Missouri Press Association
Serving Missouri Newspapers Since 1867
Missouri Press Association members attending the 36th Annual Day at the Capitol heard from Attorney General Catherine Hanaway at lunch at the Governor’s Mansion, as well as State Auditor Scott Fitzpatrick and Secretary of State Denny Hoskins during the morning program.
Also joining MPA for the morning program was Speaker of the House Rep. Jonathan Patterson, and state Sen. Rusty Black and Rep. Dirk Deaton who both talked about the legislature’s ongoing budget process.
Gov. Mike Kehoe was not available to attend this year’s Day at the Capitol.
All of the statewide elected officials talked about the importance of the media in keeping the public informed about the work their offices do each year.
Auditor Fitzpatrick told those attending that without newspapers and other media, his office’s work is often lost to “the void,” being posted on the auditor’s website but otherwise not being publicized to Missouri residents.
Secretary of State Hoskins said he appreciates the relationship his office has with the media because of the importance in keeping the public informed and differentiating between “record and rumor.”
“Local newspapers call my office not for a soundbite but for clarification,” Hoskins said. “Responsible jour-nalism isn’t just important, it’s essential.”
While several of the day’s speakers talked about their offices’ use of artificial intelligence in completing work, AG Hanaway said that while it took time to establish a proper policy, she supports AI’s use in the work her office does.
“My goal would be that no lawyer in our office will ever start with a blank page again,” Hanaway said, adding that training on AI tools will give her staff better abilities to comb through financial documents, medical records and other large datasets.
If you have questions about meeting with legislators, contact MPA Executive Director Chad Stebbins at cstebbins@mopress.com. Stebbins can provide MPA members with talking points about critical legislation being considered.
