COMPLETE COLORADO'S RESPONSE TO GJ SENTINEL ARTICLE BY GARY HARMON
May 2, 2009COMPLETE COLORADO.com has great admiration for the GJSentinel.com, and the many fine journalists, editors, photojournalists, and others who put together one of the best news products in Colorado. With pleasure, we frequently link to many of their stories. That said, I (Todd Shepherd, majority owner of CompleteColorado.com) have to take issue with an article run by Gary Harmon, posted on the Sentinel's website, Friday May 01. Mr. Harmon called me to ask questions about the original story we posted on soon-to-be candidate Scott McInnis. However, Mr. Harmon did not ask specifically if I was a "supporter" of Josh Penry, and then goes on to use my Facebook association with the "Draft Josh Penry for Governor" group as de facto, incontrovertible proof that I am a "supporter" of Mr. Penry's. Again, the first problem is, Mr. Harmon did not ask me a direct question as to whether or not I support Mr. Penry. Had he done so, I would have explained to him that I currently do not support anyone for Governor, and that with specific reference to Mr. Penry, I do not know the man, have never spoken a word to him, and have never as much as shaken Mr. Penry's hand (although I have had that opportunity 3 or 4 times this year). But the second, and larger problem, is Mr. Harmon did not ask me about the fact that on the social-networking site Facebook, I am, admittedly, a part of a group called "Draft Josh Penry for Governor." Looks as though Mr. Harmon has a silver bullet, eh? As of my writing this response at 1 AM, Saturday May 02, Mr. Penry's "draft" page on Facebook has 605 supporters, among whom are also included, why, the Grand Junction Sentinel! Amazing! Are we now to rush pall mall in our assumptions that the Sentinel has already made up its mind in the 2010 Governor's race and is endorsing Josh Penry? I wouldn't be so foolish, and neither should Mr. Harmon. The truth is, when it comes to Facebook, many individuals, and many journalists, myself included, join many of these groups to keep track or "keep tabs" of the on-goings of different politicians. Mr. Harmon could have also pointed out, (had he taken the time to do more research or had the nerve to ask me about Facebook rather than sandbag me on that particular niche) that ALSO among Mr. Penry's facebook supporters are Monica Owens and Sean Tonner. Both Ms. Owens and Mr. Tonner are believed to be supporters of Mr. McInnis as evidenced by the voicemail we published. Should someone tell Mr. McInnis that two of his faithful flock have actually defected to the Penry camp? Quick Mr. Harmon, sounds like I've got your next scoop! Finally, Mr. Harmon, had he asked me about my Facebook associations, would have also been informed that I am friends on Facebook with current Governor Bill Ritter. Now, Mr. Harmon, based on my Facebook associations alone, would you kindly tell me who I "support" for Governor? You can't because the evidence is contrary, and Facebook is not a reliable source for determining one's political support. Sadly, I believe Mr. Harmon used the thinnest of evidence to make a quantum leap in order to have a more sensational lede and headline. Read his story again, and ask yourself, why aren't there any quotes from me about my alleged "support" for Josh Penry, or my support of Penry via Facebook? Because Mr. Harmon committed the sin of omission...he didn't ask. Why didn't I bring it up? How could I have possibly known he was going to use something as weak as Facebook to insinuate that I have a dog in the fight. I don't. Let me state for the record that neither I, nor my business partner Justin Longo, neither of us have a preference in the 2010 Governor's race. If we were presented with the exact same voicemail, from the exact same source, but with the voice of Josh Penry on the tape, we would have published that too. When I received the voicemail originally, as a journalist that proudly has three regional Edward R. Murrow awards and two first-place Colorado Associated Press Broadcaster's Association awards hanging on his wall, I knew I had to publish it regardless of the motivations of those that may have been involved in bringing the voicemail to light simply because of the serious ethical questions raised by the voicemail's content. How ethically damned would I be had I covered it up? So please, Mr. Harmon, don't use flimsy evidence to attack CompleteColorado.com just because we don't have a news press with ink stains and a "Travel and Leisure" section on Sundays. But while we're at it, we'd like to invite Mr. Harmon, The Sentinel, and all others to become a fan of CompleteColorado.com on Facebook. Go ahead, don't be shy! It's not really a commitment of any kind! ts 10:30 A.M. UPDATE: Apparently, ColoradoPols was more than happy to oblige and drink the Sentinel's koolaid. But did you know, Jason Bane, creator of ColoradoPols.com, will be voting for Republican Ryan Frazier in the 2010 election? He's also a supporter of Josh Penry's! Yep! I saw it on Facebook, so IT MUST BE TRUE! Bane has defected from the party and will be stabbing you in the back in 18 months, Senator Bennet. And as for you Governor Ritter, he never liked you in the first place, as his Facebook associations will no doubt prove. (screenshots below) Look, just look at what Jason Bane is doing to his party! Screenshots proving that the GJSentinel, Monica Owens, and Sean Tonner are all in the pocket of the Josh Penry campaign.      |
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