Purplish considers those with concerns to be "anti-immigrant". Public media learns about taxpayers. Give your two cents worth to CPW on their strategic plan.

May 04, 2025

Purplish considers those with concerns to be "anti-immigrant"

The episode of the Colorado Capitol Alliance (read: funded in part with taxpayer money) podcast "Purplish" linked below has something in it which is easy to miss.

If you go to the 3:30 mark in the show, you'll hear the following:

CPR's Bente Birkeland:
"One reason they [migrants] came here was because Texas was sending them, and this was part of an effort to punish states that make life easier for undocumented people. And Colorado is definitely one of those states trying to do that. Colorado has laws meant to hinder deportation operations, and a network of nonprofits and local resources to support immigrants."

KUNC's Lucas Brady Woods:
"At the same time, anti-immigrant sentiment has been rising both across the country and here in Colorado. Lots of people feel like the system is broken and the border has become meaningless."

Did you catch it? "Anti-immigrant".

Put that word with its meaning and connotation next to the way Birkeland described Colorado's efforts (both those by the State and by nonprofits).

This is a smear. It characterizes any and all with concerns about how our immigration system works or doesn't as "anti-immigrant".

Bad enough on its own by a news organization, it becomes worse when you note that this is coverage that we got to help fund via taxpayer dollars: the Corporation for Public Broadcasting gave tax money to KUNC to help fund things like the Purplish podcast.

As I have written before, you should treat news coverage (and this goes double for coverage funded with your tax dollars) the same way you would with an elected official's behavior or choices: if you see or hear something you don't like, call it out.

Toward that end, below the link, you will see an open letter written to KUNC, Birkeland, Lucas Brady Woods, and the editor of the Purplish podcast, CPR's Megan Verlee.

Speak up about things like this. It's your money.

**Quick additional notes since sending the letter: I was wrong in the original version of the letter in both the spelling of a reporter's name (Shelly vs. Sherry) and also in saying Ms. Sherry said something she didn't. I corrected my email below, and, in a separate email to the same recipients I apologized and corrected my first email to them. Also you probably won't be surprised to know that the recipients of this letter sent me back their thoughts. I won't share the exchange with you since I didn't ask permission or ask for a statement, but I do feel it right to share that they steadfastly stand behind their reporter and reporting and also strenuously object to my contentions below.

https://www.cpr.org/podcast-episode/colorado-answers-trumps-immigration-crackdown-with-expanded-protections/

An open letter re. Lucas Brady Woods' "anti-immigrant" smear on the April 18, 2025 episode of the Purplish podcast

Good morning,

My name is Cory Gaines. I write this open letter today to address a concern I have over your 4/18/2025 episode of the Purplish podcast titled "Colorado Answers Trump's Immigration Crackdown with Expanded Protections".

Starting at about the 3:30 mark in the show, you have the following exchange:

I call your attention to the way Mr. Woods characterizes those with concerns over immigration: it isn't neutral language, it is the phrase "anti-immigrant".

Intentional or a slip, this is a smear. It is an insult made all the worse knowing that those who are its subject got to help fund this via their tax dollars.

To be sure, there are those who have concerns over immigration that are motivated by what could properly be characterized as an "anti-immigrant" (xenophobic, jingoistic) feeling. There are, however, just as there are on every side of every issue, a variety of perspectives and motivations in people's hearts.

In the course of my life, I have worked with people here legally and illegally, at all levels of education. In my own family there are relatives who came here from the Philippines and Cyprus. I have concerns about our border, but I am not, as Mr. Woods has it, "anti-immigrant".

Mr. Woods' follow-on sentence is much closer to fair, but yet, the "anti-group of humans" remains. It clearly sets the tone. It makes a lie of the other words that follow because what Mr. Woods says makes clear what he, and presumably the others involved in the hosting, editing, and production of this podcast, think. If the insult here stuck out to anyone, I would have expected someone involved to note it and perhaps call for an edit or a clarification.

This is later followed in the discussion of SB25-766, where the hosts take the tiem to note those testifying in support of the bill, but no mention whatsoever or anyone who testified against it and what their concerns might have been.

It is followed by co-host Ms. Birkeland mentioning political theater over immigration and only mentioning Congressional Republicans' hearing involving Denver Mayor Mike Johnston, not any of Johnston's own political posturing.

All of this adds up to reinforce the quite-justifiable view by many who don't share your political leanings that your reporting is unfair and that you are taking tax money to help amplify and justify one particular belief about this and other issues.

I would like to remind anyone reading this letter that their tax money helped fund this insult and invite them to share their thoughts with you as well.

Cory

Per the Complete Colorado article linked below, our governor seems to have some concerns about the sanctuary state bill they allude to in the Purplish episode above.

Do you suppose that KUNC's Lucas Brady Woods would label him as "anti-immigrant" too?

https://completecolorado.com/2025/04/28/senate-bill-276-colorado-illegal-immigration-sanctuary-status/

Public media learns about taxpayers

Missing from a lot of public media reporting of late is you and I, taxpayers. Over and over there are articles about tax beneficiaries and how they're harmed by government cutbacks, but when it comes to discussions about those that pay the bills--their concerns, their money, the effect of government spending on our collective future--there's been a blank.

I came across a couple of interviews lately on CPR where the Republican interviewees did (in my opinion) a masterful job of reminding the CPR reporters of the other side of the story. They're both linked below.

The first is a recent episode of the podcast Purplish (quick side note: this is funded in part by your tax dollars, see the first post today) where CPR's Bente Birkeland and Caitlyn Kim had a discussion with Republican State Senator Barb Kirkmeyer and later Democratic Congressman Joe Neguse.

Say what you will about Senator Kirkmeyer, but she does a masterful job here. By this point it's no secret that any conservative talking to the Colorado mainstream media faces (at best) a headwind. That's evident in the questions they throw at Kirkmeyer, but you will note that over and over Kirkmeyer keeps the focus on the state's role, the fact that tax money comes from the people not the ether.

The second link below is to an interview between Gabe Evans and CPR's John Daley. If that name is familiar, it ought to be. I have highlighted his advocacy masquerading as news (especially about Medicaid, his favorite hobbyhorse of late) more than once lately.

As with Kirkmeyer, Evans here faces a headwind, a series of difficult questions the likes of which Daley has yet to put to a single Democrat, and handles it well. He too keeps the focus on the taxpayer and the balance between government services with the taking of money from the public to fund those services.

Both are worth a ,listen/read. They are a good way to help you find the words to discuss these issues with others.

Would that we didn't have to remind the media about the fact that the money taken from families to pay out benefits to others is money that raises the cost of living, would that we didn't have to remind the media that money given to others is less money one can spend on their own children, but here we are.

I am glad to see these two standing up and reminding the media what they should already be aware of.

https://www.cpr.org/podcast-episode/trump-100-days-kirkmeyer-neguse/

https://www.cpr.org/2025/04/25/colorado-gop-rep-gabe-evans-federal-budget-medicaid-cuts/

Give your two cents worth to CPW on their strategic plan.

You have until May 26th 2025 to offer your feedback on CPW's 10 year strategic plan (2026 to 2036).

Quoting the CPW page linked below (with the link to the earlier strategic plan left intact):

"CPW's current Strategic Plan(External link) was adopted in 2015. While this plan has guided our efforts well since then, it's no surprise that the world around us has changed significantly in 10 years. CPW’s 2026 Strategic Plan will serve as a roadmap to address current and future challenges and opportunities, enhance our service to the public, and strengthen our commitment to stewardship of parks and wildlife resources balanced with outdoor recreation opportunities."

You will find the form for offering anonymous feedback in the CPW page. Take a minute to go and fill it out. I say this in particular if you are from a rural area, a hunter, and/or in Ag because you know the animal rights people and environmentalists have geared up to make sure their thoughts are well represented.

https://engagecpw.org/cpw-strategic-plan

Colorado Accountability Project

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