When Sacramento-based McClatchy Corp. decided to cut 10% of its newsroom employees, its classical music critics — Paul Horsley at the Kansas City Star and Larry Johnson of the Miami Herald — were among those fired.

The burgeoning Kansas City arts community isn’t taking it lying down, though. First Lyric Opera of Kansas City and now the respected Harriman-Jewell Series www.harriman-jewell.org have sent out letters and emails to their patrons, urging them to protest.

The Star published a handful of letters right after the firings in June. Community pressure made a difference in Atlanta; it remains to be seen if the editors and publisher of the Star will reconsider eliminating such a vital area of local news coverage.

Dear patron:

We have lost a critical component of our community’s cultural landscape: the classical music and dance critic at the Kansas City Star. I am dismayed that Paul Horsley, a prolific and highly qualified writer, was laid off and that his position was eliminated.

The Star’s management recently received a directive from its parent corporation, the McClatchy Company, to dismiss 10 percent of its workforce. It is our misfortune that the classical music and dance critic position was chosen for elimination. The Harriman-Jewell Series stands among several area arts organizations to protest the Star’s decision.

You likely read the Kansas City Star and I expect that you have noticed a reduction of arts coverage in recent years. I have particularly missed reading critics’ Sunday columns and seeing event reviews printed in their entirety. Kansas City’s arts programming is on the rise—our city’s newspaper should fully support this growth.

I have learned that editors will attempt to cover our vast performing arts scene with remaining staff and some freelance writers. But how can they possibly keep pace during the regular performance season? Without a dedicated critic for classical music and dance, the Star’s arts coverage is certain to decline in both quantity and quality.

If you agree that the Star should restore the critic position, I ask that you write the Star to voice your opinion. Just a few sentences can get your point across; what’s important is that they hear from you. Only brief letters will be published (with a maximum of 150 words). You may e-mail Carol Powers, the arts & entertainment editor, at cpowers@kcstar.com; the Star’s editor at letters@kcstar.com; or Derek Donovan, the readers’ representative, at readerrep@kcstar.com. Letters also may be mailed to “Letters,” The Kansas City Star, 1729 Grand Blvd., Kansas City, MO 64108.

Additionally, you may contact Peter Tira, communications director for the McClatchy Company, at ptira@mcclatchy.com.

Thank you for your support of the performing arts and for your continued interest in the artists and ensembles that our Series brings to Kansas City.

Sincerely,

Clark Morris
Executive Director
Harriman-Jewell Series

www.harriman-jewell.org

816-415-5025