Kansas Press Association
This year, 34 new members will be inducted into the Kansas Newspaper Hall of Fame, the largest group ever in a single year.
An explanation of the process that led to this year’s decisions can be found below. Mostly, it’s catching up on a number of people who were overlooked in the past because of rather tight restrictions in the guidelines previously used for consideration that favored newspaper executives.
Among this year's honorees are two notable journalists who worked in northwest Kansas — Julie Doll and Steve Haynes.
Julie Doll
Reporting and leadership roles dotted the career of 1979 Kansas State University graduate Julie Doll.
She worked as a reporter at the Lawrence Journal-World and the Hays Daily News and then moved to the Hutchinson News in 1981, but a year later she joined the Harris Enterprises management intern program.
She was named editor and publisher of the Hays Daily News in 1984, leading a talented staff covering tough issues like the farm crisis and the city’s water shortage.
In 1990, she took over as publisher of the Camarillo Daily News, a Harris property in California.
After those properties were sold in 1994, she went to work in newsroom management at the Poughkeepsie Journal in New York and guided the newspaper’s coverage of the 9/11 terrorist attacks in 2001.
From 2002 to 2010, she worked at the Lafayette (Ind.) Journal and Courier. In 2012, she was named business editor of the Wichita Eagle before leaving the business in 2015.
Steve Haynes
The newspaper career of Steve Haynes spans more than five decades, the majority of it in Kansas.
A graduate of the University of Kansas, he began his professional newspaper career at the Kansas City Star and Times.
He moved to Colorado, where he led the Mineral County Miner and the South Ford Times in Creede, Colo. from 1980 to 1986.
He was co-owner and co-publisher of SLV Publishing in Monte Vista, Colo. from 1986 to 1993.
He and Cynthia moved to northwest Kansas and he was the co-owner, publisher and editor of Haynes Publishing Co. and Nor’West Newspapers for nearly 30 years until his retirement. Those newspapers included the Colby Free Press, Goodland Star-News, St. Francis Herald and Bird City Times, and later the Rawlins County Square Deal and a shopper, the Country Advocate.
While Steve Haynes has been in the newspaper business for more than five decades, the majority of it in Kansas, his accomplishments in the industry are outstanding as well.
He was president of the Colorado Press Association in 1988, where he headed a successful campaign for the state Sunshine Law and president of the Kansas Press Association in 1998-99.
In 2008, he was elected president of the National Newspaper Association after serving in a number of capacities on the board. He still serves on the NNA Foundation board.
A complete list of Hall of Fame inductees can be found on the Kansas Press Association Website. More detailed biographies will be published this fall on the Kansas Press Association website and then available through the digital Kansas Media Hall of Fame newly opened at Stauffer/Flint Hall at the University of Kansas.
Christine and Tom Buchanan
The Buchanans worked side-by-side after buying the Bucklin Banner in 1956. In 1959, they bought the Washington County News and operated it until 1981.
Tom, who was known as “Buckshot,” was a prolific editorial and column writer and in 1966 won first place in editorial writing from the National Newspaper Association for an editorial titled “The American Dream.”
Christine reported news and wrote a popular weekly column for the News.
In 1974, they won the Victor Murdock Award for their coverage of the town of Greenleaf following a devastating tornado the previous year.
He served as president of the Kansas Press Association in 1981-82.
Tom earned his bachelor’s degree from Sterling College in 1950 and worked at the Sterling Bulletin.
After marrying Christine, he went to work for the Phillips County Review.
Two of their five children, Bruce and Jean, followed them in the newspaper business.