KCUR's Zane Irwin has been selected from a pool of thousands of emerging journalists to participate in the 2026-27 New York Times Fellowship program. Now in its 8th year, Times fellows spend a year covering some of the world's must urgent issues. Irwin will be located at the New York office on the international desk, collaborating with journalists across the world to write breaking news and feature stories.
Irwin is currently political reporter for the Kansas News Service, a collaborative of public media newsrooms from across the state. Since joining KCUR in 2025, Irwin's award-winning reporting includes several breaking stories including his coverage of a new law invalidating transgender IDs, an ICE detention center opening in Leavenworth, and controversy around a museum director refusing to give a sword to President Trump.
Irwin has also been an active part of KCUR's new TikTok efforts, providing quick digital updates and features that have helped grow KCUR's audience by reaching new people on the platform.
@kcur893 Kansas Young Republicans have gone inactive, and a staffer for the Kansas Attorney General has been fired, after leaked messages showed the group’s leaders making racist, homophobic and anti-semitic remarks. Screenshots obtained by Politico reveal a group chat between leaders of Young Republican chapters across the country where members used slurs for Black and gay people, use white supremacist memes and more. And at the center of the chat were Kansas Young Republican leaders Alex Dwyer and William Hendrix. Kansas GOP leaders say they are “disgusted” by the comments and say they do not reflect the opinions of Republicans. The Kansas Young Republican website and social media profiles have since been taken offline. 🎤 Hosted and reported by Zane Irwin 🎬 Filmed and produced by Zach Perez 💻 Edited by Gabe Rosenberg #kansascity #kansas #republican #youngrepublicans #groupchat ♬ original sound - KCUR - Kansas City
"Zane has done great work for the Kansas News Service, which has benefited news outlets across the state," said Stephen Koranda, managing editor of the Kansas News Service. "We'll miss him, but knowing we helped train him for this opportunity makes me proud of everything we do."
"It's been such an honor to report on the state I grew up in for the past two years," Irwin said. "Leaving my talented friends and colleagues at KCUR will be hard, but I'm excited to bring everything they've taught me to New York."
The Times Fellowship begins in June 2026.
