I like to think that Kansas Reflector’s opinion section makes us a little different.
We care about commentary, about giving a voice to folks throughout the state who want to express themselves. And editor Sherman Smith, along with the folks at States Newsroom headquarters, care about supporting a full-time editor — me — to edit those pieces and write a bunch besides.
That means that we don’t just report the news every day. Through this section, we’re able to tell you what it means and why it’s important.
Readers have responded in the four-and-a-half years that we’ve published, and the three-and-a-half years I’ve had the privilege to hold this job. We kept up the pace in 2024, with daily columns that ran the gamut from political commentary to reflections on geckos.
Here are the top 10 Kansas Reflector opinion pieces from the past year, based on readership.
10. An insurance CEO was gunned down. Malignant health care system in Kansas, U.S., explains reaction.
(Clay Wirestone, Dec. 16)
No, I wasn’t penning a “love letter to Luigi Mangione,” as one clickbait headline put it. But I was trying to explicate the frustrations of Americans with their health care system, and I received dozens of emails about the piece. Our readers understood the point.
9. Trump’s makeup mask strategically hides something that we might never see
(Eric Thomas, Dec. 6)
Our Friday columnist, Eric Thomas, breaks into this year’s list with an after-the-election column about how politicians present themselves to the public. Eric has also written about sports, academia and social media, among a plethora of subjects, so make sure to follow his work.
8. A bank failure shattered trust in this Kansas town. Only honest talk will heal it.
(Max McCoy, April 7)
ELKHART — Eight months after a bank failure shook this historic and close-knit community, new details are emerging that indicate just how deeply the bank’s collapse was felt in town.
Speaking of regular columnists, here’s the first entry from Sunday stalwart Max McCoy. He wrote several columns about this small-town bank failure, each one deeply reported and heart-wrenching. Max has the preternatural ability to drop into small communities and capture their essence.
7. State senator threatened PBS funding over program. Turns out, it was a film about LGBTQ+ Kansans.
(Clay Wirestone, Feb. 12)
The name of the program.
Normally, I leave the deep-dive reporting to others on the Kansas Reflector staff, but I couldn’t help but follow up on comments from state Sen. Caryn Tyson about a PBS program she found objectionable. It turned out the show was a documentary about the senator’s fellow Kansans — they just happened to be LGBTQ+ ones.
6. PBS funds, tax cuts, porn ban: Stories from Kansas legislative session still unfolding
(Clay Wirestone, July 8)
With the 2024 session done and dusted, we can now take a look at how a handful of those stories played out beyond the headlines. And for that purpose, I’m resurrecting my trusty Statehouse scraps column. Buckle yourselves in as we fire up the engine, rev the accelerator and head onto the open road.
Once upon a time, legislative reporters the nation over would write weekly roundups of legislative tidbits. The news business being what it is, fewer such columns appear these days. I’ve revived the form with my weekly Statehouse scraps column, which usually attracts a small but devoted audience. This installment attracted more attention than usual.
5. If mass deportation happens in Kansas, consequences will be dire
(Kim Stanley, Nov. 15)
I live in McPherson in a neighborhood of small, boxy houses, many built in 1946 for returning soldiers. It’s not an expensive neighborhood, and all kinds of people live here: old folks like me and young people with children, white folks like me and people of color. Judging by the people I speak to as they walk down my street, some of my neighbors are Latino. Some are of South Asian or Philippine descent. Some are Black. The old folks tend to be white. The children are very mixed.
Consequences! The reelection of Donald Trump prompted several columns from contributors and myself about what might happen during his second term. Kim Stanley, chairwoman of the Modern Languages Department at McPherson College, penned this incisive take on mass deportation.
4. Lawmakers plan brazen power grab, pushing aside Kansas voters and Gov. Laura Kelly
(Clay Wirestone, Aug. 31)
I can usually understand why one column or another does especially well or poorly. Some topics interest wider audiences than others. Some headlines put the point across more enticingly than others. But I have no idea why folks flocked to this take on the Statehouse budgeting process. It’s nice to be surprised, I suppose.
3. A stupefying poll shows Harris breathing down Trump’s neck in Kansas. Here’s what that means.
(Clay Wirestone, Oct. 31)
The annual Kansas Speaks survey from the Docking Institute at Fort Hays State University showed Democratic presidential candidate Kamala Harris a mere five points behind Republican candidate Donald Trump. Given that the survey covers traditionally conservative Kansas, political pundits pounced.
I guess we have to do this. My most-read column of the year delved into the construction of the Kansas Speaks poll that showed a tight presidential race in Kansas. The poll was wrong. The race wasn’t tight. I chowed down on abundant and delicious crow in a follow-up.
2. The search for Amelia Earhart and her plane continues. But in Atchison, her fingerprints remain.
(Max McCoy, Feb. 18)
ATCHISON — The search for the plane Amelia Earhart piloted in her tragic 1937 attempt to circumnavigate the globe is again making headlines, this time because of a blurry image of what appears to be an aircraft under 16,000 feet of water in the central Pacific.
Everyone loves Kansas-born aviatrix Amelia Earhart. A new museum in Atchison pays tribute to her work and touches on her mysterious disappearance. I wrote about it last year, but McCoy’s take caught fire with Kansas Reflector readers. I’m not bitter or anything.
1. Hoping for a miracle to save the Ogallala Aquifer? Prepare for the new Dust Bowl.
(Max McCoy, June 30)
In the summer of 1894, a curious railway car plied the tracks of western Kansas, a chemical soup wafting to a sky ruled by a demon sun and chastened by moisture-devouring winds. At the helm of this experiment on wheels, owned by the Rock Island railroad, was a 32-year-old train dispatcher who had convinced railway officials and town leaders across the state that he had the secret to make it rain.
We’ve arrived at the most-read opinion column of the year. It also happens to be our most-read piece on the Kansas Reflector website. McCoy’s sweeping vision unites past and present, offering a powerful warning for Kansans and anyone who depends on the aquifer.
Clay Wirestone is Kansas Reflector opinion editor. Through its opinion section, Kansas Reflector works to amplify the voices of people who are affected by public policies or excluded from public debate. Find information, including how to submit your own commentary, here.
Excerpts or more from this article, originally published on Kansas Reflector appear in this post. Republished, with permission, under a Creative Commons License.