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Of the two Denver dailies, the
Rocky Mountain Newsis the one that's likeliest to use its press for self-promotion. Witness
Rockyeditor/publisher/president John Temple's Saturday column, which pays tribute to the tabloid's greatness on an extremely regular basis. Today, however, the
Denver Posttook this often tacky tack to its logical conclusion in regard to a story about an advertising and business consortium that will link 176 American newspapers, including the
Postand the
Rocky, with Yahoo! The
Rockyran an
articleon the deal, too, but wisely kept the matter in proportion by describing it in the business section. In contrast, the
Postplaced its
effortin an extremely prominent page one position, and turned it into a valentine to Dean Singleton, owner of (yep) the
Denver Post.
Don't get me wrong. The pact was worthy of coverage -- and it's also a smart move for the participating daily newspapers, since it allows them to join forces with a web giant rather than waste their time fighting it for hits and ad revenue. That doesn't make it one of the day's most vital items, though: not even close. The Post-ies who put the piece in this slot may have made points with their superiors, but betcha the average reader didn't greet it with a cry of "Yahoo!" -- Michael Roberts
Keep Westword Free... Since we started Westword, it has been defined as the free, independent voice of Denver, and we would like to keep it that way. Offering our readers free access to incisive coverage of local news, food and culture. Producing stories on everything from political scandals to the hottest new bands, with gutsy reporting, stylish writing, and staffers who've won everything from the Society of Professional Journalists' Sigma Delta Chi feature-writing award to the Casey Medal for Meritorious Journalism. But with local journalism's existence under siege and advertising revenue setbacks having a larger impact, it is important now more than ever for us to rally support behind funding our local journalism. You can help by participating in our "I Support" membership program, allowing us to keep covering Denver with no paywalls.