Getting actual news out in a timely manner hasn’t been of much importance of late…
Not at the Kansas City Star anyway.
The former grande dame of local news and information has long since been turned into a loosely written amalgam of left-leaning slants, run by underpaid wannabe journalists.
Don’t get me wrong.
I’m sure they’re all nice and well-intentioned. That said, we live in a news world populated by writers who believe their opinions far outweigh the more even handed kind of reporting of the Art Brisbane and before era.
Not long ago one of the highest distinctions a Star staffer could achieve was the so-called William Rockhill Nelson “Full Nelson” award. Employee’s names were inscribed on plaques hanging in the Nelson Room outside the old cafeteria at the Star building at 18th and Grand. It was more an employee award than anything related to journalism.
Ah, but now everything Rockhill Nelson-related has been scrubbed from the newspaper’s history. Kinda like schools with the names of folks like George Washington and Abraham Lincoln have been rubbed out of their existences.
Hey, it’s the way of the Brave New World…like it or lump it.
And now – at long last – the Star has blown editor Mike Fannin a farewell kiss.
Seriously, how many DUIs, assault convictions and other low brow activities does it take?
Former Star publisher Mark Zieman handed Fannin his crown – despite that he’d just garnered a DUI and suffered through an affair with a married subordinate and gosh knows what else.
Clearly, the days of the Star appointing high brow individuals to top positions are long gone. Although, I suspect with handing what’s left of the keys to the kingdom to Greg Farmer is another step in that direction.
The $64 million question: Does it really matter any more?
Maybe not, but for people let’s say, 30 and up – it may.
Unfortunately, today’s bottom line has little to do with even halfway honest journalism.
The powers that be now cater to younger writers who think they know best.
Equally awful is that opinion writers like retired Star editor Jim Fitzpatrick – who wasn’t exactly a stickler for playing it straight journalistically – mostly go along as long as their woke opinions align with new up-and-comers.
It’s the general public – the unwashed if you will – that come up short on this New Deal.
Like Fitz – who Brisbane demoted and humiliated in a front page story for paying cash to nail a bad guy for a news story – whatever it takes to achieve an end is fair game
Unfortunately, readers are often left with but a single side of the story.
“I got one of the Nelson awards,” says longtime, former Star staffer Candace Spurney. “I was nominated as an ‘outstanding. employee; – I was humbled by it.”
As for William Rockhill Nelson biting the dust at the Star, “I guess a lot of our history these days is just being swept under the rug,” Spurney says. “But I want to hear what the other side thinks. There is a part of our history – are we just supposed to erase it? (Nelson) clearly did good things, but are we going to note that? No, it’s ridiculous. I think we could have approached it in a totally different way. It’s just not right – you can acknowledge (his mistakes), but you don’t just erase him.”
Kinda like they didn’t just “erase” Mike Fannin…
Sir Fitz
When it came to owning up to the newspaper’s more recent missteps and dismal record under Fannin, he was lauded on Pearl Harbor Day as having “produced extraordinary journalism across beats and coverage areas and accountability work that changed lives.”
Like William Rockhill Nelson didn’t?
“Our entire team appreciate(s) Mike’s long service to The Star and to Kansas City,” Fannin’s just-got-fired tribute continues.
Know what? It’s a heckuva lot easier to throw someone under the Black Lives Matter bus who died a century ago than to own up to the far more recent embarrassments and shortcomings of the present.
Mike Fannin should have been blown out the door a long time ago.
Look I hate the Star as it is. Now if the Star had something worth reading and was done in a digital format that didn’t include more ads than content I’d more than likely subscribe to it along with a number of good friends. But plan and simple at even five bucks a month if it was that cheap it’s not worth reading. The newbies have killed what a lot of seasoned writers helped build.
Agree, in general…
Here’s my question, Super Dave:
Do you think there will be some sort of reckoning and a shift back to whatever extent…in our lifetime, maybe?
I seriously doubt so
This is the terrible part about being so divided that we will go so far as altering history. One comedian on YouTube recently proclaimed how stupid all this is. But that’s the thing..with the exception of present company, American’s have become, how do I put it?..a lot less able to problem solve(quote from the same comedian). I was at a shopping mall in Thailand recently, a YouTube came up to me, camera on a stick pointing at me. asked “what’s wrong with America?”. I said “it’s the first name of the damn country -UNITED States of America. We’re not anymore.
Hard to argue with you…
Who knows where things are truly headed, but some kind of, maybe not civil war, but states slitting up from the main gov seems at the very least, possible.
Not sure how many Boomers and even Get Hers will be around to bear witness
Yes, you’re right it’s hard to predict what’s going to happen..and when. It’s seems like we’re already in a civil war, at least with the hating and dividing part. It’s pretty common to hear people within families not talking to each other anymore.
I live in Thailand permanently now, so I get to watch this unravel from afar. My gut instinct tells me the U.S. is going to suffer something similar to the turmoil of the early 1860’s AND the late 1960’s — All wrapped into one — and all by 2030.
I really hope not but it seems unavoidable.
Ff
Interesting take…hard to argue with you
Kansas Citians are craving local news, angles, and commentary. The Star only publishes stories that push their angle and their editorial board must be paid with Whole Foods gift cards because there is not a lot of talent or creativity there. The local TV stations are fun, and they are great at weather. Dana and Parks are pretty good when it comes to local interest, maybe the best. Kietzman’s podcast pays attention to local stuff. Then we have our a’ la carte options like TKC. With Jimmy C says… that guy picks a target and sticks with it.
Whole Foods gift cards? Funny guy…
The “not a lot of talent or creativity” critique probably speaks more to the low pay and less experienced reporters (writers?) than anything else.
But heck, that’s long been the case from what I can tell. When the Baby Boomer generation – like Art Brisbane, even Jason Whitlock (Gen x?) broke in, they were young, cheap and inexperienced as well.
The difference being that they Mike Fannins of the journalism world were far more experienced, savvy and overbearing and they had far better schooling, so-to-speak.
I like Jimmy C – his political leanings aside – but he flew breath the radar at the Star frankly, other than the time he got caught and Brisbane wrote a front page story of his journalistic violations and was demoted.
At this stage of the game, Fitz is a model of serious, old-school journalism compared to pretty much anything else out there new to the biz
Fitz is still adhering to true journalism standards
According to whom? An anonymous dude named “Plaza Jack”