Local Republicans say trust in media has declined

BY STAFF REPORT COLORADO COMMUNITY MEDIA

As Colorado Community Media reporters Nina Joss and McKenna Harford embarked on their investigation of issues facing the Republican party in Colorado, they were met with notable hesitancy and resistance from many potential sources.

One 2022 county race candidate, two county GOP leaders, four voters and Rep. Brandi Bradley of Douglas County all declined to interview for the story or did not respond to requests for comment.

Of these, three explicitly pointed to distrust in the media as their reason for declining.

A 2021 survey by the Pew Research Center shows that only 35% of Republicans and Republicanleaning independents say they have “a lot” or “some” trust in the information that comes from national news organizations.

According to the Knight Foundation, trust in local news also declined in the party from 2019-2021. is distrust, in addition to causing potential sources to decline interviews, created hesitancy in others who did end up participating in the reporting process.

Suzanne Taheri, formerly Suzanne Staiert, served as the Arapahoe County GOP Chair from 2021 until 2023. When Joss reached out to Taheri to request an interview, she initially declined, pointing to a disagreement with Colorado Community Media in the past.

After a meeting with CCM South Metro Editor elma Grimes, Taheri agreed to interview for the story because she started to believe the planned article was not a “hit piece” as she had originally suspected.

“(Grimes) said, ‘I mean, we’re actually … trying to do a legitimate story,’” Taheri said. “I think that, had it been a hit piece, you probably would have just moved on to nd your next target.”

In Taheri’s eyes, trust in the media among Republicans is weak. When Donald Trump entered the national scene, Taheri said the media became even more polarized and separation between “journalists and pundits,” which was already blurry, disappeared.

“Some (journalists) tried or successfully put aside any biases they had and just reported the facts,” she said. “Now, that just doesn’t sell. And so when you say ‘trust in the media,’ you’re saying ‘trust in a pundit,’ which is completely di erent than trusting journalism.”

Although local media tends to be seen as more trustworthy than national news outlets, local journalists can still help improve trust by “sticking together and kicking everyone else out of the pool,” she said.

Anne Rowland, Taheri’s successor,