March 3
Readers continue to debate digital and print delivery
I’m not predicting the demise of print any time soon, but it’s an undeniable truth that the business model that has sustained newspapers and magazines for generations has changed permanently.
March 1
Obituary contents are up to families
I think I've covered this ground before, but it bears repeating, because many people are confused about what exactly obituaries are. The Star prints only what families or funeral homes submit in the "Remembrances" section. I've fielded several calls in recent weeks from people asking why something struck them odd about obituaries
February 28
Surprising precipitation totals on "Weather Watch"
Let me tell you something that might surprise you: People who read the "Weather Watch" at the back of the Classified section are really observant about it. In fact, I'd say it's among the three or four regular features in the print edition that generate the most feedback at my lines
February 25
Objection to term "non-traditional relationships"
February 21
ID of Republican but not Democrats in wire briefs
Multiple readers have pointed me to the "Around the Nation" wire briefs on Page A2 of today's print edition. The three items concern: * Former U.S
February 20
Balancing fast-breaking news with verified information
February 19
Advance notice helps in getting coverage
I receive a lot of story ideas, for events serious and frivolous. I'm always happy to pass them along to the newsroom for consideration
February 16
Cartoons should provoke thought
There’s no question that many people objecting to the cartoon on the death of Navy SEAL Chris Kyle misunderstood Lee Judge’s point. But many understood and just plain disagreed. The big shame is that civility was the victim here.
February 15
A rough roundup of ‘American Sniper’ cartoon reaction
My column on the furious reaction to Lee Judge's Feb. 9 cartoon will be in print on Monday. I'd like to go into a bit more depth here, without the constraints of newsprint space.
February 15
Murder and gun policy in editorial cartoon
An editorial cartoon by The Star's Lee Judge went viral overnight, and the response has been absolutely huge. In fact, this is the most reaction to a single item in the paper that I've seen for some time
February 14
Voices blog item should be signed
A reader called me to express her irritation that a post on the Midwest Voices blog ran without a byline. "Shouldn't these people putting out their opinions also put their names on them?" she asked. Absolutely. And this time, it turns out it was a technical error
February 14
Fact-check both sides
Readers often point out to me when they think their own party is getting too much scrutiny, or the other side of the aisle is getting off easy in The Star. But here's one who doesn't seem to have a dog in the fight when it comes to the major parties: "I noticed that you did a fact checker for the Obama (State of the Union address)
February 12
Disagreement with photo size, position
A reader was extremely agitated at the design of today's Page A1. The editors' priorities in choosing items to highlight "just stink," she said. She very much approved of the large photo and story about Pope Benedict XVI at the top of the page
February 11
Should The Star use non-standard spellings, punctuation in names?
A caller today noted that coverage of the Grammy Awards identifies the band Fun as the winner of the trophies for Best New Artist and Song of the Year. But that isn't right, according to my caller. "Look it up
February 7
The word "but" makes an implication
February 4
"Spray" bad word choice for bullets
February 3
Readers pay attention to language, data in columns
Many opinion pieces in The Star are extremely pointed and provocative by design. But when a column may use facts that are inaccurate or interpreted questionably in the service of a thesis, it falls to me to check out readers’ concerns.
January 31
Violent crime ‘No. 1 news priority’
A caller this morning urged The Star to "pay even more attention to the out-of-control murders in this city." She had positive things in general to say about today's front-page centerpiece on the KC NoVa program, which aims to prevent violent crimes before they happen, in part by conducting sweeps to execute arrest warrants, and also by offering education, drug treatment and other services.
January 28
Economist's thoughts on baseball TV contracts incomplete
A recent story in the Sports Daily section about lucrative TV contracts for baseball broadcasts spoke with Andrew Zimbalist, the Robert A. Woods professor of economics at Smith College
January 25
Cover anti-abortion rally fairly, objectively
I've heard from two readers today who encouraged The Star to cover today's Right to Life Rally in Washington, D.C., equitably in print tomorrow. "It would be appreciated if The K.C. Star would carry an accurate but non-biased article on the Right to Life Rally in Washington D.C.," emailed one
January 23
Typos -- a constant reader annoyance
I was recently browsing through books in a shop while I was on a layover at the Atlanta airport. One book I was looking at was the paperback edition of a hardback best-seller -- one of the more popular nonfiction books in recent years
January 22
Of "schizophrenic" and other misused words
Even though the word is very often used to refer to someone or something having multiple personalities, that is a grave misunderstanding of the nature of the actual mental illness of schizophrenia.
January 18
GOP election law headline too simplistic
An emailer just now pointed to a headline on a story on KansasCity.com about some GOP leaders who are backing plans to change how Electoral College votes are awarded, possibly making them proportional instead of winner-takes-all. There's nothing new at all here. All political parties consistently advocate change to the system, and it's self-evident that they want to do so to gain political advantage
January 17
Would word "gun" in headline make a difference?
Does it seem intentional to you? It does to this reader.
