David from California (allegedly) calls in to dispute Dan's take on The Denver Post abandoning all pretense of objective journalism by going on the attack against an X handle (Do Better Denver) which points out inconvenient truths about Denver's decline. Dan takes him on and things get heated.
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Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
This is Dan Caplis and welcome to today's online podcast
edition of The Dan Caplis Show. Please be sure to
give us a five star rating if you'd be so kind,
and to subscribe, download, and listen to the show every
single day on your favorite podcast platform.
Speaker 2 (00:14):
Yeah, in the American way is not.
Speaker 3 (00:17):
To try to intimidate free speech and try to intimidate
people out of criticizing elected officials. It makes the piece
in today's Denver Post so extraordinary in all the worst ways,
and so we're deep diving it. If you just joined us,
i'll give you a quick overview that I want to
get back to the phone lines and particularly to a
(00:38):
caller who disagrees with me. We've had a couple of
rounds so far on this, but happy to continue that.
Speaker 2 (00:43):
But here's the gist of the story as I understand it.
Speaker 3 (00:47):
You've got this website we've talked about before, Do Better Denver,
and from everything I can see, it does a lot
of good stuff. I mean I see about ten percent
of what's on it right, So I can't tell you
everything that's ever been on there is accurate. I doubt
there's ever been any kind of even major media outlet
where everything on it, ever, was accurate. And I'm certainly
(01:10):
not telling you I've agreed with everything on there. I
don't even know everything on there. The gist of it,
as I see this website Do Better Denver, is that
it documents some of the really terrible, fatal, awful failings
of the Johnston administration and other elected officials in charge
of Denver. And so they become then a target for
(01:33):
the Denver Post. And that doesn't surprise anybody, right, I mean,
I think most people see the Denver Post as an
extension of the Colorado Democratic Party and extension of the left.
And I say that knowing and respecting a lot of
people at the Post, just knowing our politics are different.
Speaker 2 (01:49):
So the fact the Post.
Speaker 3 (01:50):
Would then go after do Better Denver, that's a compliment
to Do Better Denver, right, And it's only going to
help Do Better Denver get more eyes, and it only
makes the Johnston administration look desperate.
Speaker 2 (02:03):
But what is so very.
Speaker 3 (02:05):
Wrong here, in my opinion, is the danger that the
Denver Post, in my view, created today for the women
it outed, these private citizens it outed who have been doing.
Speaker 2 (02:18):
Public records requests for Do Better Denver.
Speaker 3 (02:21):
Because if you dig into the piece, and I've quoted
from it before and I will again after this caller.
Speaker 2 (02:26):
If you dig into the piece.
Speaker 3 (02:28):
First, they're outing these private people, right, and the private
people said to the Post, wait a second, you're going
to put us in danger because do better. Denver gets
threats and you out us, we're going to be subject
to threats.
Speaker 2 (02:39):
So what does the Post do.
Speaker 3 (02:41):
They bring in a so called expert from the CU
Journalism School who are trying to get on air to
talk about how, no, these are partial public figures.
Speaker 2 (02:49):
Wait a second, there is no such thing. That's not
a thing.
Speaker 3 (02:54):
They're not partial public figures. And even if they were,
the Post should not be implicitly green lighting threats because
because that the Post is read the piece the Post
is talking about, I don't know if you're going to
be involved in journalism, and these are quot partial public figures,
even though they've been completely private until the Post outed them,
you should expect threats. So the Post then implicitly green
(03:18):
lighting threats. This is I grew up in Chicago, you
know this is this is just outright intimidation. This this
is saying to somebody, in my opinion that what the
Post is saying that anybody would support do Better Denver
with information is you should expect to be outed and
as a result, puts yourself in danger. So I think,
(03:39):
in my opinion, this is the message the post is
sending and to try to undermine do Better Denver, which
relies on members of the public. It appears to provide
information about city failings. Okay, you want to do that,
you want to you want to provide information about the
failures of the Johnston administration.
Speaker 2 (03:58):
Expect to get.
Speaker 3 (03:58):
Threatened because we're going to out you and getting threats.
They say it in the piece. Getting threats is part
of what you should expect. Wow, all right, let's go
back to David and again, David and I have talked
a lot already on the show, and we probably won't
retread that ground, but who knows who might David, my
friend the balls in your court.
Speaker 4 (04:21):
Well, there's two different layers of this. One is you
remember the old story about the boy that cried wolf,
and when they finally said something that was the truth,
they didn't get believed. And so when you start looking
at do Better Denver. In reading more of this article,
apparently the administrator refuses to identify themselves, and so they
(04:46):
prefer to be anonymous and then just spread whether innuendo,
disinformation or smears that kind of flies against the name
of the organization.
Speaker 3 (05:00):
Stop there, let's take it point by well, whoa big fellow,
Let's take it point by point.
Speaker 2 (05:04):
You are accusing do better, Denver of line, give us examples.
Speaker 4 (05:07):
Please, Well, this whole thing about whether or not the
fire department was being followed by Agua, and the fire
department says that's not true at all, and the police
department says that they show up to help out the
fire departments. And so the idea that this innuendo is
(05:31):
causing trouble like the boy that cried Wolf as opposed
to the US Constitution or the Declaration of Independence trying
to make a more perfect union. Now, does do Better
Denver try to make a more perfect union? Or are
they more like the Piranha Club that are there to
(05:53):
try to ruin real estate rates so that somebody like
Donald Trump can come in and swoop up and buy
up all the land at cheap.
Speaker 3 (06:01):
I got to tell you many, it's all about you
think that's what this is about. That's crazy person talk, David.
I mean, that's just crazy person talk. So if you
want to be if you if you want, I hope
you call all the time.
Speaker 2 (06:16):
You are fascinating.
Speaker 3 (06:18):
But but hey, if you want to point to do
Better Denver, or you want to point to anybody anywhere
who has ever reported on news, you will find that
there has never been a perfect outlet, that that every
outlet at some point gets something wrong.
Speaker 2 (06:35):
So if your premise.
Speaker 3 (06:36):
Is because Do Better Denver allegedly got something wrong, that
at that point it's okay to out the private women
behind it and then expose them to threats by writing
a piece in the post that talks about how threats
should be expected, Well, then great, just say it. I
completely disagree with that. But when you what's fascinating to me,
(07:00):
my friend, is when you first called us and you
are so critical of Do Better Denver, you couldn't point
to a single thing on the website you thought was wrong.
So it sounds like what's really got you so negative
about Do Better Denver is this theory of yours that
they're trying to drive down property value so Donald Trump
(07:20):
can come in and buy up the property cheap.
Speaker 2 (07:22):
That's your theory, and.
Speaker 4 (07:25):
There's the examples of it in the movie that came
out last summer called di Apradice. That's how he got
Who's from Powers?
Speaker 3 (07:33):
Now, let me ask you, are you at all critical?
Are you at all critical, my friend, of the mayor
of Denver and the other elected officials in Denver who
are dragging Denver down the tubes? Are you at all
critical of them?
Speaker 4 (07:49):
Well, to make a more perfect union and to give
an answer that helps Denver, I would recommend you look
at a United Way study that talks about the empty
houses in Denver compared to the number of homeless, and
apparently there are almost sixty thousand empty houses in Denver
(08:10):
and it's causing a problem with the price of rent.
Speaker 2 (08:17):
Let me ask you this.
Speaker 3 (08:18):
Let me ask you this, my friends, just maybe to
make my question even more direct, though I don't know
that's possible. Are you critical of Mayor Johnston, for example,
for the two hundred and fifty million dollar budget deficit
that's about to lead to layoffs of hard working men
and women who have to support their family. Are you
(08:38):
at all critical of the people who are in power
who are causing all these failings in Denver?
Speaker 4 (08:46):
Well, I'm not sure how that's your main but I
would look at it in terms of if rent is
so expensive right now and there are sixty thousand empty units,
then the rent should be far less, or if those
were forced to be on the market.
Speaker 2 (09:03):
Okay, this issue came up over one.
Speaker 4 (09:05):
Hundred years ago with the Henry George School of economics
that said that landlords that were keeping their places empty
or useless, then they should get the tax crapped out
of them, and that people that actually do good for
the region should have low rates of taxes, but that
absentee landlords should have high rates of taxes.
Speaker 3 (09:29):
Well, Dave, I think Mayor Johnston probably has a job
for you. I know there are a lot of furloughs
about to go on, but I'm sure he can carve
out some tax paramoney to put you on the paril.
Speaker 2 (09:38):
Hey appreciate the call, my friend, it was invigorating. Thank
you for that. Some texters to Da n five seven
seven three nine.
Speaker 3 (09:45):
Dan, either Dave is secretly a spokesperson for the Colorado
Pollock Bureau or he is the most ignorant person to
the point of stupidity. I think that's a little hard edged.
I think he's eccentric and very very wrong, and the
the same people demanding for ICE agents to be unmasked.
See that's what makes Sheriff Rems. Sheriff Rems. Right, that's
(10:08):
such a brilliant point. That's such a brilliant point. You
got the left out there demanding that ICE agents be unmasked. Yeah, yeah,
right is so It's just stunning, isn't it.
Speaker 2 (10:22):
But I've got to tell you.
Speaker 3 (10:24):
I've got to tell you if you haven't read this
Post story yet and do better, Denver.
Speaker 2 (10:28):
Please read it for yourself.
Speaker 3 (10:30):
We'll be talking about this the morn next week because
that this business, this president. Now, the Post is setting
if you're a political opponent, this is the way I
read it. If you're a political opponent of the left
of the administration and you're a completely private person, they
are going to out you, and they are telling you
in this piece today, if they out you, expect threats, right,
(10:52):
I mean, in this context, they're saying, oh yeah, if
you're some person behind the scenes submitting CORA requests, you know,
for a website critical of the city, you're a cold,
partial public figure and we have a route right to
out you. And the Post piece goes on to say
you should then expect threats it's part of the business.
This is stunning level of intimidation of private people. So
(11:17):
why do you think they're doing this year?
Speaker 2 (11:18):
On the Dan Kapla Show.
Speaker 5 (11:21):
And now back to the Dan Kapla Show podcast.
Speaker 3 (11:25):
We've never seen anything like this before in Colorado. I
can't remember anything even close what the Denver Post did today.
And we talk about it in the context of what
they did to do better Denver. This website that exposes
the feelings of the Johnston administration and what they did
to do better Denver is awful, and I'll bring you
(11:46):
up to speed quickly and why, and then we'll get
to our callers in Great Texters. But it also has
an impact, a dangerous, dangerous impact and precedent far beyond
do better Denver. Listen as far as do better Denver's concerned.
This hit beat, it hit piece from the Post is
a gift right in general until you get to the
dangerous piece. But the fact you've got a left leaning
(12:08):
major newspaper going after a site that's exposing the failings
of a Democrat administration, that's a gift to do better Denver.
And it shows the desperation now and the panic of
the Johnston administration and the Post which supports it. Okay, fine,
But where it crosses the line into dangerous, awful stuff
(12:30):
on multiple levels is the piece is designed to out
three women, and I'll give you the way. The piece starts,
who is do Better Denver? Meet three women feeding information
to Denver's large, loudest social media critic. So it's just
about these three women, and the peace starts. A mother
(12:50):
in Arizona, a former Colorado coalition for the homeless employee
who lives in New Mexico, and a local public school
teacher are among the people involved with Better Denver, a
controversial social media account that stokes outrage online by featuring
image of homeless people, public drug use in crime in Denver. No,
the outrage online is stoked by Mayor Johnston and the
(13:14):
elected officials in Denver who are creating this horror show.
Speaker 2 (13:18):
These people are just reporting the stuff, but listen, the
whole piece is designed to out.
Speaker 3 (13:24):
The mother, the former homeless coalition employee, and a public
school teacher says, since when does the Denver Post do
pieces to out people like that? But then it gets
really bad when they try to justify it by bringing
in this CU professor and quoting him as saying that, oh, no,
(13:49):
they're partial public figures because they provide information to this website. Really,
ain't There ain't no such thing, by the way, as
say partial public figure, as a Texter said, you know that,
that's like saying somebody's half pregnant.
Speaker 2 (14:02):
No, there ain't no such thing. You're a public figure
or you're not.
Speaker 3 (14:05):
But they make up this new category to try to
justify the indefensible. Because what they do next, in my opinion,
this is the real point of the piece. What they
do next the Denver Post is in my view, to
implicitly invite and justify threats. And everybody knows once you
open the door to that, you open the door to violence,
(14:28):
and so so my opinion again, what the Post is
is doing here, I believe as a matter of opinion,
their true intent here is to intimidate people out of
giving information to do better Denver by telling them implicitly
they'll be putting themselves in danger if they do.
Speaker 2 (14:46):
Why else, if I'm wrong about that?
Speaker 6 (14:48):
Why else would the Post write a piece where they
include that this point from an expert that that no,
your partial public figures and.
Speaker 3 (14:58):
Threats should be Isn't that green lighting threats. In my opinion,
it is why even include that in the piece, or
you bring in an expert to say no, No, you're
now a partial public, public figure and threats should be expected.
It's part of the business. Isn't that to the nutjobs
out there green lighting threats? And isn't it a message
(15:22):
to anybody who would provide information to do better denver
including accurate information. Okay, we're going to out you and
you're putting yourself in danger. Isn't that the point of this?
In my opinion, it clearly is. And before we get
back to the phone lines and text, I just got
to tell you I think it is so incredibly reckless
(15:42):
and dangerous on multiple levels, starting with physical to be
sending the message that threats to journalists are expected.
Speaker 2 (15:52):
No, they're not. They're not. And I've been in.
Speaker 3 (15:57):
Media of different types for a long time. You know,
my wife was a tremendous news anchor. Threats to journalists
are not expected. Now we've been subjected to some of
the very worst that go far beyond threats. But but,
and it's one of the things that makes me so
outraged at this for a major newspaper now to suggest
that threats against journalists are to be expected, and these
(16:19):
private people, these three women who are supporting this website anonymously,
they should now you know, be expected to get threats.
That's very very dangerous stuff, especially with so many nutjobs
out there, and so many of them on the left. No,
we have no recent examples of political violence, dew we Ryan,
none at all. So very very irresponsible and also dangerous
(16:43):
in another sense of just chilling free speech and chilling
you know, true reporting on the failings of this Democrat administration. Yeah,
you want to go do that, well out you then
you're going to put yourself in danger. This is and
the fact that Post would be part of that is
mind blowing to me. I mean, obviously I disagree with
(17:04):
the Denver Post and most of the people they're probably
on almost everything politically, But I have so much respect
for so many people I know at the Denver Post
and have over the years, and the Post itself, whether
you like it or hate it, it has been a major,
a major part of Colorado. So for that mastthead to
(17:25):
go after these three women they and aren't the Democrats
supposed to be the party of women, talk about the
war on women.
Speaker 2 (17:34):
For the Denver Post to go after these.
Speaker 3 (17:36):
Three private women and out them and in the same
piece talk about how how threats are to be expected
if you're going to do something like this extraordinarily dangerous
and obscene in a very very dangerous precedent three all
three seven one three eight two five five text d
An five seven seven three nine Dan tell the California guy,
(18:00):
we are working to make a safer and better Denver
where you don't get slain on sixteen Street mall and
pointing fallings in Denver seems failings seems to be the
most effective way right now. Yeah, And let's hope Ryan
that as a result of this hit piece and the
outing of these women and the public reporting that they
(18:20):
should expect threats, Let's hope that.
Speaker 2 (18:24):
A hundred times more people. I hope everybody spreads the word.
Speaker 3 (18:28):
And I'm sure I don't agree with everything on that website,
and I'm sure not everything's accurate. No media outlet, no
outlet of any kind, has ever been accurate on absolutely everything.
But the point here is, tell everybody you know start
following do better Denver, because if Johnston and the left
hate them this much, it must be very cool.
Speaker 5 (18:49):
You're listening to the Dan Kaplis Show podcast.
Speaker 3 (18:53):
Well, here's a very nice story in the Denver Post
by a superb journalists by the way, Jessica Sieman. Saint
Kendrick Casstee oh Douglas County church submits petition for Catholic canonization,
and then they go into a nice detailed story about
what we've been talking about on the show for a
while now. We were privileged to have John and Maria
(19:14):
Castio obviously Kendrick's parents with us the other day to
talk about the start of this very long and detailed
canonization process. But I think we all just know in
our gut that this is a saint right here, and
there are things you can do to support this cause, because,
as we talked about, part of what the Catholic Church
does a very early starting point is, hey, is this
(19:37):
something the community wants? You know, is there this strong,
widespread feeling in the community that this person, whoever it
may be, is a saint should be considered for sainthood.
And obviously that feeling exists for Kendrick Castillo for very
good reason. And so we'll be talking about very concrete
things you can do.
Speaker 2 (19:57):
Who you can email.
Speaker 3 (19:58):
Et cetera, to get to this first step of showing
the bishop that yes, there is tremendous public support for.
Speaker 2 (20:05):
The canonization of Kendrick.
Speaker 3 (20:07):
And then we talked at link the other day about
the steps to follow, but we'll be getting into more
detail Monday about how you can actively support this effort
and so much first it would be so right, but
then beyond that, so much good would flow from it
in terms of, you know, Kendrick as a role model.
Speaker 2 (20:26):
You know, for kids and others all over the world.
Speaker 3 (20:30):
And truly, I mean the ultimate none of us have
to be theologians, right, They the ultimate you know, Christian value,
laying down one's life.
Speaker 2 (20:39):
To save others.
Speaker 3 (20:41):
So hey, let's get to some of these texts are
exploding this afternoon because of this Denver post hit job
on do Better Denver and in particular, you know, the
outing of these three very private people, all women, talk
about the war on women, dan Is the Denver posts
saying there okay with receiving threats themselves. Also, does this
professor teaches classes so they should expect threats, beautiful questions.
(21:05):
That's why we've reached out to the professor. We've reached
out to Shelley Bradbury. And it was one of the
stunning things about this piece when you include in the
piece a quote from this professor that, Hey, these private
people are actually partial public figures and should expect threats.
Speaker 2 (21:21):
Doesn't the Post realize what they're doing to their own people? Yeah?
Speaker 3 (21:25):
No, No, it should not be the new normal that
you expect threats against journalists should not be and the
Post should be the last place in the world that's
spreading that kind of dangerous falsehood. Dan, why don't you
try to have a weekly segment with the editor of
the Denver Post to discuss local stories and media reporting
on those. I would love to do that, Thank you.
That's an excellent idea. And I have to tell you
(21:46):
the one interaction I had with the publisher of the
Denver Poster, the editor in chief was tremendously impressive.
Speaker 2 (21:54):
And that was a few years ago.
Speaker 3 (21:55):
Remember that, Ryan, when we led the charge against this
Democrat Bill Polus made it a top priority that would
have legalized high level sex crime, violence, etc. For all
public school students. Oh and the Denver Post stepped up
big time on that one. The editor in chief could
not have been more impressive, Dan, given what the Denver
Post did to these three women. I assume their own
(22:17):
reporters are willing to provide their sources, which are quote,
partial public figures. Correct that from Alexa, and we have
a number of texts to that same point, which is, hey,
what about all these anonymous.
Speaker 2 (22:29):
Sources the Post uses.
Speaker 3 (22:32):
Let's see a number on Dave, who says he's from California.
I'm guessing he may not be able to find it
on our map. The great point from Sheriff reeves, these
are the same people demanding for ICE agents to be unmasked. Dan,
you're either a public figure or you're not. I bet
this guy believes a man can be partially pregnant. And
that's why we're going to work very very hard to
get this expert from cu who they quoted this journalism
(22:57):
professor on the show. I mean, as he created now
a new category called partial public figure. Yeah, that just
is not a thing. It's I think, a way for
the Denver Post to try and justify the indefensible doing
a major piece.
Speaker 2 (23:13):
This piece is longer than most, tow out.
Speaker 3 (23:16):
Three absolutely private women from different walks of life for
submitting public records requests, all because this website is critical
of Mayor Johnston. Yeah, yeah, let's see, Dan. I'm not
a lawyer, but sounds to me like these three ladies
have a valid lawsuit.
Speaker 2 (23:32):
I don't think so. I don't think so. I don't
think there's any legal action they could take there.
Speaker 3 (23:38):
I think what we're talking about here is the fact
that there are some things that are profoundly wrong and
profoundly dangerous, and I view is very morally wrong for
which you cannot suit. There are others for which you can,
But I don't think there's a valid lawsuit here.
Speaker 2 (23:57):
Dan.
Speaker 3 (23:57):
Why are so many on the left constitutionally literate? Because
if they were constitutionally literate, they wouldn't be on the left? Dan,
does that mean that you're your caller is a semi
public figure and you should.
Speaker 2 (24:12):
Be able to release his phone.
Speaker 3 (24:14):
Number over the radio. We have some great texters, don't
we rhyme? Yeah, Now this this texture and it's worth mention,
shifting gears, Dan, Trump is firing the statistics chief for
reporting the truth. What part of this administration is not authoritarian?
Speaker 2 (24:31):
Yeah?
Speaker 3 (24:31):
Trump did fire doctor Erica mecent Rfur, who had never
heard of before, and he said she's a Biden administration
appointee who is playing political games with these numbers, and
he gave some examples, and so, yeah, I think if
the President's going to do that, then it's incumbent on
the president to show where she's been getting it wrong.
(24:54):
I trust Trump on this stuff, so I trust that
he has good reason to believe that, and we'll see
what they put out there.
Speaker 2 (25:02):
He did point out a pretty powerful point that last
year before the election.
Speaker 3 (25:09):
She had overstated jobs added by eight hundred thousand, according
to Trump, ya, I think that's reason to be suspicious. Uh, Dan, Yes,
the Post article is intended to intimidate others from Alexa.
Speaker 2 (25:25):
That's my opinion too. I don't think there's any doubt
about that in my mind.
Speaker 3 (25:29):
Okay, Then a bunch about David our caller from California
three h three seven one three eight two five five
text d An five seven seven three nine and Ryan.
I hope I'm not sounding naive here, because I'm not
a naive person. I've been in media almost thirty years,
in law more than forty. What the blank is the
Post thinking there are so many nut jobs out there.
Speaker 2 (25:52):
We live in a.
Speaker 3 (25:53):
City where ellen Berg was killed, you know, for what
he said on air. And you've got three ladies here
who are completely private. They're not public figures in any way,
shape or form.
Speaker 2 (26:08):
So what's the Post.
Speaker 3 (26:09):
Thinking when they're not only out them but then include
in the piece that journalists should expect threats.
Speaker 7 (26:16):
Well, they should expect to get ratioed on x And
that's exactly what's happening here.
Speaker 5 (26:20):
Alexe brought this to my attention.
Speaker 7 (26:22):
I wrote a rather tart response to them myself that
cannot be read on the air. Hurt, very tart, and
they posted do better. Denver as a household name in
some circles and has grown to impact city politics. Its
posts are often inflammatory and the information presented is sometimes false,
with tidbits of fact mixed with rumors, speculation, and misinformation
(26:42):
the Post found. So they got one hundred and ninety
two replies so far, only twenty seven reposts and fifty
com bikes.
Speaker 5 (26:51):
So that's called getting ratioedesun Yeah.
Speaker 3 (26:54):
And you know again, the fact that the Denver Post,
which is a left fleaning paper, would go after a
site that is tremendously successful now in exposing the failings
of the Johnston administration.
Speaker 2 (27:09):
Yeah, that's a compliment to do better Denver.
Speaker 3 (27:12):
Right, Well, but let me just finish that point so
nobody takes it out of context. But the point the
Post would choose to out these three private women too,
in my opinion, try to intimidate others out of providing
information that's crossing a line, especially when the Post then
makes it a point in the piece of saying you
(27:32):
should expect threats if you do something like this. That's
just such rank intimidation of what I think that they
view as political opponents, such a dangerous press.
Speaker 7 (27:45):
Well, and they set themselves apart as completely partisan hacks here.
Speaker 5 (27:48):
They're hackery. This is what they're doing.
Speaker 7 (27:50):
They are the muscle for the Stalin regime of Mike
Johnston in Denver.
Speaker 5 (27:55):
This is what they're doing.
Speaker 7 (27:56):
This is what they're choosing to do, is to carry
the water for the mayor and the Democratic leadership. If
there were a Twitter handle, anybody like to do better
Denver on the left, Let's just paint a scenario here
for you, Dan and say they were going after in
clandestine fashion Sheriff Darren Weekley and Prosecutor George Brockler in
Douglas County. Would the Denver Post spend this much time,
(28:18):
energy and print space on their pages going after that
Twitter handle.
Speaker 2 (28:22):
We all know the answer to that, right, I mean, but.
Speaker 3 (28:27):
What's so stunning to me is that they would cross
that line into danger creation. When you cross that line
into at the same time you expose people private people
you report in the piece that now you should expect threats,
that that's just a whole other level of danger creation.
(28:49):
And as a Texter pointed out, isn't the Post aware
of the additional danger that puts its own journalists in
a lot of nutjobs out there?
Speaker 2 (28:58):
Here on the Dan Capitla Show.
Speaker 5 (29:01):
And now back to the Dan Kaplas Show podcast.
Speaker 3 (29:04):
Well in an afternoon, it's been I hope everybody goes
out and follows the website do better Denver. I'm not
saying everything they always put up there as accurate. I
don't know if it is or not, but I know
they work hard to expose the failings of the Johnston
administration and they're now being targeted by the Denver Post
outing just three very private women who are submitting information
(29:28):
to them.
Speaker 2 (29:28):
And yeah, so we've.
Speaker 3 (29:29):
Talked about that at length today, some of the texts
coming in on that. Dan, thanks for your top story today.
I am in southern Colorado, now fourth generation Denver. I
left Denver twenty years ago, never looked back. I still
listen to you on five ninety KCSJ. Thank you really
appreciate that, and we're proud to be on that great station. Dan,
(29:49):
would you consider taking this case very important public issues?
Thank you for the question, and we have taken and
we have fought very hard on some really important public interests,
public safety type cases. I don't see a case here.
I don't think there's any claim that these three private
women have against the Denver Post. I think what the
(30:12):
Denver Post did, in my opinion, it's immoral. I think
it's extraordinarily dangerous in the ways that I've documented during
the show. But I don't think there's a legal cause
of action there. There are just so many things in
life right that are immoral, dangerous, wrong for which there
is not a legal remedy. And maybe somebody else has
(30:33):
a different analysis, but I don't see a good basis
for a lawsuit there, Dan, Denver Post should be focusing
on outing the failures of Mike Johnston's management of the
city of Denver.
Speaker 2 (30:47):
Call them to account over and over again.
Speaker 3 (30:51):
Yeah, you know that's the way it should be, but
we all know that's not the way it is.
Speaker 2 (30:55):
Right.
Speaker 3 (30:56):
We used to be very blessed in this town to
have a two newspaper town with the Rocky Mountain News
and the Denver Post. And competition makes us all better, right,
I mean, I'm a better lawyer than i'd otherwise be
because of the competition. I hope I'm a better talk
show host for you because of the competition. I hope
I'm a better investigative reporter when I do that because
(31:16):
of the competition. And it's just too bad there isn't
that competition between major newspapers here.
Speaker 2 (31:22):
I think we'd be getting better.
Speaker 5 (31:24):
How the same time, how is it still real quick though?
Speaker 7 (31:27):
On this point, Dan, How is the Denver Post any
different or better than Pravda in Russia? Caring water for
putin in that they're not willing to be critical of
Mike Johnson. In fact, they're going to go after those
who are critical of the mayor and how the city's
being run.
Speaker 3 (31:42):
Well, what I'd say is, because you do see the
occasional break with the Denver Post, right, I mean, I
go back to what we talked about in the last
segment when we were leading the charge against this top
priority of Governor Polus and the left, which was to
legalize major sex crimes, island crimes, etc. For public school students,
(32:05):
and the Denver Post stepped up. I mean, we did
our part, but that bill, in my opinion, does not
get killed unless the Denver Post steps up and runs
my editorial front and center on Easter Sunday. And that
bill died two days later, not because of me. All
my editorial did was report the facts about the bill.
If the Denver Post hadn't stepped up and put that
(32:26):
front and center on Easter Sunday, I think that thing
probably becomes law. So that's what I'm saying, Ryan, is
you do see some breaks with the Post. I mean,
and there are some very good reporters. Jessica Sieman's a
great reporter. She did a tremendous story today on Kendrick Kestio.
Speaker 5 (32:42):
See that's what's about it. We work in this business.
Speaker 7 (32:45):
If I'm her, I am pissed off that my paper
ran this doxing article about do better Denver. This is
beneath the dignity of what the Denver Post used to
be and should be.
Speaker 2 (32:58):
Yeah.
Speaker 3 (32:58):
Oh, Yeah, and listen, if you're anybody in journalism right now,
you've got to be really ticked at the Post, because
what the Post did in this story, in my opinion,
is normalized threats against journalists. They bring in an expert
to justify what they're doing to these private women who
are just submitting Cora requests. They bring in an expert
(33:22):
to say she's a partial public figure.
Speaker 2 (33:24):
There ain't no such thing, by the way, and.
Speaker 3 (33:27):
That they should expect threats if they provide information to
this outlet. No, what they've done now is green light
and normalized threats against journalists, And it just isn't true.
It just isn't true that that's to be expected or
to be normal. When it happens, it should be taken
very seriously as something very serious, and the people who
(33:48):
issue the threats should be prosecuted. So yeah, I think
you've probably got a lot of journalists all over the
place unhappy with the Denver Post today. But doesn't that
just show how effective do better Denver is? And it
doesn't justify at all what the Posts did to these
three women and the danger they've created or increased for
(34:12):
journalists everywhere.
Speaker 2 (34:14):
But boy, I.
Speaker 3 (34:15):
Hope it makes everybody want to go and follow do
better Denver on X. I'm not saying everything they ever
do is accurate or whatever, but I think they put
a lot of important information out there. Please go follow them,
Tell all your friends to follow them. Do not let
this intimidation by the Denver post work. Tremendous job, Brian,
great job, Kelly, have a wonderful weekend. Join us Monday
(34:37):
please on the Dan Kapla Show.
This is Dan Caplis and welcome to today's online podcast
edition of The Dan Caplis Show. Please be sure to
give us a five star rating if you'd be so kind,
and to subscribe, download, and listen to the show every
single day on your favorite podcast platform.
Speaker 2 (00:14):
Yeah, in the American way is not.
Speaker 3 (00:17):
To try to intimidate free speech and try to intimidate
people out of criticizing elected officials. It makes the piece
in today's Denver Post so extraordinary in all the worst ways,
and so we're deep diving it. If you just joined us,
i'll give you a quick overview that I want to
get back to the phone lines and particularly to a
(00:38):
caller who disagrees with me. We've had a couple of
rounds so far on this, but happy to continue that.
Speaker 2 (00:43):
But here's the gist of the story as I understand it.
Speaker 3 (00:47):
You've got this website we've talked about before, Do Better Denver,
and from everything I can see, it does a lot
of good stuff. I mean I see about ten percent
of what's on it right, So I can't tell you
everything that's ever been on there is accurate. I doubt
there's ever been any kind of even major media outlet
where everything on it, ever, was accurate. And I'm certainly
(01:10):
not telling you I've agreed with everything on there. I
don't even know everything on there. The gist of it,
as I see this website Do Better Denver, is that
it documents some of the really terrible, fatal, awful failings
of the Johnston administration and other elected officials in charge
of Denver. And so they become then a target for
(01:33):
the Denver Post. And that doesn't surprise anybody, right, I mean,
I think most people see the Denver Post as an
extension of the Colorado Democratic Party and extension of the left.
And I say that knowing and respecting a lot of
people at the Post, just knowing our politics are different.
Speaker 2 (01:49):
So the fact the Post.
Speaker 3 (01:50):
Would then go after do Better Denver, that's a compliment
to Do Better Denver, right, And it's only going to
help Do Better Denver get more eyes, and it only
makes the Johnston administration look desperate.
Speaker 2 (02:03):
But what is so very.
Speaker 3 (02:05):
Wrong here, in my opinion, is the danger that the
Denver Post, in my view, created today for the women
it outed, these private citizens it outed who have been doing.
Speaker 2 (02:18):
Public records requests for Do Better Denver.
Speaker 3 (02:21):
Because if you dig into the piece, and I've quoted
from it before and I will again after this caller.
Speaker 2 (02:26):
If you dig into the piece.
Speaker 3 (02:28):
First, they're outing these private people, right, and the private
people said to the Post, wait a second, you're going
to put us in danger because do better. Denver gets
threats and you out us, we're going to be subject
to threats.
Speaker 2 (02:39):
So what does the Post do.
Speaker 3 (02:41):
They bring in a so called expert from the CU
Journalism School who are trying to get on air to
talk about how, no, these are partial public figures.
Speaker 2 (02:49):
Wait a second, there is no such thing. That's not
a thing.
Speaker 3 (02:54):
They're not partial public figures. And even if they were,
the Post should not be implicitly green lighting threats because
because that the Post is read the piece the Post
is talking about, I don't know if you're going to
be involved in journalism, and these are quot partial public figures,
even though they've been completely private until the Post outed them,
you should expect threats. So the Post then implicitly green
(03:18):
lighting threats. This is I grew up in Chicago, you
know this is this is just outright intimidation. This this
is saying to somebody, in my opinion that what the
Post is saying that anybody would support do Better Denver
with information is you should expect to be outed and
as a result, puts yourself in danger. So I think,
(03:39):
in my opinion, this is the message the post is
sending and to try to undermine do Better Denver, which
relies on members of the public. It appears to provide
information about city failings. Okay, you want to do that,
you want to you want to provide information about the
failures of the Johnston administration.
Speaker 2 (03:58):
Expect to get.
Speaker 3 (03:58):
Threatened because we're going to out you and getting threats.
They say it in the piece. Getting threats is part
of what you should expect. Wow, all right, let's go
back to David and again, David and I have talked
a lot already on the show, and we probably won't
retread that ground, but who knows who might David, my
friend the balls in your court.
Speaker 4 (04:21):
Well, there's two different layers of this. One is you
remember the old story about the boy that cried wolf,
and when they finally said something that was the truth,
they didn't get believed. And so when you start looking
at do Better Denver. In reading more of this article,
apparently the administrator refuses to identify themselves, and so they
(04:46):
prefer to be anonymous and then just spread whether innuendo,
disinformation or smears that kind of flies against the name
of the organization.
Speaker 3 (05:00):
Stop there, let's take it point by well, whoa big fellow,
Let's take it point by point.
Speaker 2 (05:04):
You are accusing do better, Denver of line, give us examples.
Speaker 4 (05:07):
Please, Well, this whole thing about whether or not the
fire department was being followed by Agua, and the fire
department says that's not true at all, and the police
department says that they show up to help out the
fire departments. And so the idea that this innuendo is
(05:31):
causing trouble like the boy that cried Wolf as opposed
to the US Constitution or the Declaration of Independence trying
to make a more perfect union. Now, does do Better
Denver try to make a more perfect union? Or are
they more like the Piranha Club that are there to
(05:53):
try to ruin real estate rates so that somebody like
Donald Trump can come in and swoop up and buy
up all the land at cheap.
Speaker 3 (06:01):
I got to tell you many, it's all about you
think that's what this is about. That's crazy person talk, David.
I mean, that's just crazy person talk. So if you
want to be if you if you want, I hope
you call all the time.
Speaker 2 (06:16):
You are fascinating.
Speaker 3 (06:18):
But but hey, if you want to point to do
Better Denver, or you want to point to anybody anywhere
who has ever reported on news, you will find that
there has never been a perfect outlet, that that every
outlet at some point gets something wrong.
Speaker 2 (06:35):
So if your premise.
Speaker 3 (06:36):
Is because Do Better Denver allegedly got something wrong, that
at that point it's okay to out the private women
behind it and then expose them to threats by writing
a piece in the post that talks about how threats
should be expected, Well, then great, just say it. I
completely disagree with that. But when you what's fascinating to me,
(07:00):
my friend, is when you first called us and you
are so critical of Do Better Denver, you couldn't point
to a single thing on the website you thought was wrong.
So it sounds like what's really got you so negative
about Do Better Denver is this theory of yours that
they're trying to drive down property value so Donald Trump
(07:20):
can come in and buy up the property cheap.
Speaker 2 (07:22):
That's your theory, and.
Speaker 4 (07:25):
There's the examples of it in the movie that came
out last summer called di Apradice. That's how he got
Who's from Powers?
Speaker 3 (07:33):
Now, let me ask you, are you at all critical?
Are you at all critical, my friend, of the mayor
of Denver and the other elected officials in Denver who
are dragging Denver down the tubes? Are you at all
critical of them?
Speaker 4 (07:49):
Well, to make a more perfect union and to give
an answer that helps Denver, I would recommend you look
at a United Way study that talks about the empty
houses in Denver compared to the number of homeless, and
apparently there are almost sixty thousand empty houses in Denver
(08:10):
and it's causing a problem with the price of rent.
Speaker 2 (08:17):
Let me ask you this.
Speaker 3 (08:18):
Let me ask you this, my friends, just maybe to
make my question even more direct, though I don't know
that's possible. Are you critical of Mayor Johnston, for example,
for the two hundred and fifty million dollar budget deficit
that's about to lead to layoffs of hard working men
and women who have to support their family. Are you
(08:38):
at all critical of the people who are in power
who are causing all these failings in Denver?
Speaker 4 (08:46):
Well, I'm not sure how that's your main but I
would look at it in terms of if rent is
so expensive right now and there are sixty thousand empty units,
then the rent should be far less, or if those
were forced to be on the market.
Speaker 2 (09:03):
Okay, this issue came up over one.
Speaker 4 (09:05):
Hundred years ago with the Henry George School of economics
that said that landlords that were keeping their places empty
or useless, then they should get the tax crapped out
of them, and that people that actually do good for
the region should have low rates of taxes, but that
absentee landlords should have high rates of taxes.
Speaker 3 (09:29):
Well, Dave, I think Mayor Johnston probably has a job
for you. I know there are a lot of furloughs
about to go on, but I'm sure he can carve
out some tax paramoney to put you on the paril.
Speaker 2 (09:38):
Hey appreciate the call, my friend, it was invigorating. Thank
you for that. Some texters to Da n five seven
seven three nine.
Speaker 3 (09:45):
Dan, either Dave is secretly a spokesperson for the Colorado
Pollock Bureau or he is the most ignorant person to
the point of stupidity. I think that's a little hard edged.
I think he's eccentric and very very wrong, and the
the same people demanding for ICE agents to be unmasked.
See that's what makes Sheriff Rems. Sheriff Rems. Right, that's
(10:08):
such a brilliant point. That's such a brilliant point. You
got the left out there demanding that ICE agents be unmasked. Yeah, yeah,
right is so It's just stunning, isn't it.
Speaker 2 (10:22):
But I've got to tell you.
Speaker 3 (10:24):
I've got to tell you if you haven't read this
Post story yet and do better, Denver.
Speaker 2 (10:28):
Please read it for yourself.
Speaker 3 (10:30):
We'll be talking about this the morn next week because
that this business, this president. Now, the Post is setting
if you're a political opponent, this is the way I
read it. If you're a political opponent of the left
of the administration and you're a completely private person, they
are going to out you, and they are telling you
in this piece today, if they out you, expect threats, right,
(10:52):
I mean, in this context, they're saying, oh yeah, if
you're some person behind the scenes submitting CORA requests, you know,
for a website critical of the city, you're a cold,
partial public figure and we have a route right to
out you. And the Post piece goes on to say
you should then expect threats it's part of the business.
This is stunning level of intimidation of private people. So
(11:17):
why do you think they're doing this year?
Speaker 2 (11:18):
On the Dan Kapla Show.
Speaker 5 (11:21):
And now back to the Dan Kapla Show podcast.
Speaker 3 (11:25):
We've never seen anything like this before in Colorado. I
can't remember anything even close what the Denver Post did today.
And we talk about it in the context of what
they did to do better Denver. This website that exposes
the feelings of the Johnston administration and what they did
to do better Denver is awful, and I'll bring you
(11:46):
up to speed quickly and why, and then we'll get
to our callers in Great Texters. But it also has
an impact, a dangerous, dangerous impact and precedent far beyond
do better Denver. Listen as far as do better Denver's concerned.
This hit beat, it hit piece from the Post is
a gift right in general until you get to the
dangerous piece. But the fact you've got a left leaning
(12:08):
major newspaper going after a site that's exposing the failings
of a Democrat administration, that's a gift to do better Denver.
And it shows the desperation now and the panic of
the Johnston administration and the Post which supports it. Okay, fine,
But where it crosses the line into dangerous, awful stuff
(12:30):
on multiple levels is the piece is designed to out
three women, and I'll give you the way. The piece starts,
who is do Better Denver? Meet three women feeding information
to Denver's large, loudest social media critic. So it's just
about these three women, and the peace starts. A mother
(12:50):
in Arizona, a former Colorado coalition for the homeless employee
who lives in New Mexico, and a local public school
teacher are among the people involved with Better Denver, a
controversial social media account that stokes outrage online by featuring
image of homeless people, public drug use in crime in Denver. No,
the outrage online is stoked by Mayor Johnston and the
(13:14):
elected officials in Denver who are creating this horror show.
Speaker 2 (13:18):
These people are just reporting the stuff, but listen, the
whole piece is designed to out.
Speaker 3 (13:24):
The mother, the former homeless coalition employee, and a public
school teacher says, since when does the Denver Post do
pieces to out people like that? But then it gets
really bad when they try to justify it by bringing
in this CU professor and quoting him as saying that, oh, no,
(13:49):
they're partial public figures because they provide information to this website. Really,
ain't There ain't no such thing, by the way, as
say partial public figure, as a Texter said, you know that,
that's like saying somebody's half pregnant.
Speaker 2 (14:02):
No, there ain't no such thing. You're a public figure
or you're not.
Speaker 3 (14:05):
But they make up this new category to try to
justify the indefensible. Because what they do next, in my opinion,
this is the real point of the piece. What they
do next the Denver Post is in my view, to
implicitly invite and justify threats. And everybody knows once you
open the door to that, you open the door to violence,
(14:28):
and so so my opinion again, what the Post is
is doing here, I believe as a matter of opinion,
their true intent here is to intimidate people out of
giving information to do better Denver by telling them implicitly
they'll be putting themselves in danger if they do.
Speaker 2 (14:46):
Why else, if I'm wrong about that?
Speaker 6 (14:48):
Why else would the Post write a piece where they
include that this point from an expert that that no,
your partial public figures and.
Speaker 3 (14:58):
Threats should be Isn't that green lighting threats. In my opinion,
it is why even include that in the piece, or
you bring in an expert to say no, No, you're
now a partial public, public figure and threats should be expected.
It's part of the business. Isn't that to the nutjobs
out there green lighting threats? And isn't it a message
(15:22):
to anybody who would provide information to do better denver
including accurate information. Okay, we're going to out you and
you're putting yourself in danger. Isn't that the point of this?
In my opinion, it clearly is. And before we get
back to the phone lines and text, I just got
to tell you I think it is so incredibly reckless
(15:42):
and dangerous on multiple levels, starting with physical to be
sending the message that threats to journalists are expected.
Speaker 2 (15:52):
No, they're not. They're not. And I've been in.
Speaker 3 (15:57):
Media of different types for a long time. You know,
my wife was a tremendous news anchor. Threats to journalists
are not expected. Now we've been subjected to some of
the very worst that go far beyond threats. But but,
and it's one of the things that makes me so
outraged at this for a major newspaper now to suggest
that threats against journalists are to be expected, and these
(16:19):
private people, these three women who are supporting this website anonymously,
they should now you know, be expected to get threats.
That's very very dangerous stuff, especially with so many nutjobs
out there, and so many of them on the left. No,
we have no recent examples of political violence, dew we Ryan,
none at all. So very very irresponsible and also dangerous
(16:43):
in another sense of just chilling free speech and chilling
you know, true reporting on the failings of this Democrat administration. Yeah,
you want to go do that, well out you then
you're going to put yourself in danger. This is and
the fact that Post would be part of that is
mind blowing to me. I mean, obviously I disagree with
(17:04):
the Denver Post and most of the people they're probably
on almost everything politically, But I have so much respect
for so many people I know at the Denver Post
and have over the years, and the Post itself, whether
you like it or hate it, it has been a major,
a major part of Colorado. So for that mastthead to
(17:25):
go after these three women they and aren't the Democrats
supposed to be the party of women, talk about the
war on women.
Speaker 2 (17:34):
For the Denver Post to go after these.
Speaker 3 (17:36):
Three private women and out them and in the same
piece talk about how how threats are to be expected
if you're going to do something like this extraordinarily dangerous
and obscene in a very very dangerous precedent three all
three seven one three eight two five five text d
An five seven seven three nine Dan tell the California guy,
(18:00):
we are working to make a safer and better Denver
where you don't get slain on sixteen Street mall and
pointing fallings in Denver seems failings seems to be the
most effective way right now. Yeah, And let's hope Ryan
that as a result of this hit piece and the
outing of these women and the public reporting that they
(18:20):
should expect threats, Let's hope that.
Speaker 2 (18:24):
A hundred times more people. I hope everybody spreads the word.
Speaker 3 (18:28):
And I'm sure I don't agree with everything on that website,
and I'm sure not everything's accurate. No media outlet, no
outlet of any kind, has ever been accurate on absolutely everything.
But the point here is, tell everybody you know start
following do better Denver, because if Johnston and the left
hate them this much, it must be very cool.
Speaker 5 (18:49):
You're listening to the Dan Kaplis Show podcast.
Speaker 3 (18:53):
Well, here's a very nice story in the Denver Post
by a superb journalists by the way, Jessica Sieman. Saint
Kendrick Casstee oh Douglas County church submits petition for Catholic canonization,
and then they go into a nice detailed story about
what we've been talking about on the show for a
while now. We were privileged to have John and Maria
(19:14):
Castio obviously Kendrick's parents with us the other day to
talk about the start of this very long and detailed
canonization process. But I think we all just know in
our gut that this is a saint right here, and
there are things you can do to support this cause, because,
as we talked about, part of what the Catholic Church
does a very early starting point is, hey, is this
(19:37):
something the community wants? You know, is there this strong,
widespread feeling in the community that this person, whoever it
may be, is a saint should be considered for sainthood.
And obviously that feeling exists for Kendrick Castillo for very
good reason. And so we'll be talking about very concrete
things you can do.
Speaker 2 (19:57):
Who you can email.
Speaker 3 (19:58):
Et cetera, to get to this first step of showing
the bishop that yes, there is tremendous public support for.
Speaker 2 (20:05):
The canonization of Kendrick.
Speaker 3 (20:07):
And then we talked at link the other day about
the steps to follow, but we'll be getting into more
detail Monday about how you can actively support this effort
and so much first it would be so right, but
then beyond that, so much good would flow from it
in terms of, you know, Kendrick as a role model.
Speaker 2 (20:26):
You know, for kids and others all over the world.
Speaker 3 (20:30):
And truly, I mean the ultimate none of us have
to be theologians, right, They the ultimate you know, Christian value,
laying down one's life.
Speaker 2 (20:39):
To save others.
Speaker 3 (20:41):
So hey, let's get to some of these texts are
exploding this afternoon because of this Denver post hit job
on do Better Denver and in particular, you know, the
outing of these three very private people, all women, talk
about the war on women, dan Is the Denver posts
saying there okay with receiving threats themselves. Also, does this
professor teaches classes so they should expect threats, beautiful questions.
(21:05):
That's why we've reached out to the professor. We've reached
out to Shelley Bradbury. And it was one of the
stunning things about this piece when you include in the
piece a quote from this professor that, Hey, these private
people are actually partial public figures and should expect threats.
Speaker 2 (21:21):
Doesn't the Post realize what they're doing to their own people? Yeah?
Speaker 3 (21:25):
No, No, it should not be the new normal that
you expect threats against journalists should not be and the
Post should be the last place in the world that's
spreading that kind of dangerous falsehood. Dan, why don't you
try to have a weekly segment with the editor of
the Denver Post to discuss local stories and media reporting
on those. I would love to do that, Thank you.
That's an excellent idea. And I have to tell you
(21:46):
the one interaction I had with the publisher of the
Denver Poster, the editor in chief was tremendously impressive.
Speaker 2 (21:54):
And that was a few years ago.
Speaker 3 (21:55):
Remember that, Ryan, when we led the charge against this
Democrat Bill Polus made it a top priority that would
have legalized high level sex crime, violence, etc. For all
public school students. Oh and the Denver Post stepped up
big time on that one. The editor in chief could
not have been more impressive, Dan, given what the Denver
Post did to these three women. I assume their own
(22:17):
reporters are willing to provide their sources, which are quote,
partial public figures. Correct that from Alexa, and we have
a number of texts to that same point, which is, hey,
what about all these anonymous.
Speaker 2 (22:29):
Sources the Post uses.
Speaker 3 (22:32):
Let's see a number on Dave, who says he's from California.
I'm guessing he may not be able to find it
on our map. The great point from Sheriff reeves, these
are the same people demanding for ICE agents to be unmasked. Dan,
you're either a public figure or you're not. I bet
this guy believes a man can be partially pregnant. And
that's why we're going to work very very hard to
get this expert from cu who they quoted this journalism
(22:57):
professor on the show. I mean, as he created now
a new category called partial public figure. Yeah, that just
is not a thing. It's I think, a way for
the Denver Post to try and justify the indefensible doing
a major piece.
Speaker 2 (23:13):
This piece is longer than most, tow out.
Speaker 3 (23:16):
Three absolutely private women from different walks of life for
submitting public records requests, all because this website is critical
of Mayor Johnston. Yeah, yeah, let's see, Dan. I'm not
a lawyer, but sounds to me like these three ladies
have a valid lawsuit.
Speaker 2 (23:32):
I don't think so. I don't think so. I don't
think there's any legal action they could take there.
Speaker 3 (23:38):
I think what we're talking about here is the fact
that there are some things that are profoundly wrong and
profoundly dangerous, and I view is very morally wrong for
which you cannot suit. There are others for which you can,
But I don't think there's a valid lawsuit here.
Speaker 2 (23:57):
Dan.
Speaker 3 (23:57):
Why are so many on the left constitutionally literate? Because
if they were constitutionally literate, they wouldn't be on the left? Dan,
does that mean that you're your caller is a semi
public figure and you should.
Speaker 2 (24:12):
Be able to release his phone.
Speaker 3 (24:14):
Number over the radio. We have some great texters, don't
we rhyme? Yeah, Now this this texture and it's worth mention,
shifting gears, Dan, Trump is firing the statistics chief for
reporting the truth. What part of this administration is not authoritarian?
Speaker 2 (24:31):
Yeah?
Speaker 3 (24:31):
Trump did fire doctor Erica mecent Rfur, who had never
heard of before, and he said she's a Biden administration
appointee who is playing political games with these numbers, and
he gave some examples, and so, yeah, I think if
the President's going to do that, then it's incumbent on
the president to show where she's been getting it wrong.
(24:54):
I trust Trump on this stuff, so I trust that
he has good reason to believe that, and we'll see
what they put out there.
Speaker 2 (25:02):
He did point out a pretty powerful point that last
year before the election.
Speaker 3 (25:09):
She had overstated jobs added by eight hundred thousand, according
to Trump, ya, I think that's reason to be suspicious. Uh, Dan, Yes,
the Post article is intended to intimidate others from Alexa.
Speaker 2 (25:25):
That's my opinion too. I don't think there's any doubt
about that in my mind.
Speaker 3 (25:29):
Okay, Then a bunch about David our caller from California
three h three seven one three eight two five five
text d An five seven seven three nine and Ryan.
I hope I'm not sounding naive here, because I'm not
a naive person. I've been in media almost thirty years,
in law more than forty. What the blank is the
Post thinking there are so many nut jobs out there.
Speaker 2 (25:52):
We live in a.
Speaker 3 (25:53):
City where ellen Berg was killed, you know, for what
he said on air. And you've got three ladies here
who are completely private. They're not public figures in any way,
shape or form.
Speaker 2 (26:08):
So what's the Post.
Speaker 3 (26:09):
Thinking when they're not only out them but then include
in the piece that journalists should expect threats.
Speaker 7 (26:16):
Well, they should expect to get ratioed on x And
that's exactly what's happening here.
Speaker 5 (26:20):
Alexe brought this to my attention.
Speaker 7 (26:22):
I wrote a rather tart response to them myself that
cannot be read on the air. Hurt, very tart, and
they posted do better. Denver as a household name in
some circles and has grown to impact city politics. Its
posts are often inflammatory and the information presented is sometimes false,
with tidbits of fact mixed with rumors, speculation, and misinformation
(26:42):
the Post found. So they got one hundred and ninety
two replies so far, only twenty seven reposts and fifty
com bikes.
Speaker 5 (26:51):
So that's called getting ratioedesun Yeah.
Speaker 3 (26:54):
And you know again, the fact that the Denver Post,
which is a left fleaning paper, would go after a
site that is tremendously successful now in exposing the failings
of the Johnston administration.
Speaker 2 (27:09):
Yeah, that's a compliment to do better Denver.
Speaker 3 (27:12):
Right, Well, but let me just finish that point so
nobody takes it out of context. But the point the
Post would choose to out these three private women too,
in my opinion, try to intimidate others out of providing
information that's crossing a line, especially when the Post then
makes it a point in the piece of saying you
(27:32):
should expect threats if you do something like this. That's
just such rank intimidation of what I think that they
view as political opponents, such a dangerous press.
Speaker 7 (27:45):
Well, and they set themselves apart as completely partisan hacks here.
Speaker 5 (27:48):
They're hackery. This is what they're doing.
Speaker 7 (27:50):
They are the muscle for the Stalin regime of Mike
Johnston in Denver.
Speaker 5 (27:55):
This is what they're doing.
Speaker 7 (27:56):
This is what they're choosing to do, is to carry
the water for the mayor and the Democratic leadership. If
there were a Twitter handle, anybody like to do better
Denver on the left, Let's just paint a scenario here
for you, Dan and say they were going after in
clandestine fashion Sheriff Darren Weekley and Prosecutor George Brockler in
Douglas County. Would the Denver Post spend this much time,
(28:18):
energy and print space on their pages going after that
Twitter handle.
Speaker 2 (28:22):
We all know the answer to that, right, I mean, but.
Speaker 3 (28:27):
What's so stunning to me is that they would cross
that line into danger creation. When you cross that line
into at the same time you expose people private people
you report in the piece that now you should expect threats,
that that's just a whole other level of danger creation.
(28:49):
And as a Texter pointed out, isn't the Post aware
of the additional danger that puts its own journalists in
a lot of nutjobs out there?
Speaker 2 (28:58):
Here on the Dan Capitla Show.
Speaker 5 (29:01):
And now back to the Dan Kaplas Show podcast.
Speaker 3 (29:04):
Well in an afternoon, it's been I hope everybody goes
out and follows the website do better Denver. I'm not
saying everything they always put up there as accurate. I
don't know if it is or not, but I know
they work hard to expose the failings of the Johnston
administration and they're now being targeted by the Denver Post
outing just three very private women who are submitting information
(29:28):
to them.
Speaker 2 (29:28):
And yeah, so we've.
Speaker 3 (29:29):
Talked about that at length today, some of the texts
coming in on that. Dan, thanks for your top story today.
I am in southern Colorado, now fourth generation Denver. I
left Denver twenty years ago, never looked back. I still
listen to you on five ninety KCSJ. Thank you really
appreciate that, and we're proud to be on that great station. Dan,
(29:49):
would you consider taking this case very important public issues?
Thank you for the question, and we have taken and
we have fought very hard on some really important public interests,
public safety type cases. I don't see a case here.
I don't think there's any claim that these three private
women have against the Denver Post. I think what the
(30:12):
Denver Post did, in my opinion, it's immoral. I think
it's extraordinarily dangerous in the ways that I've documented during
the show. But I don't think there's a legal cause
of action there. There are just so many things in
life right that are immoral, dangerous, wrong for which there
is not a legal remedy. And maybe somebody else has
(30:33):
a different analysis, but I don't see a good basis
for a lawsuit there, Dan, Denver Post should be focusing
on outing the failures of Mike Johnston's management of the
city of Denver.
Speaker 2 (30:47):
Call them to account over and over again.
Speaker 3 (30:51):
Yeah, you know that's the way it should be, but
we all know that's not the way it is.
Speaker 2 (30:55):
Right.
Speaker 3 (30:56):
We used to be very blessed in this town to
have a two newspaper town with the Rocky Mountain News
and the Denver Post. And competition makes us all better, right,
I mean, I'm a better lawyer than i'd otherwise be
because of the competition. I hope I'm a better talk
show host for you because of the competition. I hope
I'm a better investigative reporter when I do that because
(31:16):
of the competition. And it's just too bad there isn't
that competition between major newspapers here.
Speaker 2 (31:22):
I think we'd be getting better.
Speaker 5 (31:24):
How the same time, how is it still real quick though?
Speaker 7 (31:27):
On this point, Dan, How is the Denver Post any
different or better than Pravda in Russia? Caring water for
putin in that they're not willing to be critical of
Mike Johnson. In fact, they're going to go after those
who are critical of the mayor and how the city's
being run.
Speaker 3 (31:42):
Well, what I'd say is, because you do see the
occasional break with the Denver Post, right, I mean, I
go back to what we talked about in the last
segment when we were leading the charge against this top
priority of Governor Polus and the left, which was to
legalize major sex crimes, island crimes, etc. For public school students,
(32:05):
and the Denver Post stepped up. I mean, we did
our part, but that bill, in my opinion, does not
get killed unless the Denver Post steps up and runs
my editorial front and center on Easter Sunday. And that
bill died two days later, not because of me. All
my editorial did was report the facts about the bill.
If the Denver Post hadn't stepped up and put that
(32:26):
front and center on Easter Sunday, I think that thing
probably becomes law. So that's what I'm saying, Ryan, is
you do see some breaks with the Post. I mean,
and there are some very good reporters. Jessica Sieman's a
great reporter. She did a tremendous story today on Kendrick Kestio.
Speaker 5 (32:42):
See that's what's about it. We work in this business.
Speaker 7 (32:45):
If I'm her, I am pissed off that my paper
ran this doxing article about do better Denver. This is
beneath the dignity of what the Denver Post used to
be and should be.
Speaker 2 (32:58):
Yeah.
Speaker 3 (32:58):
Oh, Yeah, and listen, if you're anybody in journalism right now,
you've got to be really ticked at the Post, because
what the Post did in this story, in my opinion,
is normalized threats against journalists. They bring in an expert
to justify what they're doing to these private women who
are just submitting Cora requests. They bring in an expert
(33:22):
to say she's a partial public figure.
Speaker 2 (33:24):
There ain't no such thing, by the way, and.
Speaker 3 (33:27):
That they should expect threats if they provide information to
this outlet. No, what they've done now is green light
and normalized threats against journalists, And it just isn't true.
It just isn't true that that's to be expected or
to be normal. When it happens, it should be taken
very seriously as something very serious, and the people who
(33:48):
issue the threats should be prosecuted. So yeah, I think
you've probably got a lot of journalists all over the
place unhappy with the Denver Post today. But doesn't that
just show how effective do better Denver is? And it
doesn't justify at all what the Posts did to these
three women and the danger they've created or increased for
(34:12):
journalists everywhere.
Speaker 2 (34:14):
But boy, I.
Speaker 3 (34:15):
Hope it makes everybody want to go and follow do
better Denver on X. I'm not saying everything they ever
do is accurate or whatever, but I think they put
a lot of important information out there. Please go follow them,
Tell all your friends to follow them. Do not let
this intimidation by the Denver post work. Tremendous job, Brian,
great job, Kelly, have a wonderful weekend. Join us Monday
(34:37):
please on the Dan Kapla Show.
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