An Open Letter To Dave Danforth, Owner and “Publisher/Mascot,” Aspen Daily News
Dear Dave:
You and I have had our differences over the years—too many to count—in part because I have been sliced open with a dirty knife by the Aspen Daily News like so many others before me. But that does not mean I take any pleasure in the mess that your editor, Troy Hooper, finally finds himself in.
This letter in the Aspen Times, from Denise Malcolm of Aspen, tells the tale:
This letter in the , from Denise Malcolm of Aspen, tells the tale:I have always loved the Aspen Daily News‘s catchy slogan, “If you don’t want it printed, don’t let it happen.” However, after discovering that Aspen Daily News writer and editor Troy Hooper struck a deal with the ethically challenged Aspen police officer, Valerie McFarlane — that he would not write any more unflattering stories that exposed her wanton disregard for professional ethics if she did not book him on a DUI charge (“Not only am I willing to give you the opportunity to walk away from that, I’ll give you a few of those opportunities, I really will.”) — I think that the Aspen Daily News should now change their slogan to “If you don’t want it printed, then strike a deal with one of our ethically challenged reporters or editors.” Both Troy Hooper and Valerie McFarlane have committed grave breaches of the public’s trust. At least the Aspen Police Department has seen fit to do the right thing. I am interested in seeing what the Aspen Daily News will do and how this story will be reported.
I too have been amazed at your newspaper’s utter disregard for a major story about your top editor (though it’s not the first time I’ve been amazed that stories go unreported). Not only has there not been a peep in the Daily about Troy’s troubles, but Troy actually had two stories in the paper today—as if his usual unrelenting work ethic can make this go away.
In fact, Dave, I disagree with Denise Malcolm—and many others—and
sincerely hope you will refrain from firing Troy and will give him a second chance. I know you fancy yourself as a journalist first and a “Publisher/Mascot” second, but I also think Troy’s troubles—did he actually bribe a cop to get out of a DUI?—give you an opportunity to finally get your journalistic house in order.
A few things have to happen:
n A front-page apology to the readers of the Aspen Daily News signed by both you and Troy explaining the incident, apologizing for it, and duly swearing that nothing like this will ever happen again.
n An immediate end to the slash-and-burn journalism that decides on the bad guys up front regardless of the facts gathered.
n The institution of journalistic rules of the road that require reporters to get both sides of the story or refrain from going to press with obviously biased, one-sided accounts.
n Clear, printed guidelines that state unequivocally that drinking, drugs, and newsgathering no longer mix at the Aspen Daily News—guidelines enforced by a zero-tolerance policy.
n The immediate suspension of Troy for 30 days to get his life in order, with the promise that like Charlie Sheen, he will seek the appropriate counseling for whatever demons and substances, controlled or not, bedevil him.
In better times—when you focused on your Santa Monica newspaper—you might have been able to say this did not happen on your watch. No such luck here. Since the downturn you have re-appointed yourself Publisher: in a normal newspaper setting there’s a strong chance you would be fired if you didn’t fire Troy Hooper for what he’s done. But the Aspen Daily News, for good and for ill, is not a normal newspaper. As the owner, you have the right to bestow a blessed dollop of mercy on a troubled employee, and I would urge you to do so.
I am genuinely impressed by the level of your accomplishment as an independent owner and publisher in a small town, but the Daily of late has been practicing journalism that constitutes reckless endangerment of the Fourth Estate. As someone recently stung by Troy said to me: “People need to learn you can’t believe what you read in the Daily News.”
Dave, I know you well enough to know that you would not want that one on your tombstone. So do the right thing. Help Troy Hooper so he can help you save the Aspen Daily News. It’s the right thing to do.
All best, Michael Conniff
i dont know conman, giving a 2nd chance may be admirable, but these times need papers above reproach.
I give them an F and say fire the bastar#
I will never listen to what they say again, however, I never did anyway.
ZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ!!!!!!!!!!!!
Only a highly stimulated lifeform–one might even say OVER-stimulated–would find this boring. It is anything but.
Maybe you meant to say something else Mr. McGarry. Perhaps something about St. Paddy’s Day and the thirst it inspires in both the wise and those creating their own demise?
Best, Con Man
You should have inserted a comma bvetween “else” and “Mr.”
You need an editor.
But you may be right. Perhaps the pain meds I have been taking as a result of my having fractured my leg (fibula) skiing is coloring my judgment. Let me get back with you after I talk about this matter with that stupid idiot, Andrew Kole. (Please note the comma between “idiot” and “Andrew.”)
Hard to throw that chair with a broken leg. But (comma) I know that you (comma) above all people (comma) will manage.
You should also be aware that the pace of life is now doing away with many of the commonplace commas. Don’t look behind, someone might be gaining on you.
Best, Con Man
Stranger than fiction: Danforth actually took my advice (above) and suspended Troy Hooper. Now about that DUI….
Best, Con Man!
Take a look-see here: http://www.aspendailynews.com/section/home/139733
Here is Hooper’s “Letter to the Edior” in apology. Worth noting: Hooper is the Editor so this is literally a letter to himself:
ADN editor apologizes for behavior
I would like to apologize for my behavior in the early hours of Feb. 19. I exercised poor judgment and said things that I regret.
Here are the facts of what happened that evening: Aspen police officer Valerie McFarlane stopped me on the street outside of my vehicle and offered me a ride home. When we arrived at the home where I was staying, we engaged in a conversation that covered many topics. But namely, it addressed Ms. McFarlane’s estranged boyfriend, for whom she has a restraining order. It is at this time that Ms. McFarlane began recording our conversation.
After having listened to the tape, I am embarrassed by my statements. As the editor of a newspaper, I should have upheld higher standards.
My sincere apologies go out to my employer, my colleagues, my family and friends, and to you the reader. At the Aspen Daily News, we have always upheld the standard that “If you don’t want it printed, don’t let it happen.”
This applies as much to me as to anyone. I sincerely hope I can regain your respect and trust.
— Troy Hooper
We can now officially call this “Hoopergate.”
We finally have the suspension of Troy Hooper for bargaining with a police officer and the probation that Publisher/Mascot Dave Danforth promises will follow.
Nowhere is Hooper’s apology in the Aspen Daily News was there an admission that he had done anything wrong. Hooper actually had to listen to the tape before he was “embarrassed” enough to write the apology. There was “poor judgement” and he’s sorry for that. But Hooper never admitted he was wrong–and oh boy was he wrong in every respect.
Even a specialist in denial like Dave Danforth, who writes a column filled with imaginary people, can see the denial still in Hooper.
Danforth said on the front page of his own paper: ““What I’m concerned about is the reputation of the paper,” Danforth said, “and the fear I have that these lapses of judgment under these circumstances could happen again because he’s just not owning up to the problem.”
Danforth acts as if he had nothing to do with the problem and the culture of corruption that caused it–the hit-and-run journalism he allowed to continue under his renewed watch.
If Danforth wants Hooper to own up the the problem, then Danforth had best own up to what he has allowed the Aspen Daily News to become: a joke.
I’ve never met Troy Hooper, and based on his response when I suggested on this blog that area newspapers should “man-up” and publish the letters of Sue Gray, I haven’t looked at ADN in years, even though I like the motto: “If you don’t want it printed, don’t let it happen…”
Cheers,
This letter appeared in the Aspen Times:
Dear Editor:
While Mr. Hooper has “apologized” for his behavior on Feb. 19 and claims to embrace the Aspen Daily News’ slogan of “If you don’t want it printed, don’t let it happen,” his behavior after the Feb. 19 incident, presumably while sober, of threatening to sue The Aspen Times and The Associated Press if they reported the story, speaks volumes.
As a reporter and the editor of a newspaper, Mr. Hooper should embrace the right of the freedom of the press, and should not be creating his own “chilling effect” on their exercise of their First Amendment rights as a means to further his personal agenda. Despite the claim in his apology, Mr. Hooper’s own motto seems to be, “If you don’t want it printed, then bury the story at your own newspaper and then threaten to sue any other news source that tries to cover it.”
Mr. Hooper should be apologizing to our community for this conduct, too. While Mr. Hooper might be able to use the always-popular “I was drunk” excuse for the Feb. 19 transgressions, the subsequent conduct apparently happened while he was sober and from his official Aspen Daily News e-mail account.
I applaud the Aspen Daily News for finally covering this story and living up to the commitment that they have made to our community in their slogan. Mr. Danforth’s candor in the article is refreshing. I, like many others, hope that the Aspen Daily News will put appropriate oversight in place to ensure that the news coverage in our community cannot be distorted by the personal agenda of any single employee.
The Aspen Police Department did not do Mr. Hooper any favors by taking him home without charging him with a DUI. Mr. Hooper’s “get out of jail free” card has cost him his credibility as a journalist. A DUI would have had a much smaller cost. Mr. Hooper is a talented writer and I truly hope that he can find his way and restore the trust that has been lost. But in the meantime, I personally think that Mr. Hooper should be covering sports and the local social scene rather than local police and court matters.
Denise Malcolm
Aspen
Aspen Daily News Owner/ Publisher/ Mascot / Acting Editor Dave Danforth weighed in on Hoopergate in his own Sunday column:
Aspen conservative activists Marilyn Marks and Elizabeth Milias felt discomfort after publication of their e-mails back and forth. Those messages hinted that Marks was stage-managing the city’s short-lived Elections Commission after Milias, her campaign treasurer and blog site partner, won appointment to one of its three seats.
Marks and Milias are smart enough to understand that e-mails belonging to public officials are “discoverable,” even by their adversaries…..
Now behold Troy Hooper, the editor of the Aspen Daily News. Hooper, who like most citizens, didn’t realize that police can and do routinely tape conversations in their cruisers. Because police officers are employed by the same public that owns their equipment, such conversations are also public — available for the asking….
On the tape, Hooper appears grateful enough for McFarlane’s overlooking his possible drunken driving that he promised to go easy on her in the paper…..
These “oops” moments…are only the latest in which public officials or figures are betrayed by their own words. They inadvertently oozed into public when their creators missed a basic truth. When the public pays at least one of the participants, it usually owns the equipment that records their exchanges. That would include tapes, texts and e-mails.
Most of us are somewhere between uninvolved and amused. If there’s a lesson anywhere, it’s that what we say isn’t as secret as we think. Our employers have a right to see our e-mails, read our texts, and hear our tapes on company devices. If a public body is involved, our employer is ultimately the public, and their inquiring minds will want to know….
In embarrassing episodes like these, it will help us to own our own mistakes. Yet most of us won’t. Like dogs near what looks like a tasty meal, we’ll not recognize in time the danger that lurks.
I laughed (comma) I cried (comma) I couldn’t but it (your response) down, I would otherwise give you kudos for a pithy, funny response (comma) but I think its the pain meds that make it seem so.
PS Andrew Kole says you are a stupid idiot!. .