KOAA, AP reported on allegations of El Paso County DA's drinking, but omitted his GOP affiliation

Summary: KOAA News First reported that it "found" 4th Judicial District Attorney John Newsome "drinking alcohol during work hours" and driving an El Paso County vehicle "after he'd been drinking." Repeating a practice Colorado Media Matters has documented numerous times with other Colorado media outlets, neither KOAA's report nor a similar Associated Press article identified Newsome as an elected Republican.

In a May 6 article published on its website, NBC affiliate KOAA News First, which broadcasts in Colorado Springs and Pueblo, reported that the station had conducted a "hidden camera investigation" that "found 4th Judicial [District] Attorney John Newsome drinking alcohol during work hours and driving an El Paso County vehicle after he'd been drinking." However, the report did not identify Newsome as an elected Republican official. A May 7 Associated Press article based on the KOAA report and posted on The Denver Post's website also omitted Newsome's Republican affiliation. In contrast, an article published May 7 in The Gazette of Colorado Springs (accessed via the electronic edition) noted that Newsome won election in 2004 after prevailing in the Republican primary and "has no Democratic opponent for the post" as he runs for re-election this year.

Colorado Media Matters has documented numerous instances in which media outlets have omitted the Republican affiliation of elected officials connected with scandals or accusations of wrongdoing.

From the article "News First Investigates D.A. drinking during work hours, later drinking and driving," published May 6 on the website of KOAA News First:

In a hidden camera investigation, News First found 4th Judicial Attorney John Newsome drinking alcohol during work hours and driving an El Paso County vehicle after he'd been drinking.

The story is part of an investigation News First started more than a month ago, after receiving tips from inside and outside the District Attorney's office. Sources told us when and where we could find Newsome drinking. News First employees saw Newsome drinking beer during work hours four times.

Shortly after 4 o'clock one recent afternoon, he walked into a downtown Colorado Springs bar and at 4:15 ordered a 20-ounce beer. He was soon joined by his second in command, Assistant District Attorney Amy Mullaney.

Then, at 4:41, Newsome has another 20-ouncer. Then another at 5:23. He then quickly downed a small mug of beer at 5:44 p.m. Mullaney also had 4 beers during that time. Newsome then headed back to his office where at 6 p.m. the "Citizen's College" began. That group is made up of a few dozen citizens who regularly meet to learn about the judicial system. He usually speaks at the beginning of those meetings.

At 7:23 p.m. he drove out of the county parking garage in his county-owned vehicle. We followed him to another bar. There, at 7:49 he has a 16 ounce beer. Then another at 8:03 and another at 8:48. He quickly drinks one more at 9:15 p.m. Mullaney is with him and in that time she has two beers.

At 9:28, the two of them leave the bar. Newsome walks out and gets into his county vehicle. Mullaney leaves in her vehicle; Newsome drives away after her.

During that five-hour span Newsome had roughly 130-ounces of beer. That's nearly as much as a 12-pack. He then drove home in an El Paso County-owned vehicle.

News First employees watched him engage in similar behavior three other times.

From the May 7 Associated Press article as posted on the website of The Denver Post, "Report: DA drove after drinking 8 beers":

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. -- A Colorado Springs TV station says the El Paso County district attorney drank eight beers in a little over five hours, then drove home in a county-owned vehicle.

KOAA-TV reported Tuesday it videotaped District Attorney John Newsome drinking at two bars between 4:15 p.m. and 9:30 p.m. on a "recent" day. It didn't give the date.

The station says Assistant District Attorney Amy Mullaney drank six beers with Newsome in that period and also drove afterward, but it wasn't clear if she was in a county vehicle or her own.

Both deny driving drunk.

In contrast with KOAA News First and the AP, the Gazette reported that Newsome is a Republican:

Fourth Judicial District Attorney John Newsome has been caught on tape drinking and then driving his county-owned vehicle, KOAA reported Tuesday.

The television station had hidden cameras following Newsome on a "recent afternoon" as he drank three 20-ounce beers and a 10-ounce beer during "work hours" over the course of less than two hours at a downtown Colorado Springs bar.

Newsome was then shown heading back to his office. An hour later, he drove his El Paso County owned SUV out of a county parking garage to another bar, according to KOAA.

There, Newsome was reportedly seen drinking four more pints and then driving away.

In all, Newsome was shown drinking about 134 ounces of beer in five hours.

"Over a period of weeks, News First employees watched him engage in similar behavior three other times," the station reported.

Newsome, elected in 2004, is running for re-election. He has no Democratic opponent for the post.

[...]

KOAA reported that all of its anonymous sources are attorneys who have "more concerns" about the district attorney that the station is investigating.

"All our sources have various reasons for not coming forward at this time, but they do have one reason in common: It's an election year, and Newsome is the lone candidate for DA, and none of them want the district attorney as an enemy for the next four years," KOAA said in its 10 p.m. broadcast Tuesday.

El Paso County Attorney Bill Louis said the county's policy on using government vehicles doesn't apply to Newsome because it excludes elected officials.

"It's pretty shocking, pretty surprising," said Dan May, a former prosecutor in the 4th Judicial District Attorney's Office who lost to Newsome in the 2004 Republican primary. "But until we see all the facts I don't want to comment further than that." [emphases added]

— E.B.

Posted to the web on Wednesday May 7, 2008 at 3:05 PM EST