Kansas City-area native, veteran leader named the new executive editor of The Star

Greg Farmer, a longtime leader at The Kansas City Star, will become its next executive editor.

Kristin Roberts, chief content officer for The Star’s parent company, McClatchy, made the announcement Monday after conducting a national search for the newspaper’s next leader. Farmer, 52, has been the interim executive editor since the departure of Mike Fannin, who stepped down in December.

“Greg has the highest ambitions for this newsroom; in his words, the aim is ‘unrivaled excellence,’” Roberts said. “As interim EE (executive editor), he has led this talented team to produce great journalism, to embrace our service approach and to expand the reach of our work through smart engagement and the kind of urgent, fearless reporting that is our hallmark.”

Born and raised in the Kansas City area, Farmer has held numerous leadership roles over the last 26 years at The Star, where he was the managing editor for the last seven years.

Previously, he was an editor at the Louisville Courier-Journal in Kentucky.

“It’s a privilege to lead this newsroom,” he said. “To have the opportunity to take on this challenge in my hometown is nothing short of a dream come true. The best days lie ahead for both The Star and Kansas City, and I’m excited to be a part of it.”

Farmer has pledged to build a culture of experimentation aimed at finding new ways for The Star to reach readers, while remaining committed to the newsroom’s core mission of delivering independent, local journalism that serves the public.

“Local journalism is essential to the success of Kansas City and every community,” he said. “We will work every day to ensure our neighbors have the news and information they need to live their best lives.”

Farmer holds a journalism degree from the University of Kansas and a master’s degree in business administration from the University of Missouri-Kansas City. He’s also taught leadership and organizational behavior courses to business students at UMKC’s Henry W. Bloch School of Management.

Farmer has already launched new efforts to better connect The Star with its neighbors throughout the Kansas City community, including a January partnership with the Community Blood Center on a weeklong blood drive.

“Our readers are the reason we do what we do, and we love hearing from them with both their honest critiques and their kind compliments,” he said. “We’re committed to continually learning and finding ways to be better every day.”