Topic: Press Corps

Interview of Edward (Ed) Reilly, July 2, 2019

Interviewed by Dale Goter

Former State Senator Ed Reilly recalls controversial issues that went through the Senate Federal and State Affairs Committee during his tenure as chair (1971-1992). Those issues include the death penalty, liquor by the drink, lottery, pari-mutuel wagering, and casino gambling, some of which required adoption of Constitutional amendments. Reilly attributes the acceptance of those cultural changes in part to the need to raise additional state revenue. Reilly recalls professional relationships with the Statehouse press corps and the influence of grass-roots interests. He commented on the increase in the number of women. Reilly's memoir, "Giving Back: A Lifetime of Show MoreService to Kansas and the Nation" was released by the University of Kansas Press in December, 2025. Show Less

Photo of Dave Ranney, John Marshall, and Mike Shields

Interview of John Marshall, Mike Shields and Dave Ranney, July 30, 2025

Interviewed by Jim McLean

In this 2025 oral history interview, Jim McLean explored with John Marshall, Dave Ranney, and Mike Shields some of the issues they covered as Statehouse reporters and how news coverage has changed over the last fifty years. The three reporters, who all worked at Harris News, describe providing in-depth coverage, such as Marshall’s descriptions of school finance debates, Shields’ work on Kansas water issues, and Ranney’s articles on social services issues that impacted Kansans’ lives. Marshall noted that through Ranney’s reporting on social issues, “we found that for the first time we could raise the consciousness of almost the Show Moreentire community of Kansas. Made this an issue. Made this something that people talked about and were concerned with, especially legislators.” They shared their thoughts on how Harris News made “Kansans aware of Kansas” and the importance of covering local stories about local people and not just Topeka, Kansas City, and Wichita. They noted that today “we’ve lost the quality control of the information being presented out there.” They also recognized Dale Dennis, formerly at the Kansas Department of Education, and Richard "Dick" Ryan, former Director of the Kansas Legislative Research Department, as sources of detailed information to ensure that Kansans received accurate and reliable news from the Statehouse.

Highlights -- short excerpts from the interview

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Interview of Tim Carpenter, August 4, 2025

Interviewed by Jim McLean

In this 2025 interview, Tim Carpenter described how reporting from the Statehouse evolved over his almost 40-year career. The setting for the interview was the historic site, Red Rocks, which was the Emporia, KS home of renowned journalist William Allen White. Carpenter recalls that early in his career, reporters were given time for investigative reporting that informed the public about important issues. Today, due to drastic staff cuts, reporters often only are able to write about legislation after it has become law. He observed that that there has been a loss of an Show Moreopen leadership style and collegiality in the Statehouse, with some elected officials closing themselves off from the press and refusing to share information with the public -- while complaining about press coverage. Carpenter shared his concern that people only want “echo chambers” that tell them what they want to hear, and don’t distinguish between opinion pieces and factual reporting. In Carpenter’s words, “Now people are so combative they don’t even want to listen to other people’s ideas, and that’s to the detriment of all Kansans.”

Highlights -- short excerpts from the interview

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Interview of Martin Hawver, August 13, 2025

Interviewed by Jim McLean

In this 2025 interview, Martin Hawver discussed his career in journalism, focusing on his years reporting from the Kansas Statehouse. Hawver’s interview examined the role that his Hawver’s Capitol Report played in providing news and insider analysis about Kansas politics and government for three decades. Hawver reported Statehouse news and described how the issues being debated would affect Kansans. He had a reputation for asking the questions no one else would ask, often in a signature quirky manner. Hawver focused on what people needed to know, and delivered the news in a unique style. His goal was to Show Morewrite “what people think is interesting, what they ought to know, what they wish they know, what they hope other people don’t know.”

Highlights -- short excerpts from the interview

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Side by side photos of Mike Swenson and Mike Matson

Interview of Mike Matson and Mike Swenson, August 18, 2025

Interviewed by Jim McLean

In this 2025 oral history interview, Mike Matson and Mike Swenson described how they transitioned from being members of the Statehouse press corps to serving as press secretaries for governors Graves and Carlin, respectively. In the role of press secretary, they served as spokesperson for the governor and worked to get his message out, but they describe their role as including serving the public interest as a credible source of information. They understood the importance of working with the press to share their governor’s policy agenda and to get their message out to the Show Morepublic. Swenson explained how Governor Carlin was able to bring the leadership of both parties and cabinet members together to ‘hammer’ things out. Matson described how the Graves administration was faced with the challenge of a “conservative Republican in charge of the House…[that] was not interested in having the conversations that we’re talking about.” Governor Graves had to form coalitions with moderate members of both parties “in order to enact policy they felt most Kansans supported.”

Highlights -- short excerpts from the interview

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Interview of Steve Kraske, September 11, 2025

In this 2025 oral history interview, Steve Kraske reflected on his 33-year career as a political reporter and editor for The Kansas City Star covering the Kansas Statehouse. Kraske shared his memories of the Mike Hayden- Joan Finney gubernatorial race, the Bob Dole - Bill Roy US Senate race, and the conservative rise that began when the self-described “Rebels” such as Rep. David Miller, Rep. Kerry Patrick, and Tim Shallenberger were elected to the Kansas House of Representatives. In this interview, Kraske shared his observation that reporters “don’t hope for bad things because we Show Morehave hard questions. You hope all of this makes for a better state, a better community, a better country.”

Highlights -- short excerpts from the interview

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Interview of Sarah Kessinger, December 11, 2025

Interviewed by Jim McLean

In this 2025 oral history interview, Sarah Kessinger described her reporting career before taking on the challenge of publishing a weekly newspaper. Kessinger was Statehouse reporter for Harris News that served many community newspapers across Kansas. At the time of this interview, she was the editor and publisher of The Marysville Advocate. She observed that small, locally-owned newspapers look for ways to get the next generation to understand that “a newspaper is there as a resource for them to become better informed and better citizens in their community.” She also noted that, "there’s a lot Show Moreof rhetoric online that people believe, and that rhetoric doesn’t have to be vetted like we have to vet what we report and make sure that it’s accurate…we have a legal liability to report the truth.” She also highlighted as an issue confronting newspapers the lack of communication from national, state, and local elected officials. Kessinger questioned whether government officials realize the “damage they’re doing by shutting out the media and not being transparent.” In Kessinger's opinion, if media “can’t keep [important issues] in front of the public, then we all lose in the end. It’s a weaker society in general.”

Highlights -- short excerpts from the interview

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Interview of John Hanna, December 19, 2025

Interviewed by Jim McLean

John Hanna recalled his long career as one of the top journalists in Kansas in this 2025 interview with Jim McLean. Hanna described how covering the Kansas legislature has changed from the years when several reporters were able to cover multiple committees each day to now where a single reporter has “to tell big, broad stories to the largest audience possible.” He observed that there is “still a need for good journalism to help organize and make sense of what’s going on and to write about patterns and trends and context.” Hanna acknowledged the difficulty of maintaining Show Morethe AP style of balancing every story and giving each side equal coverage when you know one of the sides is demonstrably not true. He observed that there is an organized campaign by national groups that are getting legislatures to act and that it is “important for the reader to understand—where it’s coming from, how money is being spent, who benefits, who doesn’t.”

Highlights -- short excerpts from the interview

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Interview of Dale Goter, January 6, 2026

Interviewed by McLean Jim

In this 2026 oral history interview, Dale Goter looked back at the evolving landscapes of Kansas journalism and state politics. Goter, a veteran journalist who later became the lobbyist for the City of Wichita, offered a unique perspective on how the relationship between the press and elected officials shifted over several decades. He described a "golden age" of Statehouse news coverage when major news organizations maintained fully staffed bureaus in Topeka. That presence allowed for rigorous, daily coverage of the Kansas Legislature, which Goter characterized as essential for maintaining public accountability. He expressed concern over the subsequent decline of coverage, Show Morenoting that the loss of dedicated statehouse reporters left a void sometimes filled by partisan messaging rather than objective reporting. Goter stated that as a journalist, “You’re always going after the power structure because that’s where the power is, and that’s where the abuse of power is.” Journalists are "conditioned to look for controversy. You’re looking for conflict, controversy, and corruption. That puts you at odds with government all of the time. You’re perceived as a liberal because you’re going against government.” Goter shared his thoughts on changes in the Statehouse culture. He points out that there used to be a “level of oratory that took place on the Senate floor, people like Ed Reilly, . . . Frank Gaines, and Tom Rehorn. They could get up. They were stem winders." Goter transitioned from the press gallery to a role as lobbyist for Wichita in 2006. He described the nuances of lobbying for the city from a ‘public good’ perspective not commonly found among the ranks of lobbyists. Goter explained that effective lobbying relies on building long-term relationships and providing credible information to lawmakers, a process that became increasingly difficult due to rising political polarization.

Highlights -- short excerpts from the interview

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