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.
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 […]
What those Kansas abortion amendment yard signs are really saying
By: Eric Thomas - July 15, 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. Kansas neighborhoods have been flaunting new landscaping in the […]
Midwest college grudge matches vanish during conference realignment
By: Eric Thomas - July 8, 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. My wife’s stepdad, Mike, was notoriously slow to soften. […]
Post-Roe, herding ourselves over politics will do nothing but further hurt us
By: Eric Thomas - July 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. The reaction to the Supreme Court stripping away a […]
From Kansas to Michigan, the devilish conformity of our American suburbs
By: Eric Thomas - June 24, 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. This week, my son and I pointed our SUV […]
In my Kansas backyard, a parable for Texas school shooting
By: Eric Thomas - June 10, 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. My daughter came in from our backyard to tell […]
Screaming on the sidelines: Confessions of a semi-reformed sports dad in Kansas
By: Eric Thomas - June 3, 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. Any parent who has a child playing sports has […]
Small-town student journalists and advisers inspire giant admiration
By: Eric Thomas - May 28, 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 look at the city of Burrton on […]
Going plus-one: Republicans keep leapfrogging previous political barriers
By: Eric Thomas - May 20, 2022
Audio Astra reviews recent audio reporting on Kansas news, including podcasts and radio stories. Eric Thomas directs the Kansas Scholastic Press Association and teaches visual journalism and photojournalism at the University of Kansas. This week’s Kansas Supreme Court’s decision permitting Republican-drawn legislative maps delivers so many different lessons. It just depends on who you are. A Black […]
Fentanyl’s poisonous toll aided by stubborn inaction from Kansas officials
By: Eric Thomas - May 13, 2022
Audio Astra reviews recent audio reporting on Kansas news, including podcasts and radio stories. Eric Thomas directs the Kansas Scholastic Press Association and teaches visual journalism and photojournalism at the University of Kansas. Imagine a drug so deadly that a few powdered grains could kill you. A drug that puts you in the emergency room through contact […]