The Kansas City Star
Encyclopedia
The Kansas City Star is a McClatchy
newspaper
based in Kansas City, Missouri
, in the United States
. Published since 1880, the paper is the recipient of eight Pulitzer Prizes. The Star is most notable for its influence on the career of President Harry Truman, as the newspaper where a young Ernest Hemingway
honed his writing style, and for being central to government-mandated divestiture of radio and television outlets by newspaper concerns in the late 1950s.
The paper, originally called The Kansas City Evening Star, was founded Sept. 18, 1880 by William Rockhill Nelson
and Samuel E. Morss. The two moved to Missouri after selling the newspaper that became the Fort Wayne News Sentinel (and earlier owned by Nelson's father) in Nelson's Indiana hometown, where Nelson was campaign manager in the unsuccessful Presidential run of Samuel Tilden.
Morss quit the newspaper business within a year and a half because of ill health.
At the time there were three daily competitors – the Evening Mail, The Kansas City Times
and the Kansas City Journal.
Competitor Times editor Eugene Field
wrote this about the new newspaper:
Nelson's business strategy called for cheap advance subscriptions and an intention to be “absolutely independent in politics, aiming to deal by all men and all parties with impartiality and fearlessness.” .
He purchased the Kansas City Evening Mail (and its Associated Press
evening franchise) in 1882. The paper name was changed to The Kansas City Star in 1885. Nelson started the Weekly Kansas City Star in 1890 and the Sunday Kansas City Star in 1894.
In 1901 Nelson also bought the morning paper The Kansas City Times
(and its morning Associated Press franchise). Nelson announced the arrival of the "24 Hour Star."
President Harry S. Truman
worked two weeks in August 1902 in the mailroom, making $7.00 the first week and $5.40 the second. In 1950 Truman half joked in an unmailed letter to Star editor Roy Roberts, "If the Star is at all mentioned in history, it will be because the President of the U.S. worked there for a few weeks in 1901."
The paper was first printed on the second story of a 3-story building at 407-409 Delaware. In 1881 it moved 14 W. 5th Street. In 1882 it moved to 115 W. 6th. In 1889 it moved to 804-806 Wyandotte. In 1911 it moved into its Jarvis Hunt
-designed building at 18th and Grand.
Nelson died in 1915. Nelson provided in his will that his newspaper was to support his wife and daughter and then be sold.
Ernest Hemingway
was a reporter for the Star from October 1917 to April 1918. Hemingway credited Star editor C.G. "Pete" Wellington with changing a wordy high-schooler's writing style into clear, provocative English. Throughout his lifetime he referred to this admonition from The Star Copy Style, the Stars style guide
:
Nelson's wife died in 1921; his daughter Laura Kirkwood died in a Baltimore
hotel room in 1926 at the age of 43.
Virtually all proceeds from the sale and remains of Nelson's $6 million personal fortune were donated to create the Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art
on the site of Nelson's home, Oak Hall.
Both papers were purchased by the employees in 1926 following the death of Nelson's daughter.
The Star enjoyed a pivotal role in American politics beginning in the late 1920s when Iowa-native Herbert Hoover
was nominated at the 1928 Republican convention in Kansas City, and continuing through 1960 at the conclusion of the presidency of Kansas favorite Dwight D. Eisenhower
.
Editor Roy A. Roberts
(1887–1967) was to make the newspaper a major force in Kansas politics. Roberts joined the paper in 1909 and was picked by Nelson for the Washington bureau in 1915. Roberts became managing editor in 1928. He was instrumental in pushing Kansas Governor Alf Landon
for the Republican nomination in 1936; Landon was defeated in the general election by Franklin D. Roosevelt
.
In 1942 the Journal, the last daily competitor, ceased publication. The Journal had offered unwavering support of Tom Pendergast
's political machine; once Pendergast had fallen from power, the paper suffered.
In 1945 the paper bought the Flambeau Paper Mill in Park Falls, Wisconsin
to provide newsprint. The mill was to be cited for pollution problems and have labor problems, and the Star was to eventually divest itself of the mill in 1971.
Roberts was elevated to president of the Star in 1947. The Star was not particularly kind to hometown Democrat
Harry Truman, who had been backed by famed big city Democratic Machine boss Tom Pendergast
. In 1953, the Truman administration in its closing days filed antitrust charges against the Star over its ownership of WDAF-TV
. The Star launched radio station WDAF
May 16, 1922, and television outlet WDAF-TV on October 19, 1949. The Star lost its case and had to sign a consent decree in 1957 that led to the sale of the broadcast stations.
With the influence of the Star in Truman's hometown, the newspaper and Roberts were the subject of an April 12, 1948 cover issue of Time Magazine.
In 1954, Topeka correspondent Alvin McCoy won a Pulitzer Prize for a series of articles questioning the business dealings of the Republican national chairman. Roberts reported the Pulitzer Prize in a four paragraph item.
Roberts semi-retired in 1963, officially retired in 1965 and died in 1967.
in May 1997 as Disney moved to concentrate on broadcast rather than newspaper investments. Under Capital Cities ownership the newspaper won three Pulitzer Prizes.
width from 15 to 12 inches and shrinking the length from 22 to 21 inches. Other broadsheet newspapers across the country, including the Wall Street Journal, are moving to the smaller standard size.
The McClatchy Company
bought Knight Ridder
in June 2006.
The newspaper has won eight Pulitzer Prizes:
The McClatchy Company
The McClatchy Company is a publicly traded American publishing company based in Sacramento, California. It operates 30 daily newspapers in 15 states and has an average weekday circulation of 2.2 million and Sunday circulation of 2.8 million...
newspaper
Newspaper
A newspaper is a scheduled publication containing news of current events, informative articles, diverse features and advertising. It usually is printed on relatively inexpensive, low-grade paper such as newsprint. By 2007, there were 6580 daily newspapers in the world selling 395 million copies a...
based in Kansas City, Missouri
Kansas City, Missouri
Kansas City, Missouri is the largest city in the U.S. state of Missouri and is the anchor city of the Kansas City Metropolitan Area, the second largest metropolitan area in Missouri. It encompasses in parts of Jackson, Clay, Cass, and Platte counties...
, in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. Published since 1880, the paper is the recipient of eight Pulitzer Prizes. The Star is most notable for its influence on the career of President Harry Truman, as the newspaper where a young Ernest Hemingway
Ernest Hemingway
Ernest Miller Hemingway was an American author and journalist. His economic and understated style had a strong influence on 20th-century fiction, while his life of adventure and his public image influenced later generations. Hemingway produced most of his work between the mid-1920s and the...
honed his writing style, and for being central to government-mandated divestiture of radio and television outlets by newspaper concerns in the late 1950s.
Nelson family ownership (1880–1926)
William Rockhill Nelson
William Rockhill Nelson was a real estate developer and founder of The Kansas City Star. He donated his estate for the establishment of the Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art.-Early life:...
and Samuel E. Morss. The two moved to Missouri after selling the newspaper that became the Fort Wayne News Sentinel (and earlier owned by Nelson's father) in Nelson's Indiana hometown, where Nelson was campaign manager in the unsuccessful Presidential run of Samuel Tilden.
Morss quit the newspaper business within a year and a half because of ill health.
At the time there were three daily competitors – the Evening Mail, The Kansas City Times
Kansas City Times
The Kansas City Times was a morning newspaper in Kansas City, Missouri, that was published from 1867 to 1990.The morning Kansas City Times, under ownership of afternoon The Kansas City Star, won two Pulitzer Prizes and was actually bigger than its parent when its name was changed to the...
and the Kansas City Journal.
Competitor Times editor Eugene Field
Eugene Field
Eugene Field, Sr. was an American writer, best known for his children's poetry and humorous essays.-Biography:...
wrote this about the new newspaper:
- Twinkle, twinkle, little Star
- Bright and gossipy you are;
- We can daily hear you speak
- For a paltry dime a week.
Nelson's business strategy called for cheap advance subscriptions and an intention to be “absolutely independent in politics, aiming to deal by all men and all parties with impartiality and fearlessness.” .
He purchased the Kansas City Evening Mail (and its Associated Press
Associated Press
The Associated Press is an American news agency. The AP is a cooperative owned by its contributing newspapers, radio and television stations in the United States, which both contribute stories to the AP and use material written by its staff journalists...
evening franchise) in 1882. The paper name was changed to The Kansas City Star in 1885. Nelson started the Weekly Kansas City Star in 1890 and the Sunday Kansas City Star in 1894.
In 1901 Nelson also bought the morning paper The Kansas City Times
Kansas City Times
The Kansas City Times was a morning newspaper in Kansas City, Missouri, that was published from 1867 to 1990.The morning Kansas City Times, under ownership of afternoon The Kansas City Star, won two Pulitzer Prizes and was actually bigger than its parent when its name was changed to the...
(and its morning Associated Press franchise). Nelson announced the arrival of the "24 Hour Star."
President Harry S. Truman
Harry S. Truman
Harry S. Truman was the 33rd President of the United States . As President Franklin D. Roosevelt's third vice president and the 34th Vice President of the United States , he succeeded to the presidency on April 12, 1945, when President Roosevelt died less than three months after beginning his...
worked two weeks in August 1902 in the mailroom, making $7.00 the first week and $5.40 the second. In 1950 Truman half joked in an unmailed letter to Star editor Roy Roberts, "If the Star is at all mentioned in history, it will be because the President of the U.S. worked there for a few weeks in 1901."
The paper was first printed on the second story of a 3-story building at 407-409 Delaware. In 1881 it moved 14 W. 5th Street. In 1882 it moved to 115 W. 6th. In 1889 it moved to 804-806 Wyandotte. In 1911 it moved into its Jarvis Hunt
Jarvis Hunt
Jarvis Hunt was a "renowned Chicago architect" who designed a wide array of buildings, including train stations, suburban estates, industrial buildings, clubhouses and other structures....
-designed building at 18th and Grand.
Nelson died in 1915. Nelson provided in his will that his newspaper was to support his wife and daughter and then be sold.
Ernest Hemingway
Ernest Hemingway
Ernest Miller Hemingway was an American author and journalist. His economic and understated style had a strong influence on 20th-century fiction, while his life of adventure and his public image influenced later generations. Hemingway produced most of his work between the mid-1920s and the...
was a reporter for the Star from October 1917 to April 1918. Hemingway credited Star editor C.G. "Pete" Wellington with changing a wordy high-schooler's writing style into clear, provocative English. Throughout his lifetime he referred to this admonition from The Star Copy Style, the Stars style guide
Style guide
A style guide or style manual is a set of standards for the writing and design of documents, either for general use or for a specific publication, organization or field...
:
- "Use short sentences. Use short first paragraphs. Use vigorous English. Be positive, not negative."
Nelson's wife died in 1921; his daughter Laura Kirkwood died in a Baltimore
Baltimore
Baltimore is the largest independent city in the United States and the largest city and cultural center of the US state of Maryland. The city is located in central Maryland along the tidal portion of the Patapsco River, an arm of the Chesapeake Bay. Baltimore is sometimes referred to as Baltimore...
hotel room in 1926 at the age of 43.
Employee ownership (1926–1977)
Laura's husband Irwin Kirkwood, who was editor of the paper, led the employee purchase. Kirkwood in turn died of a heart attack in 1927 in Saratoga Springs, New York, where he had gone to sell thoroughbred horses. Stock in the company was then distributed among other employees.Virtually all proceeds from the sale and remains of Nelson's $6 million personal fortune were donated to create the Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art
Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art
The Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art is an art museum in Kansas City, Missouri, known for its neoclassical architecture and extensive collection of Asian art....
on the site of Nelson's home, Oak Hall.
Both papers were purchased by the employees in 1926 following the death of Nelson's daughter.
The Star enjoyed a pivotal role in American politics beginning in the late 1920s when Iowa-native Herbert Hoover
Herbert Hoover
Herbert Clark Hoover was the 31st President of the United States . Hoover was originally a professional mining engineer and author. As the United States Secretary of Commerce in the 1920s under Presidents Warren Harding and Calvin Coolidge, he promoted partnerships between government and business...
was nominated at the 1928 Republican convention in Kansas City, and continuing through 1960 at the conclusion of the presidency of Kansas favorite Dwight D. Eisenhower
Dwight D. Eisenhower
Dwight David "Ike" Eisenhower was the 34th President of the United States, from 1953 until 1961. He was a five-star general in the United States Army...
.
Editor Roy A. Roberts
Roy A. Roberts
Roy Allison Roberts was a managing editor, president, editor and general manager of The Kansas City Star who guided the paper during its influential period during the Presidencies of Harry S. Truman and Dwight D...
(1887–1967) was to make the newspaper a major force in Kansas politics. Roberts joined the paper in 1909 and was picked by Nelson for the Washington bureau in 1915. Roberts became managing editor in 1928. He was instrumental in pushing Kansas Governor Alf Landon
Alf Landon
Alfred Mossman "Alf" Landon was an American Republican politician, who served as the 26th Governor of Kansas from 1933–1937. He was best known for being the Republican Party's nominee for President of the United States, defeated in a landslide by Franklin D...
for the Republican nomination in 1936; Landon was defeated in the general election by Franklin D. Roosevelt
Franklin D. Roosevelt
Franklin Delano Roosevelt , also known by his initials, FDR, was the 32nd President of the United States and a central figure in world events during the mid-20th century, leading the United States during a time of worldwide economic crisis and world war...
.
In 1942 the Journal, the last daily competitor, ceased publication. The Journal had offered unwavering support of Tom Pendergast
Tom Pendergast
Thomas Joseph Pendergast controlled Kansas City and Jackson County, Missouri as a political boss. "Boss Tom" Pendergast gave workers jobs and helped elect politicians during the Great Depression, becoming wealthy in the process.-Early years:Thomas Joseph Pendergast, also known to close friends as...
's political machine; once Pendergast had fallen from power, the paper suffered.
In 1945 the paper bought the Flambeau Paper Mill in Park Falls, Wisconsin
Park Falls, Wisconsin
Park Falls is a city in Price County, Wisconsin, United States. The population was 2,793 at the 2000 census. Located in the woods of north central Wisconsin, primarily the Chequamegon National Forest, Park Falls is a small community divided by the North Fork of the Flambeau River, a popular...
to provide newsprint. The mill was to be cited for pollution problems and have labor problems, and the Star was to eventually divest itself of the mill in 1971.
Roberts was elevated to president of the Star in 1947. The Star was not particularly kind to hometown Democrat
Democratic Party (United States)
The Democratic Party is one of two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party. The party's socially liberal and progressive platform is largely considered center-left in the U.S. political spectrum. The party has the lengthiest record of continuous...
Harry Truman, who had been backed by famed big city Democratic Machine boss Tom Pendergast
Tom Pendergast
Thomas Joseph Pendergast controlled Kansas City and Jackson County, Missouri as a political boss. "Boss Tom" Pendergast gave workers jobs and helped elect politicians during the Great Depression, becoming wealthy in the process.-Early years:Thomas Joseph Pendergast, also known to close friends as...
. In 1953, the Truman administration in its closing days filed antitrust charges against the Star over its ownership of WDAF-TV
WDAF-TV
WDAF-TV, virtual channel 4.1, is the Fox-affiliated television station serving the Kansas City, Missouri-Kansas designated market area. The station is owned by Local TV LLC, the media arm of private equity firm Oak Hill Capital Partners. Its studios and transmitter are located in the Signal Hill...
. The Star launched radio station WDAF
WDAF-FM
WDAF-FM is a country music radio station based in Kansas City, Missouri, in the United States. Its current assignment to Entercom's 100,000 Watt facility licensed to Liberty, Missouri, combines the history of both the frequency and the WDAF call letters.- The Early Days :WDAF was one of the first...
May 16, 1922, and television outlet WDAF-TV on October 19, 1949. The Star lost its case and had to sign a consent decree in 1957 that led to the sale of the broadcast stations.
With the influence of the Star in Truman's hometown, the newspaper and Roberts were the subject of an April 12, 1948 cover issue of Time Magazine.
In 1954, Topeka correspondent Alvin McCoy won a Pulitzer Prize for a series of articles questioning the business dealings of the Republican national chairman. Roberts reported the Pulitzer Prize in a four paragraph item.
Roberts semi-retired in 1963, officially retired in 1965 and died in 1967.
Corporate Ownership (1977–Present)
Capital Cities/Disney (1977–1997)
Local ownership of the Times and Star ended in 1977 with their purchase by Capital Cities. In 1990 the Star became a morning newspaper taking the place of what was then the larger Kansas City Times which ceased publication. The Walt Disney Company acquired Capital Cities/ABC in January, 1996. Disney sold the paper to Knight RidderKnight Ridder
Knight Ridder was an American media company, specializing in newspaper and Internet publishing. Until it was bought by The McClatchy Company on June 27, 2006, it was the second-largest newspaper publisher in the United States, with 32 daily newspapers sold.- History :The corporate ancestors of...
in May 1997 as Disney moved to concentrate on broadcast rather than newspaper investments. Under Capital Cities ownership the newspaper won three Pulitzer Prizes.
Knight Ridder/McClatchy (1997–Present)
Knight Ridder's legacy is a massive $199 million, two-block long, glass-enclosed printing and distribution plant on the northeast side of the Stars landmark red brick headquarters at 1729 Grand Avenue. The plant began printing in June 2006. It took nearly four years to build, and is considered a major part of the effort to revitalize downtown Kansas City. The plant contains four 60 foot high presses. On June 4, 2006, the first edition of the Star came out from the new presses with a major redesign in the sections and the logo. The new paper design involved shrinking its broadsheetBroadsheet
Broadsheet is the largest of the various newspaper formats and is characterized by long vertical pages . The term derives from types of popular prints usually just of a single sheet, sold on the streets and containing various types of material, from ballads to political satire. The first broadsheet...
width from 15 to 12 inches and shrinking the length from 22 to 21 inches. Other broadsheet newspapers across the country, including the Wall Street Journal, are moving to the smaller standard size.
The McClatchy Company
The McClatchy Company
The McClatchy Company is a publicly traded American publishing company based in Sacramento, California. It operates 30 daily newspapers in 15 states and has an average weekday circulation of 2.2 million and Sunday circulation of 2.8 million...
bought Knight Ridder
Knight Ridder
Knight Ridder was an American media company, specializing in newspaper and Internet publishing. Until it was bought by The McClatchy Company on June 27, 2006, it was the second-largest newspaper publisher in the United States, with 32 daily newspapers sold.- History :The corporate ancestors of...
in June 2006.
Pulitzer Prizes
- 1931 Pulitzer Prize1931 Pulitzer Prize-Journalism awards:-Letters and Drama Awards:*Novel:**Years of Grace by Margaret Ayer Barnes *Drama:**Alison's House by Susan Glaspell *History:**The Coming of the War 1914 by Bernadotte E. Schmitt...
- A.B. MacDonald for articles about a murder in Amarillo, TexasAmarillo, TexasAmarillo is the 14th-largest city, by population, in the state of Texas, the largest in the Texas Panhandle, and the seat of Potter County. A portion of the city extends into Randall County. The population was 190,695 at the 2010 census... - 1933 Pulitzer Prize1933 Pulitzer Prize-Journalism awards:*PublicService:** New York World-Telegram for its series of articles on veterans relief, on the real estate bond evil, the campaign urging voters in the late New York City municipal election to "write in" the name of Joseph V. McKee, and also the articles exposing the lottery...
- Editorial Writing - 1944 Pulitzer Prize1944 Pulitzer Prize-Journalism awards:*Public Service:** The New York Times for its survey of the teaching of American History.*Reporting:** Paul Schoenstein and Associates of New York Journal American For a news story published on August 12, 1943, which saved the life of a two-year-old girl in the Lutheran Hospital...
- Henry Haskell for Editorial Writing - 1952 Pulitzer Prize1952 Pulitzer Prize-Journalism awards:*Public Service:** St. Louis Post-Dispatch, for its investigation and disclosures of widespread corruption in the Internal Revenue Bureau and other departments of the government.*Local Reporting:...
- Coverage of the Great Flood of 1951Great Flood of 1951In mid-July 1951, heavy rains led to a great rise of water in the Kansas River and other surrounding areas. Flooding resulted in the Kansas, Neosho, Marais Des Cygnes, and Verdigris river basins. The damage in June and July 1951 exceeded $935 million dollars in an area covering eastern Kansas and... - 1954 Pulitzer Prize1954 Pulitzer Prize-Journalism awards:*Public Service:**Newsday, Garden City, N.Y. for its expose of New York State's race track scandals and labor racketeering, which led to the extortion indictment, guilty plea and imprisonment of William C...
- Alvin Scott McCoy's local reporting coverage that led to the resignation of C. Wesley RobertsC. Wesley RobertsCharles Wesley Roberts was a Kansas businessman who was Chairman of the Republican National Committee for four months in 1953 under Dwight D. Eisenhower....
as Republican National Chairman - 1982 Pulitzer Prize1982 Pulitzer Prize-Journalism awards:*Public Service:**The Detroit News, for exposing a cover-up in the U.S. Navy, which led to reforms in the Navy.*Local General or Spot News Reporting:...
- Local news reporting of the Hyatt Regency walkway collapseHyatt Regency walkway collapseThe Hyatt Regency hotel walkway collapse was a collapse of an interior suspended skywalk system that occurred on July 17, 1981, in Kansas City, Missouri, United States, killing 114 people and injuring 216 others during a tea dance. At the time, it was the deadliest structural collapse in U.S...
(along with The Kansas City TimesKansas City TimesThe Kansas City Times was a morning newspaper in Kansas City, Missouri, that was published from 1867 to 1990.The morning Kansas City Times, under ownership of afternoon The Kansas City Star, won two Pulitzer Prizes and was actually bigger than its parent when its name was changed to the...
) - 1982 - Rick AtkinsonRick AtkinsonRick Atkinson is an American journalist and author whose contributions led to four Pulitzer Prizes.-Life:Atkinson was born in Munich. His father was an United States Army officer and he grew up at military posts. He earned his bachelor degree from East Carolina University in 1974 and a master of...
(of The Kansas City Times) for national reporting for a series on the West Point Class of 1968 - 1992 Pulitzer Prize1992 Pulitzer Prize- Journalism awards :*Public Service:**The Sacramento Bee, For "The Sierra in Peril," reporting by Tom Knudson that examined environmental threats and damage to the Sierra Nevada mountain range in California.*Spot News Reporting:...
- National reporting by Jeff Taylor and Mike McGraw's critical examination of the U.S. Department of Agriculture
Notable columnists
- Joe PosnanskiJoe PosnanskiJoe Posnanski is an American journalist and senior columnist for Sports Illustrated and former columnist for the The Kansas City Star. He writes extensively on his personal site, Joe Blogs and his SI blog Curiously Long Posts.-Journalism:Posnanski began his journalism career as a multi-use...
- Jason WhitlockJason WhitlockJason Lee Whitlock is a sportswriter for Foxsports.com, as well as a former columnist at the Kansas City Star, AOL Sports writer, contributor to ESPN, and radio personality for WHB and KCSP sports stations in the Kansas City area.-College and sports:Whitlock was an all-state offensive lineman at...
- Joe McGuffJoe McGuffJoseph T. McGuff was an American journalist, author, and newspaper editor.Born in Tulsa, Oklahoma, he attended Marquette University and served briefly in the United States Army before being discharged due to asthma. After first working for the Tulsa World, he joined the staff of The Kansas City...
- Lee ShippeyLee ShippeyHenry Lee Shippey , who wrote under the name Lee Shippey, was an author and journalist whose romance with a French woman during World War I caused a sensation in the United States as a "famous war triangle." Shippey later wrote a popular column in the Los Angeles Times for 22 years.-Early...
- William E. VaughanWilliam E. VaughanWilliam E. Vaughan was an American columnist and author. Born in Saint Louis, Missouri, he wrote a syndicated column for the Kansas City Star from 1946 until his death in 1977. He was published in Reader's Digest and Better Homes and Gardens under the pseudonym Burton Hillis. He attended...
- William Allen WhiteWilliam Allen WhiteWilliam Allen White was a renowned American newspaper editor, politician, author, and leader of the Progressive movement...