In "Loud and Clear," we get your feedback on Colorado Matters stories and interviews.
We got vastly different reactions to host Ryan Warner's latest interview with Governor John Hicknlooper. Diane Danielson, of Aurora, didn't appreciate their interaction around Denver's plan to end homelessness, which started 10 years ago under Hickenlooper's leadership and has had mixed results.
Hickenlooper said he's disappointed with the results but he never thought Denver would end homelessness, because it's reinvented every day. But he and other mayors around the country set the goal of "ending homelessness" to rally people to act, Hickenlooper said.
Warner asked if that was always clear. "Did you say that 10 years ago? 'We all know that this -- wink wink nudge nudge -- isn't going to happen'?"
Danielson wrote in to say, "The reason so many people are disgusted with the media are because reporters put words into the mouths of those they are interviewing, and skew the facts to make themselves more prominent... I suspect Ryan Warner is older than a high schooler, but his immaturity matches that of a teenager. Normally, I'm not a big defender of Hickenlooper, but Ryan Warner's sniping was uncalled for."
Laurie Cole, also of Aurora, had a different take, writing that she likes the questions Warner asks and the push for answers, when needed, and she called the governor's answers "thoughtful and pragmatic." "I feel well informed," she concluded.
Several listeners weighed in on our conversation with Rev. Leon Kelly, who runs Open Door Youth Gang Alternatives. We talked to him about the uptick in gang violence in metro Denver. Pastor Jordan Thompson-Elmore says "Rev. Kelly is truly a great man the type of leader we need to broker a truce and bring peace."
Margaret Tyler, of Denver, objected to Rev. Kelly's comments about gentrification's role in growing gang activity. Tyler wrote, "I am a resident of Northeast Denver, specifically the Cole Neighborhood. I moved into my home about two years ago, I am middle class, and dare I say, 'white.'
"When I moved into the neighborhood, I had my reservations. I was raised in the suburbs - with very little diversity. My ultra conservative and somewhat racist father did not want me to move into my beloved neighborhood, but I have reached beyond my upbringing to help, respect, and love my neighbors and preserve the culture within my community. So this shaming of the 'gentrification' of Denver, in my opinion, is unfounded… and basically calling for the segregation of communities.
"The problem is not the 'gentrification' of the neighborhood. The problem is that there is very little affordable housing in Denver if any at all. And this is a problem for everyone, not just Blacks and Latinos.
"I am not wrong for moving to the Cole neighborhood. I call it home and should not be shamed for calling it so," Tyler finished.
Colorado Matters aired two interviews recently about divesting from fossil fuels, hearing the arguments for and against the divestment movement.
"Thank you for upholding the sacred principles of he-said/she-said journalism. I feel so objective now," tweeted James Salsman, who went on to say he would have preferred hearing from someone with measurements of the historical effectiveness of divestment drives.
The folks at "Harvard Faculty for Divestment" wrote in, as well, to say, "Divestment is not intended to solve climate change. Its purpose is to expose the immoral and in many cases illegal behavior of the target industry. Divestment works by creating the necessary support for changes in national policy."
Singer and attorney Arthur Porter, of Denver, heard our conversation with the founder of Colorado MahlerFest. Robert Olson is stepping down after this year's festival. He talked about the massive scale of Mahler symphonies, and the number of musicians required to play them, particularly in the No. 8 Symphony. Warner replied that "400 musicians and singers" were on stage.
Porter calls that comment a "serious sleight."
"Why would you reduce vocal musicians to a class below instrumental musicians?" Arrogance? Ignorance? Carelessness?"
It was closest to the last one; Warner simply tried to distinguish vocalists from instrumentalists.
Conversations on-air are just the start of the conversation. Keep it going by giving us your feedback. Click "contact" at the top of this page, or visit the CPR News Facebook page or @ColoradoMatters on Twitter.
