How Star Opinion is expanding community conversation with new voices, ideas | Opinion
Has the Opinion section looked a little different lately?
Regular readers might have noticed two new names on the Opinion pages in the new year. I announced to Star Opinion newsletter readers that David Hudnall and Mará Rose Williams have joined us, and they have contributed some amazing stories lately.
Wait, those names don’t sound new to you? You’re right — Hudnall and Williams previously have written and edited for The Star on the news side. In January, they joined the group of existing opinion columnists to form a powerful new team of bold voices that will represent your interests and issues.
David Hudnall has done some remarkable work this year: He continues to cover his award-winning stories on the deadly kratom supplements sold over the counter. He called out the Platform Venture brothers for nearly opening a detention center for Immigration, Customs and Enforcement that would have been right here in Kansas City. He also has explained how and why the numbers of World Cup visitors might be fewer than expected, based on airline, hotel and Airbnb data.
In marking the death of Jesse Jackson, Mará Rose Williams recently wrote on her experience marching with the civil rights icon. She questioned why a school shouldn’t read the name of a student who died at what would have been his graduation ceremony, and she found out that Vice President JD Vance never spoke to Missouri’s only state manufacturing association when he came to Kansas City to speak on — guess what? Manufacturing. Actually, she wrote, he came to campaign for President Donald Trump.
And of course, Toriano Porter, Derek Donovan and I contribute stories that inform you, as well as challenge conventional wisdom. As opinion editor, I’m thrilled to be a part of this team, plus our regular community writers.
It’s a part of a reimagined Opinion section, with more columns, more perspectives and more outreach to the community. That’s right. We want to reconnect with you, Kansas City, and hear your wants and needs — from the city center to the suburbs.
In the coming weeks, you will hear more about what’s new, including new ways we want to connect with you. But first, get to know the team. Each of us has written a mission statement and a short column about why we do what we do. I think it’s a way to let you know a bit more about us, and shake a virtual hand with all of you.
I mentioned our community writers, and I want to take a moment to highlight them. Every day, we feature at least one column from a member of the Kansas City metropolitan area who writes passionately about a subject important to them and their sector of the community. These are informed writers who give unique perspectives, and we appreciate them.
Don’t worry, Letters to the Editor isn’t going anywhere. We’ll continue running the collection of your thoughts on Sundays. Letters are a way for us to get more community voices into our opinion coverage, and help us fulfill our mission of engaging with the community on topics that are important to you. Are you interested in submitting a letter or a column? Find out more about our guidelines in The Star.
Also, it’s easier to find our stories on desktop and mobile. When you go to kansascity.com/opinion on your desktop, all our names are listed at the top. On mobile, our names are listed in the vertical navigation. By the way, The Star has a new app that makes it much easier to read our work, including opinion. I downloaded it and love it.
Double Take has been reintroduced in an occasional column with the opinion writers and myself. We’ll respond to local news with differing perspectives, finding common ground when we can. When we can’t, we’ll battle it out — respectfully — in the pages of The Star.
For example, Mará Rose Williams and I recently wrote about how the state of Kansas overpaid unemployment checks for years and how it now wants recipients to pay the cash back. Williams believes the money should go back to a growing fund that will help others. I said the mistake wasn’t theirs, and I wouldn’t expect the jobless would be able to pay anything back.
I mentioned earlier that I announced the addition of Hudnall and Williams first to our newsletter readers. Feel slighted? Don’t be. Join our free Star Opinion newsletter by using the form below.
Lastly, because we value your opinions and want to know what you would like to see in The Star, I encourage you to share a little bit about you below on our community listening form.
Welcome to Star Opinion!
Your Opinion editor,
Yvette Walker
