William Allen White Foundation

Our free full-length movie explains the life of famed Kansas newspaper publisher William Allen White,  and the history he helped shape. White was one of the outstanding journalistic voices of the early 20th Century -- a friend to Presidents and a foe to those who tried to thwart decency, freedom of speech and honesty.

The documentary “William Allen White:  What’s the Matter with Kansas?” was directed by Kevin Willmott, Academy Award winning screenwriter and producer. On this page, we host both the complete, unedited Directors Cut version of the documentary and several excerpts on specific topics. 

The documentary is sponsored by the William Allen White Foundation, which was formed in 1946 to honor the legacy of Kansas’s foremost journalist. The mission of the Foundation is threefold: to preserve the name of William Allen White, to support journalism education at the University of Kansas, and to promote excellence in national and regional journalism.