When he talks about Kansas Reflector, Senate President Ty Masterson acts like that raccoon who drank a bunch of liquor and passed out on a bathroom floor.
Just like the fuzzy critter guzzled peanut butter whiskey, Masterson imbibed misinformation and conspiracy theories about Kansas Reflector. He embarrassed himself in much the same way, making a public spectacle of his ignorance about journalism and a news source that holds him to account.
The Ashland, Virginia, mammal and Wichita-based gubernatorial candidate do have important differences. One has easily understood motivations. The other wants to run Kansas — and smear us.
Masterson told conservative pundit Hugh Hewitt on Dec. 2:
“We have a kind of a Soros-funded blog that masquerades as the news. They describe me as ‘brutally effective’ … They mean it as a negative. I remind people when your enemy is calling you brutally effective, I’m feeling pretty Trumpish.”
That’s an abridged version of the pitch Masterson has made across the state in recent weeks. The Marion County Record‘s Eric Meyer captured a fuller version in November.
“I’ll demonstrate that with a quote from the Kansas Reflector. Does anybody know what that is?” Masterson asked the Marion County Patriots for Liberty. “So they’re a George Soros, (c)(4) funded blog in Topeka that masquerades as a news source. That’s exactly who they are. Matter of fact, that same (c)(4) funds entities like that in all the states.”
To break in here, we’re actually part of a 501(c)(3) consortium of nonpartisan, nonprofit news outlets.
Masterson continued:
“They don’t have to sell advertising. They hire reporters with particular bents to write particular bent articles, and they give their content to all our small-town papers, who are starving for content. That is a very nefarious, well-oiled machine out to create a left momentum in rural Kansas. They are effective at what they do. Well, when they analyzed the [governor’s] race, they’re obviously not a fan of mine. They went through everyone, and when they got to me, they said Masterson, although not the most cuddliest of candidates, had been brutally effective in the legislature.”
Most days, I wouldn’t waste time on such obvious nonsense.
As the old saying goes: “Don’t wrestle with pigs. You both get filthy and the pig likes it.” Or raccoons, for that matter.
Folks can visit Kansas Reflector’s website and see what we do. Our news coverage and commentary — and our ever-growing audience — speak for themselves. On the other hand, Masterson has now made us part of his campaign pitch. So it’s time to respond.
Let’s begin with Masterson’s claim that Kansas Reflector called him “brutally effective.” The overall publication didn’t do that. I did.
That’s right, on July 25 I published a column titled “An early report on the Kansas governor’s race: Heavyweight Republicans and low-key Democrats.” And yes, I wrote that “Masterson, while not the cuddliest of the candidates, has proved brutally effective in his chamber, occasionally raising hackles among fellow Republicans.”
I wouldn’t count that as any sort of endorsement, myself!
Most importantly, though, Masterson is going around quoting an opinion column written by an individual. That’s not “Kansas Reflector.” That’s “Clay Wirestone, the opinion editor of Kansas Reflector.” He would rather attack an entire news organization that asks tough questions.
Second, let’s talk about barbs directed toward liberal philanthropist George Soros. Our editor in chief, Sherman Smith, gave a quote on the subject to Meyer, which I’ll reprint here.
“We have not directly or indirectly received Soros funding, but if someone can put in a good word for us, we would welcome his support in helping us shine a light on what Masterson and others are really up to in the Statehouse.”
Smith also joked to me that if we were receiving Soros money, he wouldn’t be driving a 2002 Saturn.
As to the preposterous idea that Kansas Reflector hires folks “with particular bents to write particular bent articles,” let’s take a step back to think critically. Why would four of our five employees have worked at the Topeka Capital-Journal in 2016? That was the same year the paper ran an editorial endorsing Donald Trump, by the way.
One of our senior reporters was just inducted into the Kansas Press Association hall of fame, along with one of our columnists. Our editor has been named the KPA’s journalist of the year three (count them, three) times. We’re journalists, not political operatives.
When it comes to audience and funding: Since launching in the summer of 2020, Kansas Reflector has enjoyed increases in audience for every year of our existence. We now raise more than a third of our yearly budget from local donations, with contributions averaging $40 apiece. We’ve also spoken with thousands of Kansans across the state at town halls.
Want to know more? Browse a list of donors who have contributed $1,000 or more to our parent organization, States Newsroom, right here.
Let’s be clear about what we’re doing in this commentary section. I’m old enough to remember when almost all local and regional newspapers featured daily opinion pages. They included editorials and columns, many sharply questioning people in power. Several excellent Kansas news sites still run commentary, but the concept has come to seem old-fashioned or just too costly.
An unfortunate side effect has been to insulate public officials from public scrutiny. Masterson does not get a free pass because voters ticked his name in a box. Nor does any other lawmaker in Topeka.
If Masterson wants to search for new campaign taglines, perhaps he could look to the second paragraph of this column.
- “A public spectacle.”
- “Misinformation and conspiracy.”
- “Embarrassed himself.”
Just spitballing here!
Let’s hope the Senate president eventually comes to his senses — much like the raccoon sobered up under a veterinarian’s care — and sees Kansas Reflector for what it is. We’re Kansans writing about Kansas for Kansans. You don’t have to love what we do, but don’t question our commitment to publishing compelling news and commentary in the public interest.
- Clay Wirestone is Kansas Reflector opinion editor. Through its opinion section, Kansas Reflector works to amplify the voices of people who are affected by public policies or excluded from public debate. Find information, including how to submit your own commentary, here.
