Holding true to our roots
Whether you’re reading this editorial in glorious print, on your computer, tablet or phone, you’ll notice we’re celebrating our 125th year in grand style. On all platforms we’ve gone all out to provide lots of historic photos and stories and extras meant to showcase where we’ve been and what we’ve done as a news organization aiming to achieve that loftiest of goals: serving as the Voice of the Rocky Mountain Empire.
If you’re reading in print, the experience will no doubt be bittersweet: bitter, because we so rarely are able in these challenging times for our industry to provide a paper as sizeable as in days past; sweet, because today we get to offer our readers more of what they most want. As we continue the balancing act between providing a robust print product and exploiting the advantages of digital media, we hope today and every day reminds you of how much we love and depend on your support.
You’ve given us a great run. Thanks for reading!
No matter how you’re reading us today you’re aware of other significant challenges stalking our noble profession. Readers face a daunting task of knowing whom to trust in this era of partisan news sites, fake news and the flood of social media.
So where do we go from here?
We focus on our guiding principles.
In today’s special section we feature a story about Denver Post publisher and editor Palmer Hoyt, who in 1946 came to town and transformed our mission in ways that guide us still. Hoyt firmly separated The Post’s opinion side from its news side, providing a durable and dependable way for readers to know what’s what.
Our newsroom journalists seek to provide reported, accurate stories free from bias. They work in complete separation from our editorial board. Our digital producers and journalists follow the same rules, and don’t employ anonymous bots or trolls. Our editorial pages offer our institutional voice informed by members of our community, and strive to provide a rich, free-marketplace of ideas across the political and public policy spectrum.
Certainly we don’t always live up to our goals. But the mechanisms for achieving them are strong and securely in place.
In fact, we take our dedication to our First Amendment goals so seriously we willingly give up key free speech rights. Our employee policy forbids us from joining or donating to political campaigns, or otherwise publicly taking sides. We don’t accept meals or drinks or gifts from those we cover.
Though our staff is smaller than it used to be, we still focus on the kind of bread-andbutter journalism we believe is best for our community. We cover our elected officials and governments at the local, state and national levels. We report on businesses, colleges and schools. We invest in investigative journalism meant to get to the heart of the most complex of issues. And we remember to celebrate life in our coverage of sports, the arts and events about town.
Now more than ever in our history we depend on our readers to make our work possible. Whether parsing through the complexities of a City Council ordinance, reporting from a snowy mountaintop or choking back tears at the scene of a crime, we know you want to know.
We’re so glad you’ve let us serve you for so long.