Colorado Media Matters Launched

Contact: Tyler Chafee 303-832-2444 x22

Groundbreaking Effort to Monitor Local News for Conservative Misinformation

July 24, 2006 (Denver) -- Media Matters for America (mediamatters.org) today launched Colorado Media Matters (colorado.mediamatters.org), a state-based project to monitor the Colorado media for conservative misinformation every day, in real time. Like the national program, Colorado Media Matters will monitor, analyze, and correct conservative misinformation using its website as the primary vehicle for distributing research and analysis.

Media Matters for America is a Web-based progressive research and information center dedicated to comprehensively monitoring, analyzing, and correcting conservative misinformation in the U.S. media. Launched in 2004, Media Matters for America has posted to its website roughly 5,000 items documenting conservative misinformation in the national media and already has uncovered examples at the state and local level.

Colorado Media Matters will monitor Colorado newspapers, television, radio, and websites. It is managed and staffed by Coloradans trained in the proven methods developed by Media Matters for America.

"Americans get much of their news from local media, but to our knowledge there is no systematic monitoring of local outlets. Local media consumers deserve to have confidence in the sources of their information," said Bill Menezes, Editorial Director of Colorado Media Matters. "Our work is intended to help Colorado media deliver accurate and reliable information, and diverse views -- and to hold them accountable when they fail to do so."

"Media Matters for America saw a need and an opportunity for our pioneering work at the state level," said David Brock, President and CEO of Media Matters for America. "Colorado is an important proving ground on key issues of public policy, it is home to competitive media markets, the conservative movement has a strong local presence, and there is a growing progressive infrastructure as well. Colorado Media Matters will deliver a critically important service to Coloradans."

Colorado Media Matters is supported by several local funders, including the Gill Foundation.