Topic: Influence of the press

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 Steve Kraske, September 11, 2025

Interviewed by McLean Jim

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 Beverley Buller, October 14, 2025

Interviewed by Jim McLean

In her 2025 interview, conducted at Red Rocks, the historic former home of William Allen White (b. 1868, d. 1944) in Emporia, Kansas, Beverley Buller reflects on her career as an educator, librarian, and author. A lifelong Kansan, Buller describes her transition from a classroom teacher to a school librarian, a role that deepened her commitment to literacy and state heritage. She shares her research on White, the "Sage of Emporia" that informed her books. She emphasizes White’s national significance as a journalist and political observer who remained rooted in small-town Kansas Show Morevalues. Buller describes how White started in the newspaper business, his purchase of the Emporia Gazette, and the influence of some of his famous essays. She also talks about the William Allen White Children’s Book Award, highlighting the award’s role in fostering a love of reading. She describes the award not just as a literary prize, but as a living tribute to White’s belief in the power of the written word.

Highlight -- short excerpt from the interview

Evolution

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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 Show Moremoved 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.” Show Less