Kansas City's skyline as seen from 25th Street and Prospect Avenue. (Brad Austin | Flatland)

Kansas City Journalist Mary Sanchez Joins Flatland as Senior Reporter

November 8, 2021 | | 2 min read

Kansas City PBS has announced well-known local journalist Mary Sanchez has joined Flatland, Kansas City PBS’ online journalism platform, as a senior reporter.

“Mary brings a tremendous depth of knowledge about the inner workings of Kansas City and an incredibly deep and wide source network,” said Chris Lester, managing editor for Kansas City PBS. “She will play a key role as we expand our civic affairs reporting and lean into the development of content around the new Flatland TV show. I am thrilled to welcome her aboard.”

In her role, Sanchez will work closely with the growing Flatland news team to produce in-depth stories and multimedia news content focused on important civic affairs topics in the Kansas City area. Sanchez, like Lester, previously worked at The Kansas City Star.

Mary Sanchez. (Contributed | Tribune Media Co.)

“My approach to journalism lies in providing a nuanced, broader look at complicated and critical issues,” Sanchez said. “Kansas City PBS approaches storytelling in the same way: bringing context and insight to complicated matters through a lens of thoughtful, fact-based explanation, rather than hyping up tensions or ramping up animosity.”

With a storied career of telling important local and national stories, Sanchez is a familiar face at Kansas City PBS, previously serving as a Flatland contributing reporter and appearing as a frequent guest on Kansas City Week in Review. She also is a nationally syndicated columnist with Tribune Content Agency. Previously, Sanchez worked at The Kansas City Star, where she was a metro columnist, a member of the editorial board and spent years reporting on race, class, social and criminal justice, immigration and educational issues. She is a native of Kansas City, Missouri.

“I am particularly excited to join Flatland and Kansas City PBS during such a strong period of expansion,” Sanchez said. “Kansas City PBS’ participation in the emerging KC Media Collective, as well as its own talented team of reporters and producers, make it the perfect place for me to serve our community. I know that I’ll not only be able to make an impact here but also continue to learn, grow and tell important stories to Kansas Citians.”

For more information and the latest from Flatland, visit www.flatlandkc.local.