By Miriam Pepper, Kansas City Star Editorial Page editor
By the end of this year, we’ll thank and say farewell to our Midwest Voices panel of 10 provocative/funny/liberal/conservative/moderate contributors.
Each Saturday on a rotating basis, and many more times a week on the voices blog (voices.kansascity.com), a Midwest Voices writer speaks out with his/her personal opinion on current affairs.
If you would like to be considered a candidate to join the ’09 panel, now’s the time to apply.
We’ll choose area writers from different backgrounds and perspectives to write for the op-ed page and post opinions on our blog.
We pay $75 per printed column and graciously accept unlimited gratis contributions to the blog, a site that attracted more than 1.5 million page views last month.
Past contributors have included lawyers, scientists, at-home moms, doctors, social workers, journalism school grads who pursued other paths, novelists, historians, business owners, accountants, laborers, job-hoppers and public policy experts.
In short, we seek all kinds of writers who care about our community and current issues and have a talent for words.
The idea is simple: By gathering more community columnists, we expand the views that appear on our pages and on our blog.
Columnists choose their own topics and can expect to be published five times during 2009 in print, and the sky’s the limit on the blog work. What’s most important is the ability to write clearly, passionately and accurately from your point of view.
Spread the word to others you think might be good candidates.
Whatever your political persuasion, we are interested. The panel should not be a mirror-image of staff columnists.
Don’t doubt that readers will agree — and ferociously disagree — with some things you write. A thick skin is a must. A willingness to be edited and be careful with facts is also a must.
We will welcome our new panel in January with a lunch, a tour of the newspaper and a tips list on how to survive and thrive in the opinion world.
Most panelists depart with newfound appreciation for the challenges of writing tight, effective commentary.
We’ve been fortunate to have lots of good applicants in the past, and we hope for many more this time. If you weren’t selected before, do try again.
For fairness reasons, we won’t consider elected officials, Star family members and past contributors. We want to keep expanding our circle of writers.
We look forward to hearing from many of you by Dec. 1.
Applications must include a sample 400-word essay, a brief bio including your political persuasion, home address and daytime phone number, and a list of five sample column topics for ’09.
Send by e-mail to , with Midwest Voices Applicant in the subject line or by mail to Midwest Voices, c/o Editorial Page, The Kansas City Star, 1729 Grand Blvd., Kansas City, MO. 64108.
To reach Miriam Pepper, editorial page editor, send e-mail to or call (816) 234-4421.
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Hey Grinch,
Hey Grinch, you should reconsider. I would like to see you and rogue both give it a shot. I’m concerned that there will be no conservative voices on next year’s panel.
I think you would agree that I have never danced to The Star’s piper. I will say that they have, for the most part, let me write about what I want. Yael did pull one column right before the smoking ban vote saying that what I wrote was untrue. Later, after the election, it came to light that what I said WAS true. I’m still waiting for Yael’s apology. But other than that the worst they have done is edit a line here and there or print my column down in the corner as opposed to the traditional top of the page.
I should also tell you that everyone from the editorial board that I have met or communicated with are good people, although somewhat misguided in their ideology. They have been nice to me without exception despite the fact that they really disagree with my point of view.
Jenniferm, if you are reading this, I’d like to see you apply as well. Although I wouldn’t consider you a conservative, I think you are quite witty, rational and intelligent.
Ross Balano Midwest Voices 2008
Thanks, Ross
I really appreciate the effort you put in this year - I read all of your articles, even if you didn't see my comments in all of them. I am pretty much of a 'hit and miss' kind of commenter. Thank you for providing a conservative point of view - well done.
Ross! Where have you been? I
Ross! Where have you been? I was fearful we'd heard the last of you. I'll be sorry to see you go. The majority of your conservative colleagues don't write as well nor do they have much of a sense of humor, especially the past week of so, hmmm. Anyway it's been fun crossing swords with you. (Confidentially, if you're concerned about the political future you needn't be. I've put your name on the list of those who are to be spared)
Radical
Well, thanks for your kind words, but I'm happy being 'free' ...
... because as soon as you take the man's dollar, you got to dance to his piper, since as Miriam points out they get to approve and edit your articles. Besides, then I'd have to admit on my federal income taxes that I received payment from the KC Star, and I don't think I could live with the shame.
As far as my own blog, hey, I'd much rather use the Star's free services than have to pay for mine, which surely must aggravate a few people here that a conservative doesn't have to pay liberals.
I agree with you Grinch
Giving up your anonimity for the "privilige" of cashing five or six small checks and abandoning your life's principles makes no sense at all.
I would much rather spend a few bucks and start my own blog absent editorial restrictions.
Grinch, Radicalized Moderate,
Voices of Reason, Thinkers everywhere...Why support the leftist Star with your wit and wisdom? Write your own blogs. Just let me know where to find you...
Too funny
"... graciously accept unlimited gratis contributions to the blog ..."
In other words, well on the way to having run the Star into the ground through our policy of aggressive liberalism, and in the midst of ongoing layoffs and the most severe national economic crisis since the 1930's, and because the OTHER liberal McClatchey newspapers are hemhorraging even faster than we are, we are literally begging you for free content.
The unintentionally hilarious word in that quoted fragment above was 'graciously' - now come on, Miriam, do you honestly believe anyone is so naive as to believe you actually meant 'graciously' rather than 'gratefully'?
And you want one's 'political persuasion' stated??? Well, fine and dandy, but where the heck are your newpaper's editorialists' persuasions stated? Sure, it's usually easy to tell due to many obviously biased articles, but some of you are getting pretty sneaky and more subtle than you have been in the past - I'm excluding Lewis G. here, who uses a sledgehammer when a Q-tip would do.
Anyway, I'll 'graciously' accept your thanks for providing all those gratis and well-researched responses I've often written over the past year (see how 'gratefully' just wouldn't have worked here?).
And here's a list of 5 2009 topics:
1) NASA scientist James Hansen caught fixing global warming data again - Al Gore considering a divorce
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/opinion/main.jhtml?xml=/opinion/2008/11/16/do1610.xml
2) Technical depression in store for the U.S. (>10% GDP loss)
3) Ricky's Lemonade Stand gets TARP 7 funds, judged too important to child's self-esteem to be allowed to fail
4) Russia invades yet another satellite while Obama promises REALLY earnest talks this time
5) Is it better to be employed or at home drinking beer/eating chips on the Obama redistribution plan?
I'll send my other info along as soon as you sign on the dotted line.
Grinch, you really ought to
Grinch, you really ought to apply. You're supplying content for free now anyway. Besides we'd all like to know yor real name and see your grimacing visage.
laura scott
I read somewhere that Laura Scott was squashed in the latest round of layoffs. If so, why is she listed as a member of the editorial board?
Yes, please do be careful with facts.
"A willingness to be edited and be careful with facts is also a must."
Please tell us, Ms. Pepper, who exactly is responsible for making sure the Midwest Voices panelists are “careful with facts?” Whoever it is, I would refer them to this item from a Sept.6 entry by Denise Tiller: "Sarah Palin's oldest son had behavior problems and they got him in the army where he will have the necessary structure and discipline that he needs."
It has been over two months since Ms. Tiller wrote that, yet she has never provided even one credible source for making that statement. It appears that she was simply repeating an unsubstantiated rumor about one of Palin's children. There are many phrases I can think of to describe that kind of journalism; “careful with facts” is not one of them.
"Careful with the facts" only applies to conservatives
Liberals are not subject to that at the Star. If it scores points for any liberal agenda it is fair game at the Star.