Longtime KC Star business writer/columnist Stafford taking buyout

Diane Stafford, a longtime business reporter and workplace columnist at The Kansas City Star, is leaving the paper after 44 years.

Dan Margolies of KCUR writes, “‘I was blessed to make it to ‘retirement age’ in a job I loved and that I believed was important to the community,’ Stafford said in an email to KCUR. ‘Forty-four years is an amazing time to be anywhere! This was such a wonderful job… experiences, people, variety, impact, responsibility, visibility…’

“Stafford began her long career at The Star as a summer intern, beginning as a full-time reporter in 1974. She covered virtually every beat on the business desk, writing about major companies, entrepreneurs, nonprofits, civic affairs, health care, organized labor, real estate development, workplace issues and women’s issues, among others.

“‘I hope people realize how hard daily  journalists work and how important their work is to the community,’ she said. ‘This is a vital industry. It shrinks at the peril of democracy. Please, people, keep reading.'”

Read more here.