When was The Kansas City Star founded?
The Kansas City Star was founded on the 18th of September 1880 by William Rockhill Nelson and Samuel E. Morss. It was originally called The Kansas City Evening Star and was priced at a dime a week.
Questions about The Kansas City Star
Short answers, pulled from the story.
How many Pulitzer Prizes has The Kansas City Star won?
The Kansas City Star has won nine Pulitzer Prizes. The most recent was awarded in 2022 to columnist Melinda Henneberger for Commentary.
Did Ernest Hemingway work at The Kansas City Star?
Ernest Hemingway worked as a reporter at The Kansas City Star from October 1917 to April 1918. He credited Star editor C.G. "Pete" Wellington with transforming his writing style, and he referred throughout his lifetime to the paper's style guide, which instructed reporters to use short sentences and vigorous English.
What connection did Harry Truman have to The Kansas City Star?
Harry S. Truman worked in The Kansas City Star's mailroom in August 1902, earning $7.00 in his first week and $5.40 in his second. As president, his administration filed antitrust charges against the Star in 1953 over its ownership of WDAF-TV; the paper lost the case and signed a consent decree in 1957 requiring it to sell its broadcast properties.
Why did The Kansas City Star issue an apology in 2020?
On the 21st of December 2020, The Kansas City Star issued an apology for decades of racist news coverage. Editor and president Mike Fannin wrote that the paper had disenfranchised, ignored, and scorned generations of Black Kansas Citians, reinforced Jim Crow laws and redlining, and denied an entire community opportunity, dignity, justice, and recognition. The apology launched a six-part series examining the paper's historical coverage.
Who owned The Kansas City Star before McClatchy?
The Star passed through several owners after employee ownership ended in 1977. Capital Cities Communications purchased it that year, then Walt Disney acquired Capital Cities in January 1996, and Disney sold the Star to Knight Ridder in May 1997. The McClatchy Company bought Knight Ridder in June 2006 and filed for bankruptcy in February 2020, at which point Chatham Asset Management acquired it at auction.