Rocky continues trend of not identifying former Jeffco treasurer Paschall as Republican

Summary: An October 15 Rocky Mountain News article about the upcoming trial of former Jefferson County Treasurer Mark Paschall did not identify Paschall as a Republican, despite reporting that he "served four terms in the state legislature." In failing to mention that Paschall was an elected GOP official, the News continued a trend in which it has not noted the party affiliation of Republicans accused of wrongdoing but has done so for Democratic officials.

Reporting on the upcoming trial of indicted former Jefferson County Treasurer Mark Paschall, an October 15 Rocky Mountain News article by Sue Lindsay did not note that Paschall had been an elected Republican official. As Colorado Media Matters has documented (here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, and here), the News repeatedly has failed to identify Paschall and other elected officials accused of wrongdoing as Republicans, while including the party affiliation for local Democratic officials facing legal or ethical inquiries.

The News reported on October 15 that "Jefferson County's controversial former treasurer Mark Paschall is expected to go on trial this week on charges related to an alleged kickback scheme." The article continued:

The former state lawmaker faces two felony charges for allegedly asking a top aide last year to give him a $9,000 cut of a $25,000 bonus he had approved. Paschall, 53, was indicted by a Jefferson County grand jury in January.

While the News pointed out that Paschall was "[a] fiscal conservative who promised to keep an eye on taxpayer dollars" and that "[b]efore becoming Jefferson County treasurer, Paschall served four terms in the state legislature," it did not mention that Paschall was a Republican.

As Colorado Media Matters has noted, despite having identified former state Sen. Rob Hernandez as a Democrat when Hernandez faced burglary charges, the News has continually omitted the party affiliation of Republican elected officials involved in scandals, including Paschall, Jefferson County Commissioner Jim Congrove, and Arapahoe County District Attorney Carol Chambers.

In addition to its coverage of Hernandez's legal troubles -- which, unlike those of Paschall, Congrove, and Chambers, were unrelated to his actions while in an elected position -- past News coverage of the 2006 controversy surrounding former state legislator Deanna Hanna identified her as a Democrat at least three times (here, here, and here).

From Sue Lindsay's October 15 Rocky Mountain News article, "Kickback trial set to begin for ex-Jeffco official Paschall":

Jefferson County's controversial former treasurer Mark Paschall is expected to go on trial this week on charges related to an alleged kickback scheme.

The former state lawmaker faces two felony charges for allegedly asking a top aide last year to give him a $9,000 cut of a $25,000 bonus he had approved. Paschall, 53, was indicted by a Jefferson County grand jury in January.

[...]

A fiscal conservative who promised to keep an eye on taxpayer dollars, Paschall was defeated for a second term in August 2006.

Paschall gained a reputation as a maverick who soon found himself at odds with county commissioners and others. Unsatisfied with the Chevy TrailBlazer the county provides to elected officials, Paschall lobbied for the county to give him a Cadillac Escalade or a fully loaded Honda Pilot.

During his first year in office, Paschall worked 132 days, with an average of 5.2 hours each day he worked. His job attendance rate was the lowest among all elected county officials. Before becoming Jefferson County treasurer, Paschall served four terms in the state legislature.

—C.H.