Disqus - Latest Comments for bmenezes

Re: Allard Makes Comeback To 92nd Worst

bmenezes — Wed, 23 Aug 2006 07:51:23 -0000

Check this out 9News is still listed as a "sponsor" by SurveyUSA of the Allard poll.

http://colorado.mediamatters.org/items/200608180002

Bill Menezes

Editorial Director

Colorado Media Matters

Re: Math is Hard for Lawyers Too

bmenezes — Thu, 07 Sep 2006 13:05:40 -0000

And 33 percent is even more different than 70 percent... Interesting to note that Caplis also did not cite the CDC figures that show the actual rate was 33 percent (based on more than 854,000 abortions reported to CDC in 2002, vs. the 10,000-person sampling used to extrapolate the 43 percent figure in the Guttmacher Institute study).

Bill Menezes

Editorial Director

Colorado Media Matters

Re: 50,000 Watts of Hate: Rant of the Day

bmenezes — Thu, 16 Nov 2006 07:29:20 -0000

While he's at it, Boyles mocks the Japanese And of course, that conversation included Boyles making a racially charged joke in noting the recent election, by mocking Japanese accents in stating, "[A]s they said in Japan, you got 'erection' day."

Decades on the air and he's no better than a redneck eighth-grader.

Bill Menezes

Editorial Director

Colorado Media Matters

Re: Immigration: Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell

bmenezes — Wed, 13 Dec 2006 08:27:03 -0000

Only 65 charged with ID theft yeesterday Kind of interesting that only 65 of the 1,282 rounded up yesterday actually were charged with ID theft or another criminal count; the rest were held on administrative immigration law violations, according to AP. Makes it look as if the whole exercise used ID theft as a pretext for what in the end amounted to a sweep designed primarily to net undocumented workers. Either that, or ICE's evidence for charging more of them with ID theft was so shaky, they had to fall back on immigration violations alone, which again renders the ID theft crackdown a sham.

But it does raise the question: If only 65 people were caught with provably stolen IDs, what was the documentation Swift used in employing the rest, who also allegedly are illegal? Something's fishy, and it ain't the beef byproducts...

Re: 50,000 Watts of Hate: Rant of the Day

bmenezes — Fri, 22 Dec 2006 10:13:11 -0000

Peter Boyles "out of control sometimes?" On the contrary, the record shows that Boyles and his guests explicitly and repeatedly target Hispanic immigrants with their falsehoods about immigration issues. (see http://colorado.mediamatters.org/issues_topics/people/peterboyles)

Boyles and his guests use bogus "statistics" to state such lies as "13 Americans are killed by drunken Mexican drivers every day on our highways," when there are no actual facts to support the statement. http://colorado.mediamatters.org/items/200609270005

Boyles hosts guests with white nationalist ties -- while omitting any mention of those ties to his audience -- and kisses their asses over bigoted advertising campaigns -- targeting Hispanic immigrants -- that they have sponsored. http://colorado.mediamatters.org/items/200607200006

Boyles hosts and agrees with guests who say such things as, Mexico is "one of the most despicable countries on earth." http://colorado.mediamatters.org/items/200610200003

Boyles is not "out of control sometimes." His long-term record of making and supporting bigoted statements targeting Hispanic immigration make it clear what his agenda is.

Bill Menezes

Editorial Director

Colorado Media Matters

Re: Running Diary of the State of the Union

bmenezes — Wed, 24 Jan 2007 05:31:08 -0000

Democrat majority Actually, at 7:13 p.m. Bush apparently mentioned the "Democrat majority", repeating the timeworn slur.

http://mediamatters.org/items/200701240002

Re: Immigrant Alliance Seeks Apology

bmenezes — Thu, 08 Feb 2007 16:03:30 -0000

Here's why they want a followup, genius The 7 News "investigation" provided no evidence whatsoever that the four Hispanic men it got on camera were in fact illegal immigrants. Kovaleski didn't even ask them if they were, and his self-described, so-called "methodology" did not include the simple question "What is your immigration status?"

The "investigation" also provided no factual evidence to back up its breathless claim that unlicensed, uninsured illegal immigrants were a major cause of accidents on Denver or Colorado roads. Kovaleski didn't even cite the readily available statistical evidence that shows overall how many uninsured, unlicensed drivers are involved in accidents in Colorado; believe it or not, given that 95 percent of the state's population is NOT made up of illegal immigrants, such statistics might have been useful.

Read this for a look at how 7 News has conveyed not only misinformation, but also perpetuated a baseless smear on Hispanics.

http://colorado.mediamatters.org/items/200702090002

Bill Menezes

Editorial Director

Colorado Media Matters

Re: Immigrant Alliance Seeks Apology

bmenezes — Fri, 09 Feb 2007 10:09:23 -0000

Here's why they want a followup, genius Ummm, ask the state Department of Transportation and the Denver Police and read the government statistics that are readily available: There are a lot -- repeat, a lot -- of U.S. citizens driving around the state without valid Colorado licenses and insurance. The stats show a huge number of the unlicensed drivers involved in accidents are people who have had their licenses suspended or revoked; based on your own "assumption," those people couldn't have been illegals, apparently, or they wouldn't have had licenses in the first place.

That's the fatal flaw of the 7 News report. They claimed the story is about illegal immigrants but apparently never bothered to find out if the people they interviewed actually ARE illegal immigrants. Perhaps they "assumed" the way you are, that someone who is Hispanic, doesn't have a U.S. license or insurance, and speaks with an accent is illegal. That's the textbook definition of a "bigoted" assumption.

If 7 News is right, they need to provide facts -- not "assumptions" -- that prove their claim. They did not and, to date, have not despite numerous requests from community members for them to do so. Any guesses why?

Bill M.

Re: The Groups Behind The Vetoed Bill

bmenezes — Mon, 12 Feb 2007 08:06:21 -0000

No kidding Great item, Erin. Seeing this list -- which I doubt we'll ever see published by any of the mainstream media -- reinforces the fact that the anti-HB 1072 arguments repeated uncritically in MSM news stories were at best disingenuous, and at worst outright falsehoods. I wonder how many jobs Douglas County would have decided to locate in another state instead of Colorado had the bill passed? What about Royal Crest Dairy or the County Sheriff's Association?

Re: CoCo Recognized for Excellence in Journalism

bmenezes — Fri, 16 Feb 2007 12:47:53 -0000

Congrats from Colorado Media Matters The SPJ category for blogging was created out of clear recognition that there are blogs that increasingly are engaging in journalism; not just commentary, but real news reporting. Journalists run SPJ and it is the organization's MSM members who now find themselves turning to credible blogs more and more often, for insights and information -- and are frequently being beaten by them on news stories.

I think CoCo epitomizes this trend and as a result is getting some well-deserved honors.

All that remains at this point is to speculate what the photos from the CoCo table at the awards dinner will show...

Bill Menezes

Editorial Director

Colorado Media Matters

Re: GOP Goes Apoplectic, Cites Bogus “Poll”

bmenezes — Fri, 23 Feb 2007 10:48:29 -0000

Great hit Nicely done, Cara and CoCo. Clearly the Senate Republicans distorted the depth of public sentiment against the war by citing a widely debunked poll on their website.

Now the question is, who will hold them accountable for the truth?

Re: Immigration: Denver Channel Still Getting Flack

bmenezes — Wed, 28 Feb 2007 07:30:58 -0000

KMGH 7News and its inability to do basic, credible journalism If you were the news station, as you say, you would be producing "news" that would embarrass most journalism students, let alone professional journalists.

This whole issue arises because of the original KMGH report by Tony Kovaleski that provided a sensationalist story, purporting to show that unlicensed/uninsured illegal immigrant drivers were "mocking the legal system." That story provided zero factual substantiation for its premise, resulting in a piece that not only did not prove what it purported to, but also disparaged Hispanics in general. KMGH did not even try to determine how many non-Hispanics were in the same situation as unlicensed/uninsured drivers. And it did not provide any proof that the four men it featured on camera were illegal immigrants.

Clearly the station has seriously compromised its credibility in covering issues related to immigration reform; look no further than the other excellent post Erin has put up on this site. That is reason enough for KMGH to change how it deals with this issue, whether it's in how the station describes immigrants or how it puts together "investigations," so in the future it may avoid airing factually baseless pieces smearing a particular ethnic group.

Re: UPDATED: Rocky Offers Staff Buyouts

bmenezes — Thu, 22 Mar 2007 07:45:17 -0000

More significantly... The institutional knowledge that the new players at CoCo et al bring to the table is rapidly approaching and likely at some point will surpass that which remains at the Post and the Rocky among the beat reporters and desk editors who cover important beats such as politics and state government. That over time will create rapidly diminishing news value from the MSM as readers realize the news they get from the mini-pages in the Rocky and the constantly shifting Capitol bureau of the Post isn't worth the trouble of reading, when there's superior local reporting readily available elsewhere.

Re: The chasm that separates Larry Liston and Ben Franklin

bmenezes — Fri, 30 Mar 2007 09:45:59 -0000

Prior Restraint Against ANYONE in the media is dangerous What Rep. Liston and those who are aiding and abetting him better realize is that prior restraint against the media is a two-edged sword.

While Liston and those who agree with him whine about the supposedly liberal slant to the Colorado Capitol press corps, Colorado Media Matters has found ample evidence that there is a significant amount of conservative misinformation flowing out of that same press corps.

Were Liston to convince legislative leadership that allegedly political points of view should be the criterion for determining who stays and who goes, a very strong case also could be made on the same basis against such media as, say, the Pueblo Chieftain, which has engaged in conservative misinformation and generally poor journalism numerous times on both its news and editorial pages. A case also might be made about the Denver Post's statehouse bureau chief, Jeri Clausing, whose work a number of times has reflected conservative misinformation.

There's a reason that a significant body of legal precedent weighs AGAINST prior restraint such as that which Liston and others in the GOP are promoting: It's bad for everyone regardless of political persuasion.

Bill Menezes

Editorial Director

Colorado Media Matters

Re: Windels’ CORA Came From GOP Activist With Ties to Former Opponent

bmenezes — Tue, 03 Apr 2007 14:25:28 -0000

Colorado's Matt Drudge, for all THAT's worth What's great is that Jones is making the rounds of all the conservative radio talk shows and touting Facethestate a being in the spirt of the Drudge Report. So, essentially he's describing his venture as analogous to an Internet gossip who is notorious for his inaccuracy (http://mediamatters.org/issues_topics/outlets/thedrudgereport) and use of misinformation.

Good times...

Re: Face The Coordination

bmenezes — Wed, 04 Apr 2007 06:25:25 -0000

Nice to see someone in Denver is practicing statehouse journalism Not one word yet in the Rocky or the Post about the connection -- which was there to see, for anyone who bothered to do some real reporting -- between the Senate GOP and the oblique attack via proxy on Merrifield and Windels. Is CoCo the only news outfit that's actually trying to dig up news at the Capitol instead of waiting for it to be hand-delivered to them by the GOP?

As for FaceTheState being a "news" organization, if that's the case then it sorta weakens the argument by the Larry Listons of the world that CoCo is not, eh?

Nicely done piece of journalism, guys.

Re: How Did We Start the Iraq War? Watch This

bmenezes — Wed, 25 Apr 2007 08:15:58 -0000

After Moyers, similar program on Friday For those who are interested, a good followup to the Moyers documentary will occur Friday when the non-profit group A Stamp Act (a Colorado small donor committee) presents the documentary "...and nothing but the truth" examining the role of the compliant media in advancing administration falsehoods leading to war in Iraq. The documentary produced and directed by Gabriele Zamparini and Lorenzo Meccoli includes commentary by historians and reporters such as Noam Chomsky, Gore Vidal, Amy Goodman, Howard Zinn, the BBC's Gred Palast and others.

The documentary will be shown at 7 p.m. this Friday, April 27, at the Art Students League of Denver, 200 Grant Street (in the Sherman School). Following the screening will be a refreshment break followed by a discussion that I will moderate.

All are welcome!

Bill Menezes

Editorial Director

Colorado Media Matters

Re: Live Q&A with M.E. Sprengelmeyer

bmenezes — Wed, 02 May 2007 07:10:34 -0000

Question about Denver media coverage of Dick Wadhams Good morning. The major media in Denver are having issues when it comes to critical reporting of Dick Wadhams. That is, we've documented numerous stories where Wadhams is allowed to use the Post, Rocky and even KCFR as a platform for making political statements without the reporter or host asking critical questions or attempting to provide balancing comments from opposing points of view.

Please explain the reasoning for allowing Wadhams to talk about negative campaigning, for example, without questioning him about his own history of negative campaign tactics in South Dakota, Colorado, etc. Or tell us why the local media allow Wadhams to characterize various elements of the Democratic Party (the presidential candidates as "far-left" or the state party as being "in flux") without including comment from Dems allowing them to characterize themselves.

Bill Menezes

Editorial Director

Colorado Media Matters

Re: Live Q&A with M.E. Sprengelmeyer

bmenezes — Wed, 02 May 2007 08:00:52 -0000

Thanks for a thoughtful response, M.E. We know you've got a tough job out there, so thanks for trying to be diligent and doing the right thing.

Good luck with the rest of the campaign!

Re: Print v Pixels: A “New” Old Idea for Newspapers

bmenezes — Mon, 07 May 2007 15:02:00 -0000

Disappearing news hole = disappearing readers In addition to the decades-old demographic, socio-economic and technological changes that have driven the afternoon newspaper the way of the buggy whip, there's the issue of quality. The news hole in the Denver dailies -- the amount of space in the paper not taken up by ads -- is small and getting smaller. The papers are thinner than the Dollar Trader and the news content that is there frequently can be of questionable quality. What is the compelling reason for a news consumer to take the time to sit down with a print product of marginal quality when increasingly either at home or work they can call up news on demand from a variety of more readable, credible and compelling sources via the Internet? The newspaper industry braintrust so far has been generally powerless at coming up with a meaningful way to address this phenomenon, and as a profit-driven, increasingly consolidated business it seems unlikely that it ever will. There always will be consumers who want a print product, but that number clearly is shrinking.

Re: Print v Pixels: A “New” Old Idea for Newspapers

bmenezes — Tue, 08 May 2007 07:19:23 -0000

Online news sources In the old days (pre-1995 or so), the reader had to rely on the limited menu of stories -- local, national, international -- that the local newspaper on the printed page. That's still the case with the print product, and in fact the menu is even more limited because of the shrinking news hole and the over-reliance on opinion columnists to provide "insight" into the day's news. Oh, and on days like today when the Rocky devotes virtually its entire front page to a rescued cat in Greeley, the menu shrinks even further.

Contrast that with the online reader's access -- generally for free -- to the output of every major global news service (AP, Reuters, New York Times); every major newspaper, foreign and domestic; major periodicals (weekly, monthly, etc.) that frequently make their content available to non-subscribers; and broadcast networks (although any more their online offerings either are of questionable credibility or are taken straight from the news wires). For readers who generally are news skimmers already (it's sort of a truism that most print newspaper readers never read every story, every day in the paper) it's a format tailor-made to kill the print product. Further, as more and more people have ready access to broadband Internet (largely through work, where the stats show a huge amount of non-work online activity takes place, probably due to the free, fast connection) there's even less reason to turn to the print newspaper.

Re: 50,000 Watts of Hate

bmenezes — Thu, 10 May 2007 08:06:59 -0000

Ex-Marine Newman apparently has revoked his Marine Corps oath Newman took an oath to defend the Constitution; instead he's calling for denying constitutional rights to naturalized citizens purely on the basis of their religion. That's prima facie evidence that he's recanted his oath. It's a sad day when an ex-Marine decides instead to side with the terrorists who also -- based on Newman's frequent on-air messages -- want to deny the blessings of our Constitution to others.

Re: Gunny Bob’s Own ‘Don Imus Moment’ Draws Fire

bmenezes — Tue, 15 May 2007 12:44:23 -0000

One advertister has left his show so far in response to his remarks Three Tomatoes catering no longer wants its ads on Newman's show. Here's the link to ProgressNow's report:

http://www.progressnowaction.org/page/community/post_group/ProgressNowStaff/Cqnx

Clearly, once reasonable people become aware of his remarks they want to distance themselves from Newman.

Re: Gunny Bob and the ‘Shock Jock Nuremberg Defense’

bmenezes — Wed, 16 May 2007 13:23:47 -0000

That's a great question for local Clear Channel management ..who, by the way, is about as unresponsible to public dialogue as it gets.

Olinger and Clear Channel also should indicate why Newman is allowed to treat the public through his dialogue in a way that if directed at another Clear Channel employee would be a direct violation of the company's own code of employee conduct.

See it here: http://www.clearchannel.com/Corporate/PressRelease.aspx?PressReleaseID=1173&p;=hidden

Re: UPDATE: Whoops! Retract. Retract. Retract.

bmenezes — Thu, 31 May 2007 12:54:26 -0000

Uh, "Pardon my typo"? That's not a typo. A typo is a spelling error. This is more of a "faux pas," wherein a disrespectful joke in advertently saw the light of day.

Good to know what Allard's staff really thinks of his constituents, eh?

Re: Tancredo Donor More Than Just Pro-Choice

bmenezes — Thu, 05 Jul 2007 10:49:41 -0000

Tanton's work appears in local media, too Tanton's work also has shown up in the Denver market courtesy of Peter Boyles of KHOW-AM and Al Knight of the Denver Post:

http://colorado.medi...

Bill Menezes

Editorial Director

Colorado Media Matters

Re: Romney, In C. Springs, Gives Birth To The Obama Sex Ed Hobgoblin

bmenezes — Fri, 20 Jul 2007 09:50:12 -0000

Righties elsewhere also are trying to use the Obama remark But unfortunately, they're bringing it up as Romney did without providing the full context or even elaborating on what Obama actually said.

Take a look:

http://mediamatters....

Re: “Right To Work” Issue Not So Black And White For Attracting Businesses

bmenezes — Fri, 10 Aug 2007 10:16:57 -0000

This is what happens when media actually bother asking questions Nice work Erin. Fortunately someone in the news media is refusing to act as an uncritical mouthpiece for Ted Harvey and the right-to-work crowd and is actually doing some reporting on this issue. Surprise! Not all of the sound bites from the right-to-work crowd turn out to be accurate when one starts asking questions.

Thanks for setting a great example of how to do critical reporting. Had the MSM asked similiar questions during their coverage of the fight over HB1072, I'm guessing that debate would have been much different.

Re: Come To Jesus, Then File A Lawsuit

bmenezes — Thu, 30 Aug 2007 10:56:55 -0000

WWJD? Hmmm, not what you'd call "turning the other cheek." I guess giving your life to Christ can be done in a selective fashion.

Re: Come To Jesus, Then File A Lawsuit

bmenezes — Thu, 30 Aug 2007 14:37:49 -0000

Yeah, she does But if she's going to use them to proselytize, she should practice what her savior preached.

Re: Promise of Iraq Victory Slams into Reality Check

bmenezes — Fri, 07 Sep 2007 08:58:13 -0000

Another big problem with the Freedom Watch ads is... ...two of them link 9-11 to the Iraq War, despite no reliable evidence Iraq played any role in those attacks. Read more here:

http://mediamatters....

Re: Denver Dailies “Right To Work”

bmenezes — Thu, 13 Sep 2007 07:30:19 -0000

Harsanyi: Opted out or free-rider?

So, anyone want to bet on whether Harsanyi actually has opted out (or tried to opt out) of the protections and benefits negotiated by the Newspaper Guild on his behalf, and took the "freedom" route to negotiate his own health care and job protection? Or whether he has he opted out of the pay raise that I understand is going to hit soon for local Guild newspaper employees (or any other past Guild pay raises, for that matter), in favor of the "freedom" to negotiate only his own merit and cost of living raises?

If he has in fact taken a principled stand to negotiate on his own behalf instead of taking a free ride on the Guild's collective bargaining, that should be noted with respect. If not, then perhaps he'll have the guts to explain why his readers don't deserve to know that while promoting "right to work" he already essentially enjoys the option of collective bargaining without compulsory union membership,

I'll take the under on this one.

Re: A Rare Glimpse Into The Sean Paige Psyche

bmenezes — Fri, 14 Sep 2007 06:37:07 -0000

Conversations with Sean Paige

Regardless of what George Lewis may believe, conversations with Sean Paige in his role at the Gazette were not that easy to come by if one represented a point of view he wishes to surpress. When contacted by our communications director about possibly setting up a meeting between Colorado Media Matters and the Gazette's editorial board, Paige rudely refused and hung up on her without so much as a "Have a nice day." A subsequent call on the same issue to the newspaper's managing editor, longtime news veteran Larry Ryckman, was met with a professional and open response. Editor Jeff Thomas also has engaged in professional, civil dialogue with Colorado Media Matters (and graciously drove to Denver last December to participate in our post-election media panel).

As Colorado Media Matters has documented, (http://colorado.mediamatters.org/issues_topics/...) Paige routinely distorted facts and repeated outright falsehoods to support the Gazette's editorial points of view. I sincerely hope that whoever succeeds Sean Paige has the editorial integrity to stick to facts and intellectually honest discourse in promoting the newspaper's points of view -- whatever they are.

Bill Menezes, Editorial Director

Colorado Media Matters

Re: Watching The Brad Jones Show

bmenezes — Fri, 14 Sep 2007 06:51:49 -0000

Learning the lesson taught by liberals

Unfortunately, the real lesson Brad Jones needs to be taught by liberals is how to tell the truth.

As Colorado Media Matters has documented (http://colorado.mediamatters.org/issues_topics/...) , despite his claims to operate a "news" site and his remarks to media that he wants "integrity" in journalism, Jones routinely engages in misinformation of the basest type. He distorts through misleading headlines the actual content of news stories reported by real news organizations, is an online waterboy for the state GOP without admitting so and falsely criticizes other organizations -- such as Colorado Media Matters -- for being secretive about their funding sources while refusing to divulge his own.

In other words, Jones' M.O. is to lie and promote misinformation while claiming that he does not. Fortunately, Colorado Confidential has taken the time to draw the curtain back and start putting a bit of daylight on this character, which likely will help speed up the expiration of his 15 minutes.

Bill Menezes, Editorial Director

Colorado Media Matters

Re: Let Experience, Not Brochures, Test Planned Parenthood

bmenezes — Wed, 19 Sep 2007 07:14:55 -0000

Really?

The TeenWire.com website actually states, "there is nothing wrong with urinating on another person," joekerr? Please provide the specific URL at which readers may view this -- as well as any context out of which you may have pulled such a passage -- for themselves.

A search of the site (and a broader Internet search) turns up no such expression on TeenWire.com. Are you lying about this? Please show that you're not, otherwise readers might think that you're lying about virtually everything in your response.

Re: Let Experience, Not Brochures, Test Planned Parenthood

bmenezes — Wed, 19 Sep 2007 10:41:52 -0000

Semantics? This from a woman who claims birth control pills "don't work"

That's what this commenter, Leslie Hanks, vice president of Colorado Right to Life, actually told in the Denver Post recently: http://colorado.mediamatters.org/items/20070821... Hanks also claimed that Planned Parenthood gets "young girls hooked on their birth control pills." And now here, faced with a reasonable argument by Jim Spencer, she'd rather attack him on semantics than make a reasonable argument in rebuttal. Says something about her group and its tactics, as well as the strength of its argument, don't you think?

Re: Let Experience, Not Brochures, Test Planned Parenthood

bmenezes — Thu, 20 Sep 2007 11:50:48 -0000

Not in essence or in fact

Any reason you didn't show the entire passage from TeenWire.com, which made it clear that many people do not like this practice? Here's the entire passage, which you've clearly taken out of context to claim that Planned Parenthood is "exposing children to deviant sexual acts" when in fact the passage was in response to a reader who raised the subject:

Dear Experts:

iv heard of this but i dont know what it is please define what a golden shower is for me

toeb18

A "golden shower" is when one partner urinates on another partner for sexual pleasure. There's nothing inherently wrong or hurtful about this sex practice, but it is uncommon. Because most people don't enjoy it, it is considered to be "kinky" behavior. "Kink" is a word used to define sexual behaviors that are not standard. Hope this information helps!

Apparently you, like many others, would rather keep young people ignorant rather than answer an honest question honestly and candidly. God help you.

Re: Where Watergate, Valerie Plame And Journalism Converge

bmenezes — Thu, 11 Oct 2007 07:36:19 -0000

And then there's this, on the subject of Mr. Novak... http://www.crooksandliars.com/2007/10/09/wilson...

Re: Hush, Hush and on the QT: Republicans in Dilemmas; Democrats in Motion

bmenezes — Wed, 24 Oct 2007 07:13:52 -0000

Congratulations You've just made a specious analogy. One that no doubt also would prove to be a fallacy if subjected to logical scrutiny.

Re: Denver Post Owner Skewers Colorado’s Governor in Rare Front-Page Editorial

bmenezes — Tue, 06 Nov 2007 07:36:23 -0000

Workers' rights part II Go back further than that, to his newspapers in the Bay Area and Dallas and you'll see that this type of behavior is the rule, not the exception for Singleton.

Re: Colorado Supreme Court Affirms “Egg as a Person” Ballot Wording

bmenezes — Wed, 14 Nov 2007 05:58:30 -0000

Gotta be 18 to vote still... But the little blastocytes will provide a dandy child tax credit nine months earlier than before...

Re: New Life Church Guard Faced Discipline as MN Cop

bmenezes — Wed, 12 Dec 2007 06:13:26 -0000

Asking questions is our right and our duty Sorry, but some of you seem to be so conditioned by a compliant Bush-era media that you get a little uncomfortable when a journalist starts asking questions or making relevant contextual facts known that don't square with your immediate, sound-bite vision.

Ms. Assam's past as related to her performance as an armed enforcement person (in this case, a security guard) is relevant background. Is it the whole story, and does it somehow diminish her apparent bravery in the halls of New Life Church? Of course not, and this story is not written in a way that implies so. Rather, it takes a pretty one-dimensional portrait painted by the mainstream media and gives it just a little more depth. If you're interested in Ms. Assam's story, you should be interested in all of it, not just the parts that make you feel immediately warm and fuzzy. Did it ever occur to you that perhaps she had a troubled past that may have led her to a spiritual awakening, which put her on a road that led to New Life Church? Stories like this one make one more curious about a woman who, like most of us, is probably a pretty complex, multifaceted being. And without the facts of her past, you can't possibly have a full idea of her present.

Re: ‘Real’ Colorado Journalists Wear Purple

bmenezes — Thu, 10 Jan 2008 05:23:02 -0000

The REAL question

The real question is how a self-appointed, unaccountable group of reporters with a serious conflict of interest qualified itself to determine the criteria for admission of potential competitors.

The fact that Charles Ashby of the Pueblo Chieftain is involved should raise serious questions; as Colorado Media Matters has documented, the Chieftain is a stridently partisan publication that frequently uses factual misinformation to support its editorial points of view. We've documented a number of instances in which Ashby himself also has produced stories that dispense misinformation supporting or promoting a conservative political point of view. Who has vetted Ashby and the Chieftain, and their qualifications for reporting from the House and Senate floors?

Clearly the current process is seriously flawed. Fortunately, established journalists such as Mr. Moore and Mr. Otte are willing to step up and provide thoughtful explanations as to why it is flawed. Now it's up to the rest of the Colorado media community to come up with a reasonable solution that -- at a time when legislative coverage demands more voices, not fewer -- puts a priority on serving Colorado readers, listeners and viewers ahead of the self-interests of a small group of reporters.

Bill Menezes

Editorial Director

Colorado Media Matters

Re: ‘Real’ Colorado Journalists Wear Purple

bmenezes — Thu, 10 Jan 2008 12:45:42 -0000

It's not about feelings, actually

It's about a small group of reporters with no accountability and a huge conflict of interest having decision-making authority (albeit limited) over who gets on the floor and who doesn't. That's the problem.

If, as Mr. Ewegen says, 95 percent of his job can be done from off of the floor, then one solution might be to bar floor access for all journalists, instead of having the Capitol club decide who stays or goes. I covered the Missouri state legislature for years with the Associated Press and the rules then (and now, probably) did not allow media on the House or Senate floors during legislative proceedings. And, just as Mr. Ewegen's extensive experience indicates, reporters who couldn't get on the floor had no trouble cultivating sources, getting interviews and other information, and otherwise covering the beat.

Re: ‘Real’ Colorado Journalists Wear Purple

bmenezes — Fri, 11 Jan 2008 07:26:11 -0000

Just how friendly of a relationship does the press have with the Colorado legislature?

Glad you asked. Here are some examples of how one statehouse beat reporter at a Denver daily has managed to carry the state GOP's water over the past year:

http://colorado.mediamatters.org/issues_topics/..., he's not the only one engaged in this type of "journalism" (Charles Ashby of the Pueblo Chieftain, one of the Capitol club "deciders", also is guilty) just one of the more frequent perpetrators...

Bill Menezes

Editorial Director

Colorado Media Matters

http://colorado.mediamatters.org

Re: Colorado Confidential Founder Responds To Baseless Claim

bmenezes — Tue, 22 Jan 2008 08:42:44 -0000

Actually, quite a big story

Ashby is willing to base his decision on second-hand (or possibly third- or fourth-hand) information passed to him, about which he has not done any fact-checking? Is this is how he also conducts himself as a journalist, in covering the legislature? If so, there are much bigger questions that should be raised about his conduct beyond this whole CCPA snit.

The "due process" analogy may have been a bit of a stretch, but the term "reckless disregard for the truth" seems on target in such a case.

Re: Q&A with the Denver Post’s Dan Haley

bmenezes — Mon, 04 Feb 2008 06:15:08 -0000

General elections endorsements in the wake of these primary choices Hi Dan, Bill Menezes at Colorado Media Matters.

Given that the Post has made its primary election presidential endorsements, if Sens. McCain and Clinton win their respective parties' nominations, has the Post already determined who it would endorse in the general election?

If so, why not make that choice clear at this time as well? What could change between now and November to alter that choice?

Re: ‘Basically, They Lied To Me’

bmenezes — Thu, 21 Feb 2008 07:03:25 -0000

Then why wouldn't they just say that? "If you help put this on the ballot and it passes, we hope it will end affirmative action programs in Colorado."

There, how hard would that be?

Re: The Irony Of The Bruce Anti-Tax Machine

bmenezes — Mon, 25 Feb 2008 06:30:41 -0000

Given that the mainstream media already picks up Colorado Confidential's reporting...

...it wouldn't be surprising to see it follow this story too, probably with a nod to Colorado Confidential, as it has given in the past on occasion. It also wouldn't be surprising to see the mainstream media ignore the story as well, given that none of the three major newspapers that reported on Bruce's donation of salary and per diem to "charity" told the full story of who the charity actually is.

On another matter, if this is such a "relatively minor political blogsite" then why do you spend so much time commenting here?

Re: Spring Flood Threat Keeps Towns on Alert

bmenezes — Fri, 29 Feb 2008 05:36:25 -0000

Ah yes, Sen. Infhofe... Your citing of him tells us all we need to know, given his current position as a noted voice of misinformation on global warming:

http://mediamatters....

Re: ‘Truth in Immigration’ Site Aims to Bust Myths, Correct Media

bmenezes — Wed, 26 Mar 2008 09:17:11 -0000

Listen to major Denver talk radio programs and then ask why hate crimes are up against Latinos

To be more specific, review the track record KHOW's Peter Boyles -- who broadcast the leprosy falsehood nearly a year before Lou Dobbs did -- has for fostering and engaging in bigoted commentary regarding immigration reform:

http://colorado.mediamatters.org/issues_topics/...

This frequent dehumanization of immigrants -- especially Hispanic immigrants -- on a major Front Range broadcast outlet coincides with the increase in hate crimes against Latinos noted in the article above.

Coincidence?

Bill Menezes

Editorial Director, Colorado Media Matters

Re: Live Q&A with Political Satirist Lizz Winstead

bmenezes — Tue, 22 Apr 2008 07:36:18 -0000

Most recently... ...what's the actual network "news" story that you've seen that ranked highest on the unintentional comedy scale?

Re: What Happened Under Doug Bruce’s Golden Dome Yesterday?

bmenezes — Wed, 23 Apr 2008 08:17:28 -0000

Not a plot And Ryan didn't appear to claim that it was one. He's making the same case that anyone else with common sense would make: The media are doing a poor job informing the public about issues of the greatest importance to the public. Nothing new, but a trend that takes on greater significance every time coverage of an asinine public act takes precedence over the conduct and execution of actual public policy.

Re: Anti-Affirmative Action Signatures Challenged

bmenezes — Thu, 24 Apr 2008 13:55:32 -0000

And that justifies the purported deception by the Connerly people, how? Oh, and quoting Face the State as a source of anything other than right-wing falsehoods and other misinformation -- the primary product of that GOP-funded website -- probably isn't going to win you a lot of support in the community of ideas.

Re: Anti-Affirmative Action Signatures Challenged

bmenezes — Fri, 25 Apr 2008 06:52:01 -0000

Face the State's documented history of misinformation, that's what Face the State and its operator, conservative activist and Independence Institute operative Brad Jones, have a well-documented history of using falsehoods, distortions of fact and other types of misinformation as their method of dispensing "news." That track record and Jones' own public track record as a serial misinformer (http://colorado.medi...) speak for themselves.

Re: ‘Right-To-Work’ Initiative Certified for Ballot

bmenezes — Tue, 29 Apr 2008 10:33:15 -0000

Attention all trolls

You're failing to mention that under federal law all Coloradans already have the right to choose whether or not to join a union. Closed shops have been illegal for years, at most an employee must pay agency fees -- but they don't have to join the union.

Why are you trying to mislead readers about that important fact?

Re: Gas Wars

bmenezes — Wed, 07 May 2008 13:43:18 -0000

Misinformation from Truthteller 2.0 Umm, "facts" tend to carry some substantiation, of which you've provided none for your assertion that gas prices are high because exploration and unbridled drilling have been "blocked."

In contrast, here's some substantiation that, as usual, you're providing factually inaccurate statements to support your position:

http://www.businessw...

Re: Gas Wars

bmenezes — Wed, 07 May 2008 13:45:05 -0000

Oh, and please explain... ...how a lack of growth for nuclear power -- which has had 20 years worth of GOP administrations since Three Mile Island to get back on its feet -- has driven up gasoline prices.

Re: Political he-said, she-said

bmenezes — Wed, 09 Jul 2008 07:21:17 -0000

Yeah, taking lots of questions and violating the First Amendment rights of Americans standing quietly with signs equating the Republican presidential candidate with the sitting Republican president. Apparently the Obama campaign doesn't have a problem with letting people such as the guy in this picture exercise their rights of free speech.

Re: Schaffer and Udall punch wildly at first Senate debate

bmenezes — Tue, 15 Jul 2008 07:43:19 -0000

So, Schaffer thinks the natural gas in the Roan is enough to heat all the homes in Colorado for 20 years, does he? Has anyone told this oil industry veteran that virtually all of that gas is going to be shipped out of state? In other words, it's a specious example.

Re: Live Q&A with Obama state director Ray Rivera

bmenezes — Wed, 16 Jul 2008 07:08:27 -0000

Mr. Rivera,

Thanks for taking the time to chat! I'm the editorial director of Colorado Media Matters, and we've documented a number of instances of misinformation in the mainstream Colorado media related either to falsehoods about Sen. Obama or distortions of Sen. McCain's record that act to promote his candidacy. How is the Colorado campaign able to address this ongoing flow of misinformation with the media, which have purveyed it both in news and commentary platforms? Do you consider the Colorado media's ability to cover the election accurately to be a significant issue? How do you deal with members of the media (either individuals or media outlets) that have conveyed such misinformation? Thanks!

Bill Menezes
Editorial Director
Colorado Media Matters

Re: Oil shale as a magic bullet?

bmenezes — Fri, 18 Jul 2008 06:58:09 -0000

I haven't read a more biased and factually misleading comment on oil shale this year. Where does one even begin to address these oil and gas industry talking points?

1. The anonymous commenter claims "Shell is recovering thousands of barrels of oil today using this technology." What he/she doesn't say is that the linked Fortune magazine story makes it clear that Shell recovered 1,700 barrels IN FIELD TESTS, not true field production. Now, why wouldn't this commenter make that clear to the reader? From the Fortune article:

"Best of all, Shell was able to replicate the lab results in several field tests; the most recent one, in 2005, yielded 1,700 barrels of light oil."

2. The commenter says it's "not true" that Shell's in situ process will "require large amounts of fresh water." Again, read the actual story, which says only that "some" of the required water will come from saline water; what the hell do you think the water that is not the "some" covered by deep-aquifer saline is going to be, fairy water? From the Fortune article:

"Water is another worry. ICP uses a lot of water, mainly to refine the oil and purify the natural gas. (Shell plans on building a refinery onsite, which is news in itself: It would be the first new refinery built in the U.S. in 30 years.) Shell appears to be on solid legal footing with its water plans, as it owns senior rights for local river water.

And SOME of the water it intends to utilize will be salinated water pumped from deep aquifers that are not part of the conventional water supply. Nevertheless, the potential for political backlash remains high, given that this is a part of the country where water is scarce and fights over water rights get nasty. "It will certainly be an issue," says former Rifle mayor David Ling. "There's an old expression around here: We talk over whiskey and fight over water." " (EMPHASIS added)

3. The commenter also omits the important part of the equation, that it will be years and years and years for oil shale to result in any significant oil production, and he/she offers no solution for what we do in the meantime to address current energy needs and costs. Instead, this person claims oil shale will "give us time" to develop alternative energy. So, we have to WAIT a decade or more for shale oil to start flowing before we address the energy issues we have NOW? From the Fortune article:

"It could be decades before Shell hits the really big numbers, if it happens at all. The logistics are daunting. It has taken the tar sands industry of Canada almost 30 years to reach its current production of about a million barrels a day (although it could be double that by 2010)."

The larger question nobody is asking: Why did we willingly turn over our rights as citizens and voters to the profit-motivated (not that there's anything wrong with that) energy industry in past years and let it determine how we should protect ourselves against the environmental dangers that accompany the necessary and important process of providing ourselves with energy? And when will the public start realizing that energy industry voices are concerned only with energy production and development, given that many of them will move on to other regions once Colorado has been pumped dry?

Please, save the oil and gas industry talking points for another forum where people aren't as interested in checking to see if you're providing a reasoned argument or just misinformation.

Re: Anti-immigrant groups back vehicle impound ballot initiative

bmenezes — Fri, 08 Aug 2008 08:47:21 -0000

The fact that the initiative specifies "illegal aliens" numerous times in its text tells you all you need to know. Excellent reporting Natalie; maybe the Denver dailies will catch up with you on this!

Re: Anti-immigrant groups back vehicle impound ballot initiative

bmenezes — Fri, 08 Aug 2008 08:47:41 -0000

Err sorry...I meant Naomi!