Interview of Sherman Smith, June 8, 2026
Interviewed by Jim McLean
In this 2026 interview of Sherman Smith, the editor-in-chief of the Kansas Reflector, Smith discussed a career in the evolving landscape of journalism in the early 21st Century. He recounted his observations of the newspaper industry’s transition from hard copy to digital media and his experience starting out in the early days of that transition at the Topeka Capital-Journal. Smith was in an excellent position from which to observe the changes that occurred in both reporting and the business model of local newspapers as he held various positions over a decade and a half at the Capital-Journal. Smith moved from the for-profit to the non-profit news sector, founding the online-only Kansas Reflector in 2020 — a time when many traditional news organizations were in decline. He described the importance of reporting to citizens’ oversight of state government and the role now filled by non-profit, digital-only news media across the nation. Smith observed that the public continues to appreciate ethical investigative reporting that holds public figures accountable. In Smith’s words, “The appetite for quality journalism has not gone away. I think that gives me hope for the future.”
Associated Press (AP); Culture of Kansas Government; Culture of the Legislature; Independent news reporting; Influence of the press; Kansas News Service; Kansas Reflector; Objective reporting; Online news media; Press Corps; Press relationships; Role of the press; States Newsroom; Topeka Capital-Journal; United Press International (UPI)
Sherman Smith grew up in a rural part of Lyon County, “at the end of a dead end road.” He graduated in 2004 from Emporia State University with a degree in English and a minor in journalism — options that he observed, “no longer exist there.” Smith started his journalism career on the copy desk at the Topeka Capital-Journal a few days after graduating. He described his experience at the Capital-Journal as giving “. . . me the opportunity to do a lot of things: I was a page designer, worked on an alternative storytelling project, built smartphone apps, managed a website, oversaw digital audience, and eventually became the managing editor, with a newsroom staff of about 45.” From that position he reassigned himself to be a Statehouse reporter in February 2018. A little more than two years later he had the opportunity to launch a nonprofit online news outlet, the Kansas Reflector, under the umbrella of States Newsroom. At the time of this interview, he continued to serve as editor-in-chief of the Reflector.
The transcript of this interview will be posted soon.
March 10, 1982
Copy Editor, Topeka Capital-Journal 2004-2007
Online staff, Topeka Capital-Journal 2007-2011
Online Publication Manager, Topeka Capital-Journal 2011-2015
Managing Editor, Topeka Capital-Journal 2015-2020
Editor-in-chief, Kansas Reflector 2020-Present
Kansas Statehouse, Topeka