NPR Resurrects the Colorado Bridge Troll

Remember Boulder's Robert Hibbs (pictured), who earned an odd brand of renown as a bridge troll? National Public Radio didn't, to the service's profound embarrassment. Hibbs' story is pretty irresistible. According to a Channel 7 report, he was in a park "after demanding money and attacking [a] deputy. Police said...

By Michael Roberts

July 10, 2008

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Remember Boulder's Robert Hibbs (pictured), who earned an odd brand of renown as a bridge troll? National Public Radio didn't, to the service's profound embarrassment.

Hibbs' story is pretty irresistible. According to a Channel 7 report, he was in a park "after demanding money and attacking [a] deputy. Police said that Hibbs insisted he was a troll and owned the bridge the deputy was trying to cross... Witnesses told police that Hibbs and Bradley Boville, 19, were demanding $1 from joggers and bikers who attempted to cross the bridge."

No wonder the folks at NPR wanted to run the piece. Problem is, it took place in July 2006, yet they just aired it as if it was fresh from the wire.

This fact was acknowledged in a hilariously succinct correction. It reads: "This story, which we presented as recent news, turned out to be two years old."

C'mon, give 'em a break. After all, a lot of radio listeners love golden oldies. -- Michael Roberts

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Michael Roberts began his career with Westword in 1990 as music editor. In 1999, he took on a new role, full-time media reporter, as author of a column called The Message. In 2008, he became the lead writer for Westword's news blog, The Latest Word, a position he held until January 2023. Michael continues to freelance for Westword, covering everything from business to sports and the media; he also contributes to Jazziz, a national music magazine. He holds a bachelor's degree from what is now Colorado Mesa University and master's degrees from the University of California, Los Angeles, and Northwestern University.

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