Author

Clay Wirestone

Clay Wirestone

Clay Wirestone serves as Kansas Reflector's opinion editor. His Reflector columns have been published in the Kansas City Star and Wichita Eagle, along with newspapers and website across the state and nation. He has written columns and edited reporting for newsrooms in Kansas, New Hampshire, Florida and Pennsylvania. He has also fact checked politicians, researched for Larry the Cable Guy, and appeared in PolitiFact, Mental Floss, cnn.com and a host of other publications. Before joining the Reflector in summer 2021, Clay spent four years at the nonprofit Kansas Action for Children as communications director. Beyond the written word, he has drawn cartoons, hosted podcasts, designed graphics and moderated debates. Clay graduated from the University of Kansas and lives in Lawrence with his husband and son.

OPINION

Disinformation caucus of Kansas GOP spreads dangerous falsehoods about COVID

By: - August 31, 2021

Elected officials owe their constituents more than representation. They owe them the truth. That’s proven to be a challenge in the age of COVID-19, with reactions to a public health crisis polarized along partisan lines. One party has largely followed medical experts and their advice, while the other has created a disinformation caucus, putting Kansans’ […]

OPINION

In Afghanistan’s fall, ‘reliving the disaster’ for Kansas veterans and families

By: - August 25, 2021

As Afghanistan fell into the clutches of the Taliban last week, Kansans were confused and saddened. But those reactions couldn’t compare to the emotions that washed over local veterans of the conflict and their families — including Danny Sjursen and Melissa Jarboe. Their stories are different. Sjursen is a veteran who served in Afghanistan from […]

OPINION

Want to make Kansas a better place? As opinion editor, that means raising voices for change

By: - August 23, 2021

Kansas is for all of us. This singular place, where so many Kansas Reflector readers and contributors live, is our home. We have every right to raise our voices and ask for a better, more tolerant, more just state. For many of us, doing so isn’t just a right. It’s an obligation. We’re often told […]

OPINION

A year of COVID-19 in Kansas has taught us these 4 lessons

By: - March 8, 2021

The Kansas Reflector welcomes opinion pieces from writers who share our goal of widening the conversation about how public policies affect the day-to-day lives of people throughout our state. Clay Wirestone is the communication director at Kansas Action for Children. A year ago, the COVID-19 pandemic began. As the months passed, it reshaped our lives […]