Rocky Mountain News and Associated Press articles about the controversy surrounding a trip to Panama by 7th Congressional District Republican candidate Rick O'Donnell, which reportedly KCNC CBS4 provided and the CBS network paid for, uncritically reported O'Donnell's explanation that he used the trip for networking purposes that would benefit the state of Colorado. The articles did not note that, reportedly, “O'Donnell said about 20 others from Colorado were on the trip, but he couldn't remember who they were.”

The Denver Post reported in an October 12 article by Christopher N. Osher that “O'Donnell took the trip [in February] three weeks before he resigned as the head of the Colorado Commission on Higher Education to campaign for Congress full time” and that, according to O'Donnell, “KCNC-Channel 4 gave him the trip, paid for by the CBS network, after the commission purchased television ads encouraging Latinos to attend college.” According to the Post, “Such perks -- called incentive trips in the industry -- are commonly used for heavy advertisers.” O'Donnell, who reportedly took his girlfriend on the weekend trip, has denied any wrongdoing.

An October 13 Rocky Mountain News article by reporter Chris Barge uncritically reported that O'Donnell “viewed the trip to Panama as a harmless weekend adventure that, if anything, might allow him to interest local business people in donating to the initiative.” The News article also reported that O'Donnell said “he met and dined with about 20 business people from Colorado who, like his agency, advertised with CBS” and that he said the Panama trip -- along with other trips he took as a state official -- “ultimately benefited the state of Colorado.”

Similarly, an October 12 AP article uncritically reported that O'Donnell “said he decided to use the trip to talk with others on the trip in hopes of soliciting contributions for the media campaign.”

Despite repeating O'Donnell's explanation that he took the trip to convince others to donate to the state's ad campaign, neither the News nor the AP noted that, according to the Post, O'Donnell said he does not remember who the roughly 20 Coloradans on the trip were.

Jim Spencer of the Post addressed the issue in his October 13 column, arguing that “O'Donnell's defense that he used the Panama junket to network with people who could help educate Colorado's kids was absurd for this reason: O'Donnell told Osher he cannot remember who else went on the trip.”

Osher's October 12 Post article reported, “O'Donnell said about 20 others from Colorado were on the trip, but he couldn't remember who they were. He also said he could not recall how much money the commission spent on the ad buy.”

From Osher's October 12 Post article:

As for the CBS trip, O'Donnell said he asked whether he could auction the trip for charity or transfer it to one of the Latino youths targeted during the Higher Education Commission's media campaign, but he was told he could not. He could have refused the trip but said he decided to go and network with the others on the trip in hopes of soliciting contributions to the media campaign. He took his girlfriend, Carrie Besnette, an executive at the philanthropic Daniels Fund.

O'Donnell said about 20 others from Colorado were on the trip, but he couldn't remember who they were.

From Barge's October 13 News article, “O'Donnell journey provided by CBS, despite state job”:

Republican candidate Rick O'Donnell, who lists congressional ethics reform first among his priorities if elected, flew this year to Panama with his girlfriend on a weekend trip financed by a television network doing business with the state agency he headed.

He also flew to Ireland and Israel on business while filling two of Gov. Bill Owens' Cabinet posts, O'Donnell said Thursday.

O'Donnell stood behind his travel decisions, saying he broke no laws and didn't violate any policies or ethical expectations.

In fact, he said, the trips ultimately benefited the state of Colorado.

[...]

CBS flew O'Donnell and his girlfriend to Panama in February, the month before he resigned as chief of the commission to run his campaign full time. While there, O'Donnell said, he met and dined with about 20 business people from Colorado who, like his agency, advertised with CBS.

[...]

He also said he viewed the trip to Panama as a harmless weekend adventure that, if anything, might allow him to interest local business people in donating to the initiative.

From the October 12 AP article, “7th District GOP candidate defends paid trip”:

O'Donnell said he went on the trip only after the station turned down his requests to auction it for charity or give it to one of the Latino youths the commission's advertising campaign targeted. He said the station also turned down a request to use the money for the trip to buy more TV commercials for the commission.

He said he decided to use the trip to talk with others on the trip in hopes of soliciting contributions for the media campaign.