In case anyone hadn't decided on the KC Star yet

[FloridaMan88]

My e-mail to Colleen McCain Nelson, KC Star Editorial Page Editor:

Dear Ms. Nelson,

As a digital subscriber to the KC Star, I am very disappointed with the KC Star Editorial Board’s recent coverage of the Tyreek Hill situation.

It seems the Editorial Board is more interested in advocating for a narrative… that Tyreek Hill is a violent abuser of his ex fiancé and son, that is not supported by facts or the reality of the situation.

The facts of the situation with Tyreek Hill’s son are:

1) An extensive law enforcement investigation could not determine if the injury to Tyreek Hill’s son was caused by abuse. They could also not determine if Tyreek Hill caused the injury (Tyreek Hill has denied he caused the injury).

2) The NFL, after an extensive investigation which included an 8+ hour interview with Tyreek Hill, conducted by Lisa Friel, the former chief of the Manhattan District Attorney’s Sex Crimes Prosecution Unit, could not find conclusive evidence that Tyreek Hill committed any wrong doing to justify disciplinary action.

The KC Star Editorial Board is also apparently unwilling to consider the reality of racial disparities in the plea-bargaining system where lower income African Americans are more likely to be forced into accepting guilty plea bargains… even if they are in fact innocent, because they cannot afford the necessary legal representation to actively seek their innocence.

This is applicable when reviewing Tyreek Hill’s 2014 domestic violence guilty plea, as he was a low income African American at the time who was being accused of a crime by a white female with powerful connections in the Oklahoma State University community (her father and godfather are former Oklahoma State athletes).

The Tyreek Hill situation is complex and it provided an opportunity for a robust objective investigation by the KC Star and other media outlets. Instead the KC Star has decided to advocate for the guilt of Tyreek Hill and ignore facts.

I recognize that the role of the Editorial Board is to provide opinion, however your opinion should be in the context of facts, and not based on advocating for personal initiatives. The fact you are the KC Star Editorial Page Editor and also in the Hall of Fame of the KU Emily Taylor Center for Women & Gender Equity… an advocacy group whose stated mission is to “practice intersectional trans-inclusive feminism”, calls into question your true motivations and agenda with the Editorial Board's Tyreek Hill articles.

Your personal agenda-driven reporting is just one of multiple examples of the Kansas City media displaying a blatant lack of journalistic integrity/responsibility, including:

1) The KC Star’s Chiefs beat writer, Brooke Pryor stating on the “Helmets and Heels” radio show on 92.5 FM in Jacksonville, FL, on April 20th that “when she first met Tyreek and started talking with him at training camp, just knowing the background that he had, I just had this— something just felt off. And it’s hard to describe, but it’s just one of those feelings you get in your gut and you can’t quite put a finger on it”. Do you find it appropriate for Brooke Pryor as a professional reporter to publicly proclaim her personal discomfort for a professional athlete simply based on a “feeling in her gut”?

2) Sam Mellinger, sports columnist for the KC Star wrote a recent column admitting that he made a mistake in not questioning the context of the audio recording conversation between Tyreek Hill and his fiancé. Mellinger wrote in a column on July 10th: “I regret not asking the right questions, not stepping back and thinking from a broader perspective, and any further mangling of an already delicate situation this may be caused. I tend to write from the heart, and it usually serves me well. I also need to remember when to pump the brakes. I’ll get better from this”. Perhaps you should use Mr. Mellinger’s words as guidance for a self reflection of your own journalistic integrity.

3) KCTV5 investigative reporter Angie Ricono on April 25th indicating in a tweet that she did not release the full, 11 minute audio recording conversation between Tyreek Hill and his fiancé because it was not “newsworthy”.

In this era where journalistic integrity is more important than ever as the line between facts/reality and opinion/advocacy is continuing to be blurred, you and your Kansas City media colleagues have failed your audience.