Meet Toriano Porter, The Star’s columnist examining injustice in the KC area
As an opinion writer, I am often asked how I keep my own personal biases out of my commentary. I lean on the side of truth and justice is how I usually reply.
I was born and raised in south St. Louis and attended college at the University of Central Missouri in Warrensburg. I’ve called the Kansas City area home since 2007, so issues relevant to our readers are important to me. The sense of community I have for the region is what drives my daily mission to inform, engage or inspire all of you.
I write about a wide range of topics, but I am hyper-focused on public safety and accountability. In essence, part of my job is to hold public officials and the powerful to account for their words, actions and misdeeds, and to lift up the voices of people who are often forgotten or ignored. Another aspect of what I do is to make sure taxpayers’ dollars are being spent wisely.
From an early age, I knew I wanted to be a writer. At 9, my mother made sure I had a library card. It was around that time that I became a ferocious book reader and a lover of the written word.
When I was 13, my social studies teacher at Eureka Jr. High School in suburban St. Louis — about 27 miles west of where I grew up — encouraged me to read the daily newspaper and watch the evening news to better prepare for a game he held in class each Friday called current events. It was around that time that l fell in love with journalism. Every day since, I have read the paper or watched TV news coverage to get a better understanding of what was happening in my community and elsewhere.
I studied journalism and creative writing while at Central Missouri. I left school in May 2000 to pursue professional football opportunities that never panned out and began my journalism career a year later at a suburban paper in St. Louis. In February, I celebrated 25 years in the industry.
When people ask me if I love my job, I often reply, “How could I not?” To be able to tell passionate stories that are community-driven excites me each and every day.
But I could not do this job without a sense of humility and a daily sip of coffee. My go-to order is simple: drip coffee with half-and-half and two packets of raw sugar.
Over the years, I have found coffee to be a great conversation starter and a universal language of love and compassion that could lead to a better understanding of our neighbors. If you want to join me for a sip and discuss current events, email me at tporter@kcstar.com
