Gov. Polis released a video message thanking local journalists for putting out “facts, not fear” in a desperate attempt to suck up to the media and continue his streak of positive news coverage throughout his bungled response to this pandemic.
Following our local news is more important than ever. Journalists across the state are working hard to put out facts, not fear, surrounding the pandemic. By working together and getting information from reputable news sources, Colorado will be stronger than ever. #DoingMyPartCO pic.twitter.com/AgVJJGJNWf
— Governor Jared Polis (@GovofCO) May 12, 2020
But Polis has a long history of attacking the media in Colorado. When the Rocky Mountain News was forced to close in 2009, Polis claimed it was good news:
“I have to say, that when we say, ‘Who killed the Rocky Mountain News,’ we’re all part of it, for better or worse, and I argue it’s mostly for the better,” Polis told those gathered at a meeting of local liberal bloggers, according to the Denver Post. “The media is dead, and long live the new media, which is all of us.”
And during the 2018 gubernatorial campaign, Polis came out in support of a carbon tax, but when the media called him on it he cried “FAKE NEWS!”
Polis is also known for directing his staff to intimidate journalists into changing stories he does not like. In 2018, the Colorado Sun reported the Polis campaign was known for “deriding reporters and calling the management of news organizations seeking to get negative stories changed.”
And Polis made national news last fall when his staff demanded small-town rural papers remove a story from their website that was critical of the Polis Administration.
The Kiowa County Press in Eads and The Chronicle-News in Trinidad refused the Sept. 4 request from spokesman Conor Cahill to “unpublish” the story, which was reported by Chicago-based The Center Square.
Cahill’s request related to a straightforward account about a new state office dedicated to the future of labor.
Cahill didn’t ask for a correction. But his request stunned those who work at the papers, which increasingly rely on content supplied by startups such as The Center Square as they and other “legacy” news media have cut staff.
“Over the 27 years that I’ve worked in this industry I don’t recall anything like this coming from state or federal officials,” said Chris Sorenson, publisher and online editor of the Kiowa County Press, which was founded in 1887.
So spare us your crocodile tears, Polis, and stop pretending to be a defender of journalism in Colorado. Everyone here already knows the real Jared Polis.