The Star wins 2018 Eppy award for government transparency series

The Kansas City Star’s series on secrecy in Kansas has won a top community service award in this year’s Eppy Awards, an international journalism contest that honors the best in digital media.

The project, “Why so secret, Kansas?” tied with The Boston Globe’s series on racism for Best Community Service on a media-affiliated website. The Star also had been named an Eppy finalist for its project on Missouri’s child brides. The competition is sponsored by Editor & Publisher Magazine.

The Star’s six-part transparency series, which earlier this year was named a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize in public service, revealed how Kansas’ state government had become one of the least transparent and most secretive in the nation. The project has won numerous national awards and led to change in Kansas.

The Legislature passed four measures designed to improve transparency and Gov. Jeff Colyer signed executive orders to open up government records such as official correspondence and data.

The series also received the prestigious Eugene S. Pulliam First Amendment Award and won the grand prize in the First Amendment category of the national APME awards and the Scripps Howard Award in the same category, as well as the National Headliners award for public service. The project also was a finalist in two other national competitions.

“Why so secret, Kansas?” was reported and written by Laura Bauer, Judy L. Thomas, Max Londberg, Kelsey Ryan, Bryan Lowry, Andy Marso, Steve Vockrodt and Hunter Woodall. Photojournalist Jill Toyoshiba, growth editor Leah Becerra and artist/designer Neil Nakahodo also worked on the project. It was edited by projects editor Chick Howland.

For a complete list of Eppy winners, click here.

This story was originally published October 25, 2018 at 12:42 PM.