Somebody forgot to forward Fox31's Mike Headrick the memo that said it was okay to end the fawning coverage of Governor Hickenlooper and actually ask him some tough questions. Tim Hoover of The Denver Post wrote the memo back in August, so Mike might want to get it from him.
In an interview today that appeared to be more Justin Bieber fanzine than legitimate journalistic inquiry, Headrick might as well have provided Vestal Virgins with fans and grapes to the Governor.
Watch it here:
With such lines of inquiry as 'your job is so hard, tell us how you do it,' the interviewer basically let Hick get up there and pontificate on his budget talking points without being challenged a single time.
We have an idea for a question: In your budget, you did not ask (employed) state workers to contribute more to their own pension. Instead you asked senior citizens to pick up additional costs through not bringing back the Senior Homestead Exemption. Why?
It appears not a single thought was devoted to asking about the damage done to Hick's credibility as a leader over his decision to duck the Prop 103 debate entirely. Or the fact that Hick publicly lamented school budget cuts on the same day that the education funding measure Prop 103 went down in defeat.
No, nothing that would displease Guv Hick. He is a quirky former geologist-turned-brewpub-owner. He takes showers with a suit on in political ads and jumps out of planes for ads backing ballot initiatives he actually deems necessary to state an opinion on. Cool kids like Hick shouldn't be bothered by the nerds in the press corps who want to actually extract some meaningful information from the state's CEO.
We have long lamented the fawning Denver press corps that gave Hick a nearly nine-month honeymoon, free from criticism and tough questions. Some have turned off the spigot of praise and gone back to holding Hickenlooper the Governor to account.
Unfortunately, not everyone is ready to let go of their Hick-fever.
Mike — were you out sick the day they taught real journalism at school?