The 75th Biennial Convention of the League of Women Voters of Kansas held recently in Wichita, said Janice Walker, president of the Great Bend chapter.
Over 70 members from the nine Leagues representing Great Bend, Emporia, Johnson County, Lawrence, Leavenworth, Manhattan, Salina, Topeka and Wichita gathered at the Advanced Learning Library in Wichita on April 22. After business was concluded, and state officers were elected, Keynote speakers engaged the attendees.
Speaker Sara Jane Crespo from Wichita radio station KMUW introduced the One Small Step initiative that she has helped produce since 2020. Created by StoryCorps, One Small Step is an effort to remind the country of the humanity in all of us, even those with whom we disagree. The initiative brings strangers with different political views together to record a 50-minute conversation – not to debate politics, but to learn who we are as people. Audio recordings of each interview are archived at the Library of Congress. One Small Step productions does not strive to change people’s minds about politics, but to change everyone’s mind about people. The Wichita recordings can be found here: Stories – StoryCorps (https://storycorps.org/stories/?location=kansas). For more information contact Sara Crespo at crespo@kmuw.org.
The final Keynote speakers were a panel of people in the media helping attendees to “Spot and Combat Mis-and Disinformation.” Kayla Vix, the LWVUS Field Communication Senior Manager, was the moderator. On the panel were Claudia Amaro from Planeta Venus, P.J. Griekspoor from The Community Voice, Sherman Smith from the Kansas Reflector, and Chance Swaim from the Wichita Eagle. The four journalists fielded a series of questions as to the news media’s role, how the misinformation has changed, how to find true information, and what gives you hope in the current climate.
Answers ranged from understanding that “influencers” shape the way people consume news, to the loss of the Fairness Doctrine in the mid-eighties when newscasters needed to cover both sides of the issue. While more people are reading news stories, they often go to media platforms and blogs that are not fact-checked. Five years ago, the newsrooms were bigger with more reporters. Now, there are not enough bodies to inform the public about what is going on. Investigative pieces help to debunk lies, but that takes time and money. People need to learn to think critically by analyzing the facts, evidence, and observations. With the internet, one can debunk lies quickly. Libraries are good places to research information and read news publications at no cost. The panelists find hope in the younger generation as they feel they are more civilly engaged, smarter, and have a better understanding of what is happening in the world.
At the completion of the panel’s presentation, outgoing co-president Jacquie Lightfoot awarded each journalist with their own Wooden Spoon to keep stirring up democracy as it has been for over one hundred years.
The League of Women Voters of Great Bend is a grassroots, nonpartisan organization dedicated to the informed and active participation of citizens in the right to vote and engagement with their government. All citizens of voting age, both women and men are encouraged to join. Contact President Janice Walker at 620-617-4568 or janicew1949@gmail.com for more information.
