“It strengthened the Jim Crow laws and redlining,” wrote Mike Fannin, president and editor of the Star, in a column apologizing for the newspaper coverage on Sunday. “Decade after early decade, it robbed an entire community of opportunity, dignity, justice and recognition.”
The Star now apologizes for its actions and has published the first part of a six-part package examining the Star’s coverage of Kansas City.
Reporters were often disgusted with what they found – decades of reporting depicting Black Kansas Citians as criminals living in a crime-laden world. They were ashamed of what was missing: the achievements, aspirations, and milestones of an entire population were overlooked, as if black people were invisible, ‘Fannin wrote.
Looking ahead, the Star says it is encouraging other Kansas City companies to research their own histories as well, and also announced the creation of the Kansas City Star Advisory Board to guide coverage going forward.
The move comes months after the deaths of Ahmaud Arbery, Breonna Taylor and George Floyd sparked months of protests against systemic racism, which also led to an ongoing racial settlement across the country.