Colorado Statesman featured "[s]pecial [s]ection" of puff pieces for GOP convention, but no similar issue for earlier Dem meeting

Summary: The Colorado Statesman on May 30 included a 16-page "[s]pecial" section about the Republican State Convention, but the weekly newspaper published no similar section two weeks earlier for the Democratic State Assembly and Convention. Moreover, excluding the special section, the Statesman's May 16 and May 30 regular editions combined contained substantially more Republican-focused articles than Democratic-focused pieces.

In advance of the May 31 Colorado Republican State Convention, The Colorado Statesman's May 30 edition (available through subscription) featured a 16-page "2008 Republican Convention & Assembly Special Section By The Colorado Statesman." The section included a "[m]essage" from Colorado Republican Party Chairman Dick Wadhams, a "[g]reeting[]" from Sen. John McCain, a "[t]ribute" to Colorado Republican U.S. Sen. Wayne Allard; a full-page profile of Colorado Republican U.S. Senate candidate Bob Schaffer, and a profile of former GOP presidential candidate Mitt Romney. In contrast, the weekly newspaper's May 16 edition, which was labeled the "Democratic State Convention & Assembly Issue," did not include a similar "[s]pecial [s]ection" about the May 16-17 Colorado Democratic State Assembly and Convention.

Moreover, excluding the Statesman's "Gossip" column, the newspaper's May 16 "Democratic State Convention & Assembly" edition included four articles about state Democrats (one of them highlighting criticism of the state party's delegate selection process), three about state Republicans, and one about a proposed constitutional amendment specifying that "personhood" begins at the moment a human egg is fertilized. The issue also included a column commending the state legislature's "self-discipline in keeping the number of resolutions and joint resolutions introduced in the 2008 General Assembly to an unusually low number." In contrast, excluding the "Gossip" column, the newspaper's regular May 30 edition included seven articles about GOP candidates, one of them a front-page piece profiling Schaffer and extensively quoting Wadhams, his campaign manager; three about the 2008 Libertarian National Convention held in Denver May 22-26; and one about a Democrat, covering Sen. Barack Obama's May 28 visit to Thornton.

The Statesman's May 30 special section about the Republican convention contained five feature pieces (including the Romney and Schaffer profiles), three pages of state Republican candidates' and legislative leaders' biographies accompanied by color photos, another page with the biographies and color photos of Republican National Committee candidates, three pages of convention information such as resolutions and seating charts, and several attacks on Democrats. For example, in his "Colorado GOP Chairman's Message," Wadhams wrote, "Colorado voters have a clear choice for U.S. Senate between mainstream Colorado conservative Bob Schaffer and Boulder Liberal Mark Udall. Apparently ashamed of both his hometown and his extreme voting record, Boulder Liberal Mark Udall is now trying to remake himself as 'non-partisan.' " In the "Welcome from Sen. John McCain" piece, McCain referred to Obama in writing, "Rest assured that I will continue to fight every day of this campaign to make certain that Americans are not persuaded by an eloquent, but empty call for change that promises no more than a holiday from history and a return to the false promises and failed policies of a tired philosophy that trusts government more than people."

Additionally, the special section's profile of Schaffer -- "Bob Schaffer: Common sense leadership for Colorado" -- was identical to Schaffer's biography on his Senate campaign website. The Statesman did not identify the profile as an advertisement or cite Schaffer's website as a source. Similarly, the Statesman's profile of Romney -- who was the state convention's keynote speaker -- closely mirrored his biography from his presidential campaign website.

The Statesman describes itself as "a locally owned nonpartisan publication" that "focuses its in-depth coverage on local and statewide politics, including the Colorado Legislature, state government, public policy issues, campaigns and elections, the state's political parties, and the people and personalities behind them."

Colorado Media Matters previously has noted instances in which the Statesman has provided Republicans with a platform to attack Democrats and Democratic legislation, but offered no Democratic response.

—C.H.