Author

Eric Thomas
Eric Thomas directs the Kansas Scholastic Press Association, a nonprofit that supports student journalism throughout the state. He also teaches visual journalism and photojournalism at the William Allen White School of Journalism and Mass Communication at the University of Kansas in Lawrence. He lives in Leawood with his wife and two children.
Cameras in hand, parents proudly document everything. Is that what’s best for our kids?
By: Eric Thomas - October 9, 2022
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. Eric Thomas directs the Kansas Scholastic Press Association and teaches visual journalism and photojournalism at the University of Kansas. Seventeen years ago, I pointed a gleaming silver camcorder at […]
Kansas celebrates victories in football, our morally fraught national pastime
By: Eric Thomas - October 1, 2022
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. Eric Thomas directs the Kansas Scholastic Press Association and teaches visual journalism and photojournalism at the University of Kansas. I wrote this column once on Thursday. I flailed around […]
Kansas Gov. Laura Kelly’s reelection could affirm political progress for women
By: Eric Thomas - September 23, 2022
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. Eric Thomas directs the Kansas Scholastic Press Association and teaches visual journalism and photojournalism at the University of Kansas. If you value women’s political progress, then the number of […]
What we lose when Kansas college graduates drift to surrounding states
By: Eric Thomas - September 17, 2022
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. Eric Thomas directs the Kansas Scholastic Press Association and teaches visual journalism and photojournalism at the University of Kansas. When a government invests in a bridge, that bridge serves […]
‘Test-optional’ exams teach Kansas teens a lesson in contradiction
By: Eric Thomas - September 9, 2022
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. Eric Thomas directs the Kansas Scholastic Press Association and teaches visual journalism and photojournalism at the University of Kansas. On Saturday, my daughter will join thousands of fellow high […]
The best we can expect from Kansas Republicans: ignoring a doomed Trump
By: Eric Thomas - September 2, 2022
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. Eric Thomas directs the Kansas Scholastic Press Association and teaches visual journalism and photojournalism at the University of Kansas. It will be a good day when most of the […]
Why is Kansas punishing its remaining teachers with these latest tortures?
By: Eric Thomas - August 26, 2022
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. Eric Thomas directs the Kansas Scholastic Press Association and teaches visual journalism and photojournalism at the University of Kansas. As Kansas schools, from kindergarten to post-graduate, have returned to […]
Early signs — and concerns — of how sports gambling apps will market to Kansans
By: Eric Thomas - August 19, 2022
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. Eric Thomas directs the Kansas Scholastic Press Association and teaches visual journalism and photojournalism at the University of Kansas. Thursday’s announcement that sports betting will begin Sept. 1 in […]
Elaborate lies spread through Kansas, U.S., can’t be dismissed as ‘conspiracy theories’
By: Eric Thomas - August 12, 2022
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. Eric Thomas directs the Kansas Scholastic Press Association and teaches visual journalism and photojournalism at the University of Kansas. Journalists have a problem with “conspiracy theories.” I put the […]
Blaming mainstream media provides a misleading shortcut for Value Them Both
By: Eric Thomas - August 5, 2022
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. Eric Thomas directs the Kansas Scholastic Press Association and teaches visual journalism and photojournalism at the University of Kansas. On election night Tuesday, I read a tweet from Kansas […]
A guide to soccer in Kansas now that KC is hosting the World Cup in 2026
By: Eric Thomas - July 29, 2022
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. Eric Thomas directs the Kansas Scholastic Press Association and teaches visual journalism and photojournalism at the University of Kansas. Last month, the international governing body of soccer announced Kansas […]
We’re melting as we banter about the weather in Kansas
By: Eric Thomas - July 22, 2022
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. Eric Thomas directs the Kansas Scholastic Press Association and teaches visual journalism and photojournalism at the University of Kansas. Let’s talk about the weather. Yes, the weather. That […]