every student he helps, Jackson looks to live out his faith and give back to others. “For me to be able to pour into [other people], it’s just being a good steward of what God’s given me,” he said. “And what’s the use of having too much and being overflowing?”

  Jackson begins each day with morning devotions on FaceTime with his 11-year-old son, who lives in Dallas. Though separated physically, the two still spend every morning together, bonding over their faith. 

  These moments are a window into Jackson’s life: a man defined by his strong Christian faith and his profound dedication to serving others.

  His work as a broadcast journalist had taken him to a variety of states and jobs. Most recently, he was an evening news anchor in Kansas City, Missouri. He built a successful career, earning an Emmy Award in 2013.

  But Jackson knew he was missing a lot. When a position at UMKC opened up, Jackson saw an opportunity to be more present in his son’s life, even from miles away. “They would allow for me through the summers to be able to work remotely . . . I would have my holidays off. I thought it was a perfect fit, and it has been,” Jackson said. “I need to be able to get back and forth . . . and be there for my son.”

  He attended Belhaven University on a football scholarship and was encouraged by the chair of the journalism department to take an introduction to journalism course.

 “The rest is history,” he said. “By the time I was a senior, I was in the TV studio so much, they gave me a key to it, because they couldn’t keep me out. Like, I really enjoyed it.”

  It was around his time at Belhaven that Jackson developed a personal relationship with God. Raised in the Bible Belt by Christian parents, Jackson said he initially went to church because he had to, and then veered away before ultimately discovering a personal faith in his 20s. 

  “That’s when I really . . . started to experience Christ for myself,” Jackson said. “I was able to accept Jesus Christ as my Lord and Savior and truly understand what that meant.”

  During college, he coached basketball with In His Steps, a Christian nonprofit organization for marginalized youth in Mississippi. 

  In Kansas City, Jackson is heavily involved at his local church. On top of training to be a deacon, he serves on the greeting and security teams, as well as the men’s ministry.

  Although he may not be anchoring the news on television, Jackson’s life hasn’t really changed. 

  He is still shaping the stories of those around him.

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