LAWRENCE — Dark State Media, LLC, has launched its website, darkstatemedia.com, designed to feature news and analytical reports about issues related to government transparency and accountability in Kansas.
Dark State Media is owned and operated by Max Kautsch, a media lawyer based in Lawrence. In his practice, he concentrates on press freedom and open-government laws.
“The idea is to create a news service specifically focused on holding state and local government officials accountable to the Kansans who elect them,” Kautsch said. “The company’s name is an homage to KSHB-TV’s seminal 2014 The Dark State series that was instrumental in shining a light on probable cause affidavits related to arrests and searches.”
Interest in government transparency in Kansas is at an all-time high following the Kansas City Star’s 2017 series, Why so secret, Kansas?, which was a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize. The article series resulted in public forums featuring Kansas legislators to discuss legislation aimed at increasing transparency in state government. It also served as a catalyst to the passage of multiple laws related to transparency that Governor Jeff Colyer signed into law last Thursday.
“The time is right to capitalize on the public’s recognition that in a democracy, you get the government you deserve. The first step to ensuring a government that acts in the public interest is to make sure the decisions officials make, and the reasons for them, are widely known,” Kautsch said.
The website’s first report, No Mercy, is about the disposition of Mercy Hospital property in Independence, Kansas, after the hospital was closed. Negotiations regarding the property were subject to a confidentiality agreement between the City of Independence and the hospital ownership. The agreement curtailed public information about the negotiations, and city officials made decisions that resulted in severe financial consequences for Independence taxpayers.
“The events in Independence are, sadly, a great example of what happens when government is not fully open,” Kautsch said. “Dark State Media seeks to report stories to expose when and how government officials fail to meet their obligations to be transparent.”
The plan is for the website to feature periodic, long-form articles, in-depth investigations and multimedia presentations, so the publication schedule may vary. “Hopefully, darkstatemedia.com can become an essential part of public dialog about transparency in this state,” Kautsch said.
Dark State Media can be reached via email at [email protected] or by phone at (785) 201-9650.