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August 20, 2009 10:42 AM UTC

Free Lynn Bartels Redux

  • 14 Comments
  • by: redstateblues

( – promoted by Colorado Pols)

Picking up where Steve Balboni left off a few months ago:

Keeping with its tradition of marginalizing Lynn Bartels ever since she came to The Denver Post, now comes quite possibly the fluffiest piece of fluff since the Josh Penry campaign ad infamous “Crown Prince Penry” article.

From Denver’s sole surviving daily paper:

If you see a barbecue grill with a “Penry for Governor” sticker, call the police.

Gubernatorial candidate Josh Penry’s grill was stolen over the weekend from outside his Denver condo.

“Just gone – poof,” the Grand Junction Republican said Tuesday. “I think they took my tongs too.”

Ritter’s campaign was asked tongue in cheek whether it was hosting any barbecues. Campaign director David Kenney couldn’t resist.

“We are now,” he joked. “I just found a barbecue – brand new – hardly been used.”

I don’t know whether to laugh at the absurdity, or cry at the fact that one of the best political reporters in the state is writing–or, rather, perhaps being forced to write–such uninteresting, banal tripe.

For the love of all that is good and decent in the world, whoever is making the decision to turn Lynn into this type of writer, please put down the crack pipe and let her do her damned job.  

Comments

14 thoughts on “Free Lynn Bartels Redux

  1. Not sure I agree with this assessment. Bartels wrote this kind of soft stuff for both the Post and the News, and I assume it’s part of her reportorial technique.

    Post: http://www.politicswest.com/bl

    News: http://www.rockymountainnews.c

    My guess is that Lynn writes the softer pieces so she can weigh in with the harder-edged stories occasionally and still keep her sources happy. Jessica Fender, on the other hand, writes only the hard-edged stories and, as a result, may not have the same level of rapport with sources as does Bartels. Personally, I prefer Fender’s technique, as it is more journalistically honest technique, but Bartels, of course, has her moments, and so she has effect, as well.

    The one difference is the Post may print more of these soft items in the print newspaper than did the News. But these Bartelisms have been going up online for as long as each paper has been blogging online.

    Don Knox, editor, State Bill Colorado, http://www.statebill.com

    1. It’s a brief bit of nonsense, but Bartels has been churning these out for some time, regularly posting a half dozen incidental pieces every day during the legislative session. She followed up the BBQ junk with some bit of fluff relaying two “jokes” by Lambert, which is even less newsworthy. But if you’re going to have a blog with bits of whatever in it, I suppose this kind of stuff belongs there.

      What’s more bothersome is the easy, light-hearted rapport Bartels seems to have with all the GOP players, while her big scoops lately have been targeted at Dem misdeeds, such as the Colo. Senate not inviting Republicans to their trust-building exercises and crap like that.  

  2. Josh Penry hasn’t needed a press person since he was in the House.  He’s had Bartels.  If he utters it she writes it and I have seen him in action around her.  Sources are one thing to cultivate for the news – being someones mouthpiece is beneath the old Lynn Bartels I once respected as a journalist.  

  3. Not sure why on a day the budget challenges are announced Mr. Penry is tweeting about his lost BBQ grill seems sophomoric for someone running for Governor.  

  4. it was a funny joke.  took her 12 seconds to write, and it’s not like it took up too many column inches.  Lynn does a great job, and she probably wrote this article to blow off some steam and, you know, try and have some fun with the job.  for 12 seconds.  

    1. is that I was just trying to have a little fun with this one. I guess I didn’t need to call it banal tripe, but I thought for sure my last sentence would be interpreted as barely serious.

      Maybe I need to work on my comedic delivery.

  5. What’s wrong with a little light-hearted take on some of this stuff once in a while?  Lynn does a great job and she’s extremely fair.  

    Enough of the pot-shots.

  6. Cute little stories like this pass the time, nothing more–and nothing to get exercised over.

    However, I’ve been trying to read the Post’s ‘politics’ section more regularly lately, but it really sucks. Their wire “updates” are from July. Their main stories are mostly AP/NYT re-hashes that are a day old. But the “PoliticsWest” widget is an utter embarrassment; between puff pieces and Ross Kaminsky’s litany of lame propaganda, it’s completely irrelevant. (And the latest David Sirota mega crosspost is not an improvement.)  

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