The Kansas City Star published a Sunday story that apologized for the way it had covered black people.
“The Kansas City star is proud to take power. Today we look in the mirror to see the historical role we have played, both through action and inaction, in shaping and distorting the landscape of Kansas City, “the newspaper’s editor, Mike Fannin, wrote in the piece.
“It’s time for us to own our history.”
He wrote that the 140-year-old newspaper made the decision to take the exam after a suggestion from journalist Mará Rose Williams. This suggestion led to an in-depth look at the newspaper’s coverage of the race and the black community since its founding in 1880.
In their investigation, Kansas City journalists examined newspaper archives and interviewed people who lived through the events that were reported in the past. They also spoke with former Kansas City editors and journalists.
“Journalists often felt sick for what they found: decades of coverage that represented black Kansas citizens as criminals living in a world laden with crime,” Fannin writes. “They were ashamed of what was missing: the achievements, aspirations, and goals of an entire population were routinely overlooked, as if blacks were invisible.”
Fannin writes about how the newspaper, like many mid-20th century newspapers, was a “white newspaper produced by white journalists and editors for white readers and advertisers.” He describes how having the diary was a tradition for some families that has been passed down through generations.
“But not to black families. Their children grew up with little hope of ever being mentioned in the most important and influential newspapers in the city unless they had problems. Negative portraits of Black Kansas Citians reinforced stereotypes and played a role in keeping the city divided. “
A “toxic narrative” was created in which blacks were primarily portrayed as victims or perpetrators of crimes, Fannin writes.
He points to a rare case when a Black Kansas City man, Charlie “Bird” Parker, the acclaimed jazz saxophonist, was held, and noted that it was only a matter of reporting on Parker’s death. When his death was reported, his name was misspelled and his age was incorrect.
Fannin said progress did not begin until the 1960s during the Civil Rights Movement, when more black journalists were hired. But he also said the mistakes continued.
“The good news is that solutions are not impossible. Our gradual improvements need to be accelerated. We need more diverse staff. We need deeper community conversations to better focus our coverage. We need a spectrum of voices to represent the whole our community. And we only need good advice from time to time. “
He concludes his work by announcing the formation of The Kansas City Star Advisory Board which will meet monthly with editorial leaders to discuss current issues.
“We are grateful for how far we have come. We are humbled to what extent we still have to go.”