Rob Roberts will be leaving the Shawnee Dispatch to take a position with the Kansas City Business Journal. We would like to wish Rob the best as he joins the staff of one of the more prestigious niche periodicals in the metro area.
Rob's tenure with the Dispatch was a welcome change from that of some of his predecessors. As a skilled, long term journalist he realized that he had a responsibility to tell it like it is. As such, he reported the good, the bad and the ugly, which did not necessarily endear him to certain folks at city hall. There are some who feel that a local paper should only be a cheerleader for the city. That is wrong. Maybe that is one of the reasons why the city now wants a PIO, because they could not have control over the local media, like they had in the past.
Anyway, it will be interesting to see how Rob's replacement handles things. Will he be realistic and objective, reporting all aspects of what happens? Or will he, like some others become a puppet for city hall?
Another thing that time will tell.
