The Plains Pilot, founded in 2026, covers the rural community of Moundridge, Kansas, as well as surrounding areas.
The print edition is distributed for free on the second Friday of the month. Additionally, information is published frequently online at www.plainspilot.com, weekly via the Plains Pilot Signal newsletter, and bi-weekly on the Plains Pilot Radio podcast.
Mission
The Plains Pilot — both in print and online — is a timely resource of information about the Moundridge community, as well as surrounding areas. It reports on local news and issues, activities, academics and athletics. It offers a forum for discussion, reviews and commentary.
It aims to bring people together and build a healthy society by providing fact-based news, diverse viewpoints and stories of interest to rural communities by focusing on the people and places of the plains. By doing so, The Plains Pilot is “charting a course for community connection.”
Legal
The Plains Pilot and all subsidiary publications are designated forums of free speech.
It is distributed for no charge throughout Moundridge and the wider area. The first copy is free. Subsequent copies will cost $5 per copy. Additional copies may be purchased by contacting The Plains Pilot staff.
The Plains Pilot is private property and unlawful removal or use of papers is prosecutable.
This newspaper and its contents are copyrighted.
The opinions expressed in The Plains Pilot editorials, columns, guest columns, reviews, advertisements, letters to the editor or editorial cartoons are not necessarily those of the staff, contributors, advertisers or community as a whole. However, they are printed thanks to the rights afforded by the First Amendment of the U.S. Constitution.
The Plains Pilot is a member of the Kansas Press Association (KPA) and the International Society of Weekly Newspaper Editors (ISWNE).
In its reporting and all other journalistic activities, The Plains Pilot adheres to the Society of Professional Journalists Code of Ethics.
Letters to the Editor
The Plains Pilot welcomes and encourages community members to share their thoughts and opinions with readers of The Plains Pilot in the form of Letters to the Editor.
Submissions must not be in bad taste and refrain from attacking individuals without supporting documentation or a rational and legally defensible justification. In any event, The Plains Pilot reserves the sole discretion to decide whether or not a submission will be published. If your letter is selected, it will be run on a single occasion and you agree to give us the right to publish it in print and digital form.
The Plains Pilot will not accept letters that are duplicated, reprinted, copied, or otherwise reproduced. Letters should be original and typewritten. Artificial Intelligence (AI) should not be used to write a submission. If AI is detected, the letter will be rejected.
All letters are subject to editing for length, grammar, style, legal and other reasons, excluding the core opinion being expressed, and may not be published in their entirety.
As a general rule, The Plains Pilot does not print form letters or letters which are also submitted to other newspapers. We are most interested in sincere personal views as opposed to canned publicity releases or talking points for an individual or a cause. Therefore, if a writer cannot assure us that their submission is individual and personal, it may be rejected.
To that end, all letters must be signed and accompanied by a phone number and email address that can used to contact the individual(s) submitting the letter to verify he/she/they are the submitting parties.
Unsigned letters and letters containing personal attacks The Plains Pilot deems to be of a libelous nature will not be published.
The Plains Pilot reserves the right to end debate on a topic after both sides have had ample chance to express their views.
The Plains Pilot reserves the right to edit or refuse all letters.
All columns and letters on the opinion page are the views of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of The Plains Pilot.