On the April 4 broadcast of his Newsradio 850 KOA show, host Mike Rosen made misleading statements to argue that the “oh-so-liberal Denver Post” downplayed stories related to a controversial email sent to a colleague by Rep. Mike Merrifield (D-Manitou Springs). Merrifield resigned as chairman of the House Education Committee after public disclosure of the email, in which he stated that "[t]here must be a special place in hell" for supporters of charter schools. Rosen misleadingly suggested that the Post did not cover the story until March 31 when, in fact, the newspaper ran two articles about Merrifield's resignation on its website the afternoon of March 30. Rosen also faulted the Post for not mentioning the email in the headline of its online article about the resignation, but failed to note that the email was prominent in the first paragraph of that article and in the headline on an Associated Press article published on the Post's website that same day.

Rosen compared the Post's coverage unfavorably with that of the Rocky Mountain News, which in a March 30 article reported that the email had been posted on a “political Web site.” On March 31, the News published a follow-up article about Merrifield's resignation.

From the April 4 broadcast of Newsradio 850 KOA's The Mike Rosen Show:

ROSEN: A comparison of newspaper coverage in Denver is instructive. Let me commend the Rocky Mountain News. They were on top of the story from the beginning with a balanced, straight-up report by April Washington on the morning of March 30th. This was on the disclosure of the email. And then another story by April Washington the next day, March 31st, on Merrifield's resignation. Now, this how the headline read in the Rocky Mountain News on March 31st. This was

over April Washington's byline. This is how the headline read about Merrifield's resignation as chairman of the House Education Committee. Quote: “Ed chairman quits over e-mail.” End quote. I think that sums that up concisely and accurately. He quit over the email. Then there's the oh-so-liberal Denver Post. In its news coverage, there was nothing at all in print on March 30th. Nothing. That was the day that April Washington broke this story about the email in the Rocky Mountain News. And only a brief story on the Post's website the next day, March 31st. Keep in mind, the Post doesn't publish a print edition on Saturdays. That's the day when the Rocky publishes a print edition, and then on Sunday, of course, the Rocky doesn't publish a print edition and the Denver Post does. So on March 31st, the Denver Post had an online story about this. But here was the headline over the Denver Post's online story on March 31st. Quote: “Merrifield steps down, cites cancer.” For comparison, here was the Rocky Mountain News headline over a story about the same incident. Rocky Mountain News: “Ed chairman quits over email.” Denver Post: “Merrifield steps down, cites cancer.” Give me a break.

As Rosen himself noted, the Post does not publish a print edition on Saturdays, so its first opportunity to publish an article in its print edition following the Rocky Mountain News' Friday, March 30, article about the controversial email was Sunday, April 1. However, the day the News article appeared, March 30, the Post did publish on its website an article noting that the email contributed to Merrifield's decision to resign his chairmanship.

From Jennifer Brown's article, “Merrifield steps down, cites cancer,” posted on The Denver Post's website March 30:

Rep. Michael Merrifield, a powerful Democrat battling cancer and the public release of a biting e-mail blasting charter schools, stepped down as leader of the House Education Committee today.

“I don't want my remarks or my health to sidetrack the important work” of the committee, the Colorado Springs lawmaker said in a statement.

In a December e-mail to Senate Education Committee chair Sue Windels that was posted on a political blog this week, Merrifield said “there must be a special place in hell” for people who support school vouchers, privatizing and charter schools.

Contrary to Rosen's suggestion that the Post was downplaying the story through its headline, the newspaper also published on its website March 30 an AP article that cited the email in its headline:

Education Committee chair steps down over e-mail, health concerns

DENVER -- A Democratic lawmaker stepped down as chairman of the House Education Committee on Friday, apologizing for writing an e-mail that said charter-school supporters should have “a special place in hell.”

Rep. Mike Merrifield, D-Manitou Springs, also cited his battle with cancer.

“I deeply regret my strong language and disrespectful tone,” Merrifield told his colleagues. “I don't want my remarks or my health to sidetrack the important work of the House Education Committee.”

The Post's publication of two online articles March 30 also contradicts Rosen's assertion that following the News' March 30 article, there was “only a brief story on the Post's website the next day.”