The Kansas City Star published one story Sunday that apologized for the way it had covered black people.
“The Kansas City Star is proud to hold power to account. Today we hold up the mirror to ourselves to see what historical role we have played, both through action and passivity, in shaping and disfiguring the Kansas City landscape, ”wrote the paper’s editor Mike Fannin in the piece.
“It’s time we started owning our history.”
He wrote that the 140-year-old newspaper decided to conduct the investigation at the suggestion of reporter Mará Rose Williams. That suggestion led to an in-depth look at the newspaper’s coverage of race and the black community since its inception in 1880.
In their research, Kansas City reporters searched newspaper archives and interviewed people who lived through the events reported in the past. They also spoke to former Kansas City editors and reporters.
“Reporters were often disgusted with what they thought – decades of reporting depicting Black Kansas Citians as criminals living in a crime-laden world,” Fannin writes. “They were ashamed of what was missing: the achievements, ambitions and milestones of an entire population were routinely overlooked, as if black people were invisible.”
Fannin writes that the newspaper, like many other mid-20th century newspapers, was a “white newspaper produced by white reporters and editors for white readers and advertisers.” He describes how for some families having the newspaper was a tradition passed down through generations.
But not in black families. Their children grew up with little hope of ever being named in the city’s biggest and most influential newspapers unless they got in trouble. Negative depictions of Black Kansas Citians supported stereotypes and played a part in keeping the city divided. “
A “toxic story” developed in which black people were mainly portrayed as victims or perpetrators of crime, Fannin writes.
He points to a rare case where a Black Kansas City man was celebrated – Charlie “Bird” Parker, the acclaimed jazz saxophonist – and noted that it was only to report on Parker’s death. When his death was reported his name was misspelled and his age was incorrect.
Fannin said progress did not begin during the civil rights movement until the 1960s when more black reporters were hired. But he also said there were still mistakes.
“The good news is that solutions are not impossible. Our gradual improvements need to be accelerated. We need a more diverse workforce. We need deeper discussions with the community to better target our coverage. We need a spectrum of voices to support our entire the community. Sometimes just need good advice. “
He concludes with the announcement of the creation of the Kansas City Star Advisory Board that will meet monthly with editorial leaders to discuss current issues.
“We are grateful for how far we have come. We are humbled by how far we have yet to go.”