Misleading Face the State headline ascribed to Post article support of Bruce position

Summary: Continuing its practice of providing misleading headlines for aggregated news reports, the "news" website Face the State on January 16 linked the headline beginning "Bruce is right on this one" to a Denver Post article about Republican state Rep. Douglas Bruce. The headline suggested that the Post backed Bruce's stance against adding the so-called "safety clause" to legislation; in fact, the newspaper merely reported Bruce's comments at a news conference.

On January 16, the "news" website Face the State linked to a January 16 Denver Post article with a headline -- beginning "Bruce is right on this one" -- misleadingly suggesting that the Post had agreed with state Rep. Douglas Bruce (R-Colorado Springs) that adding a "safety clause" to most Colorado legislation "is ridiculous." In fact, the Post reported without editorial comment that at a January 15 news conference, Bruce "said he would vote against every bill with a safety clause attached where an emergency is not justified."

The Post explained that the clause exempts the bill from "a citizen petition process to repeal all or parts of the bill" and "allows a bill to take effect about a month sooner than normal."

From the January 16 article in The Denver Post, "Bruce rips legislation's 'safety clause.' ":

Bruce, R-Colorado Springs, said lawmakers too often add a "safety clause" to legislation. The clause -- invoked when lawmakers deem it "necessary for the immediate preservation of the public peace, health or safety" -- allows a bill to take effect about a month sooner than normal and to bypass a citizen petition process to repeal all or parts of the bill.

At a news conference Tuesday, Bruce, wearing a "Vote No" pin on his lapel, said he would vote against every bill with a safety clause attached where an emergency is not justified. He said lawmakers' improper use of the safety clause has resulted in a "legacy of lies."

In its "Latest Headlines" section, Face the State linked to the article with the following headline:

Bruce is right on this one: "Safety clause" is ridiculous Post

The word "Post" appended to the headline suggested that the headline expressed the sentiment of the Post, rather than identifying the Post as the source to which the headline linked. The practice of adding the name of the source media outlet to headline links followed a redesign of Face the State that Colorado Media Matters previously noted.

—E.B.