Continuing a trend that Colorado Media Matters has previously pointed out, the “news” website FacetheState.com has published additional misleading items that advance conservative viewpoints and attack Democrats. Launched on March 26 by conservative activist Brad Jones, Face the State describes itself as “a one-stop-shop for political news affecting Coloradans.” Although Jones reportedly has called for higher “journalistic standards” in political reporting, his website applies misleading headlines to aggregated news stories and employs the well-established conservative tactic of using the noun “Democrat” as an adjective instead of the grammatically correct “Democratic.”

1. Report used “Democrat” as an adjective to describe Democratic lawmaker

As Colorado Media Matters has noted, Republican Party officials, politicians, and their allies in the media frequently use “Democrat” instead of the adjective “Democratic” as a pejorative reference to matters or people of, or relating to, the Democratic Party. Newsradio 850 KOA host Mike Rosen, an avowed conservative, explained during his July 18, 2006, broadcast that "[t]he reason why some Republicans -- myself included -- sometimes refer to it as the 'Democrat' Party ... is several-fold." Rosen said that one reason is “just to annoy Democrats, 'cause they hate when we do that.” Rosen stated that another reason is to ensure “that readers won't be confused into thinking that this is the party that's democratic and the other party is anti-democratic.”

Media Matters for America has noted that the ungrammatical conversion of the noun “Democrat” to an adjective was the brainchild of Republican partisans, presumably an attempt to deny the opposing party the claim to being “democratic” -- or in the words of New Yorker magazine senior editor Hendrik Hertzberg, “to deny the enemy the positive connotations of its chosen appellation.” In an August 7, 2006, article, Hertzberg pointed out that the word “Democrat” is a noun, and using it as an adjective defies the rules of English grammar.

Face the State has used this tactic numerous times (here and here), and did so again in a May 11 staff report that referred to state Sen. Bob Bacon of Fort Collins as a “democrat candidate”:

RMHS is part of the Poudre School District; its teachers are members of the Poudre Education Association (PEA). The Colorado Supreme Court recently announced that it will hear arguments alleging that the PEA illegally campaigned for democrat candidate for state senate, Bob Bacon.

2. Opinion in Republican lawmakers' guest column misrepresented as that of The Denver Post

In its May 18 edition, The Denver Post published a guest column by Republican state Sen. Josh Penry (Fruita) and Rep. Rob Witwer (Golden) about education legislation. Penry and Witwer wrote that the House Education Committee “is rapidly becoming a graveyard for common-sense education reform efforts.” Face the State's headline on the column, which was featured at the top of its website on May 18, falsely suggested that the Post had criticized the committee:

POST: HOUSE EDU. COMMITTEE IS “GRAVEYARD FOR COMMON-SENSE EDUCATION REFORM”

...Killed English-Proficiency, Math Standards

3. Headline misrepresented AP reporting on concealed weapons bill

On May 18 Face the State linked to an Associated Press article published May 17 by the Vail Daily. The AP article, which ran in the Daily under the headline “Governor signs gun control law,” reported that Democratic Gov. Bill Ritter had enacted legislation introduced by House Majority Leader Alice Madden (D-Boulder) that “bar[s] Colorado residents from obtaining concealed weapons permits from other states.” According to the article, Senate Bill 34 also restricts out-of-state visitors to using concealed weapons permits only from their home states, barring the use of such permits from third states.

In its link to the article, Face the State falsely suggested that the AP reported on potential problems with the gun control system:

Ritter Signs Restrictive Conceal-Carry Bill With No Evidence System is Broken

In fact, the article made no mention of whether there is “evidence [the] system is broken.” The AP reported two opinions about the bill, one by Madden and another by a spokesman for a gun owners association who opposed the bill:

House Majority Leader Alice Madden, D-Boulder, said she sponsored the bill because she was concerned people denied permits in Colorado could get them elsewhere.

Dudley Brown, spokesman for Rocky Mountain Gun Owners, said the bill could prevent some people who travel from defending themselves and their families when they are in Colorado.

4. Headline misrepresented Post editorial as advocating education spending

On May 21 Face the State suggested in its link to a May 21 Post editorial that the editorial advocated simply spending more money to solve education problems:

Denver Post: More Money Will Solve Education Woes, “Ed in '08”

In fact, the editorial simply endorsed as “a worthy campaign” an initiative ("Ed in '08") by former Colorado Gov. Roy Romer (D) to make education a front-burner issue in the 2008 presidential election. The editorial's only reference to money concerned the amount of money the supporters of Ed in '08 had budgeted for the effort:

Former Colorado Gov. Roy Romer will lead the $60 million effort, which is being funded by philanthropists Bill Gates and Eli Broad. The pair say “Ed in '08” will be a force for “public awareness and action” with “troops” situated in up to a dozen states, possibly including Colorado.

The idea is to show voters how America's economic standing in the world is threatened by a school system in need of reform. Romer said the initiative, called Strong American Schools, will set only the “framework for an in-depth discussion” rather than advocate possible solutions.

Ultimately, it's designed to pressure presidential candidates to come up with solutions for how we educate young people.

The Ed in '08 website likewise does not mention additional spending as a solution to “education woes,” but rather mentions “education reform”:

Our Goal

We want a serious nationwide debate on education reform where every presidential candidate addresses three priorities that hold great promise for improving education:

Agreeing on American education standards

Providing effective teachers in every classroom

Giving students more time and support for learning.

The campaign will not support or oppose any particular candidate for public office or any political party. Nor does it take positions on legislation. (emphasis in original)