Meet Kaitlin Washburn, an RFA reporter on The Star’s Missouri gun violence project
Hello reader,
I am thrilled and humbled to be part of a team at The Star dedicated to covering gun violence in Missouri, a public health crisis with widespread impacts on communities throughout the state.
News coverage of shootings often can’t take the time to address root causes. Too often it seems reporters parachute into minority communities and only tell stories of violence.
On this project, we have the time and resources to expand gun violence reporting, going beyond crime scenes to investigate the causes, consequences and potential solutions to gun violence, and explore the entire state to get a broader, nuanced look at this issue.
While we get settled in Kansas City, we’re planning to travel to St. Louis, Springfield, Columbia, the Ozarks and elsewhere to meet with people who have stories to share about gun violence.
Since starting this job, I’ve spoken with Missourians who are invested in this issue. Our conversations have been wide-ranging: The rises in homicides in cities and suicides in small towns. The strategies to provide long-term support for survivors. The divisions over how to curtail gun violence, whether that’s implementing gun control measures or loosening Missouri’s already loose gun laws.
One theme I’ve picked up from these talks is the desperate need for deeper and wider coverage of gun violence in Missouri.
As this year goes on, I’ll continue connecting with people who can provide a broader understanding of the causes and effects of gun violence. An act of gun violence is never an isolated incident. It not only impacts victims and their families, but many community members bear witness to its effects.
I also believe history must inform our reporting. Policies relaxing or strengthening gun restrictions and political influences, such as the gun lobby’s powerful hand, have all shaped today’s realities in this state.
We will use data to show a quantitative picture of the problem. One startling figure is Missouri continues to have the highest rate of black homicide victimization in the country, leagues ahead of the national average. Another is the annual cost of gun violence in Missouri — a staggering $1.9 billion. On top of all that, suicides and homicides continue to rise year after year.
What is driving those spikes in homicides and suicides? How does gun violence alter someone’s life and their community? I hope we can answer those questions, and dozens more, through this project.
My teammates — Jelani Gibson and Humera Lodhi — and I are eager to dig into this beat and expand The Star’s gun violence coverage. We also have a lot to learn and discover, and we need your help so that we can best serve you and your community.
Your stories and observations can help power our reporting and make it better. We will soon distribute a survey, and I hope you’ll share your insights.
Email me at kwashburn@kcstar or gunviolence@kcstar.com, send a letter to 1601 McGee Street, Kansas City MO 64108 or call me at 816-226-7746.
Cheers, Kaitlin
Kaitlin Washburn is a corps member with Report for America, a national service program that places journalists into local newsrooms.
The Star is undertaking this project in partnership with Report for America. It is sponsored in part by Missouri Foundation for Health. As part of this work, The Star will seek the community’s help.
To contribute, visit Report for America online at reportforamerica.org.
