Topic: Kansas City Star

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 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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