The Pikes Peak Bulletin was not John Weiss’s first choice of newspaper for the publication of his letter in support of ballot measure 2A, which he wrote in response to an op-ed by the Gazette editorial board against the measure. He first submitted his letter to The Gazette. [Editor’s note: Weiss has advertised with the Bulletin and made donations.]
The Bulletin plans to publish Weiss’s letter in full after source materials for facts and figures have been provided, per our letter to the editor policy. [Update Oct. 26: Weiss’s letter may be found here.] However, The Gazette did not cite factual errors as the reason for declining Weiss’s letter, but rather what The Gazette deemed “allegations” in Weiss’s letter against the newspaper.
In his letter, Weiss noted the Gazette op-ed’s lack of disclosure that The Gazette and the Cog have the same owner – billionaire Phil Anschutz owns Clarity Media which owns The Gazette, and his corporation also owns The Broadmoor Manitou & Pikes Peak Cog Railway. Weiss received a reply indicating The Gazette took umbrage to Weiss’s critique.
Weiss wrote, “It is worth noting that this very profitable business has the same ownership as the Colorado Springs Gazette, a conflict-of-interest not revealed in the editorial opposing the Manitou Springs ballot question. (“No to 2A’s Crippling Tax Increase on Manitou’s Attractions,” Friday Oct. 10, 2025, page A5). No wonder the newspaper editorializes that someone else cover the impact of the budget crunch.”
Weiss also noted he previously served as the publisher of the Colorado Springs Independent and the Colorado Springs Business Journal. He is now the owner of the Historic Penny Arcade, Manitou’s third most popular tourist attraction behind the Broadmoor Cog and The Incline.
Weiss forwarded me the reply he received from a member of The Gazette’s editorial board.
Here is my email to editorial board member Pula Davis seeking clarification of The Gazette’s decision as expressed in the email to Weiss:
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Hi, Pula.
John Weiss sent me his pro-2A letter along with a reply from you declining the letter:
John,
After discussing this with our publisher, we have decided not to publish the op/ed. We don’t typically allow endorsement op/eds and the piece makes several allegations against our newspaper.
Pula Davis
I’d like to better understand The Gazette’s position. I looked at your opinion section guidelines and I don’t see a prohibition on endorsements. In fact, it seems to explicitly welcome them.
And I’m not sure I understand what the “several allegations” are. I assume one “allegation” is that the Cog has the same ownership as the Colorado Springs Gazette, and this wasn’t disclosed in the op-ed against 2A (though I have seen it disclosed in other Gazette pieces that discuss the Cog).
The other “allegation” about the paper (I assume) is when Weiss writes, “No wonder the newspaper editorializes that someone else cover the impact of the budget crunch.”
That is perhaps not a very charitable thing to write, but it is well inside the bounds of criticism of important people or entities that are frequently found in letters to the editor, and are considered part of a robust public discourse.
Is my understanding also your understanding of what the “allegations” are? If not, could you please clarify?
As of right now (Oct. 18) I do not see a disclosure on the online version of The Gazette’s op-ed against 2A.
Why is there not a disclosure in this opinion piece?
I’d also appreciate any other insight you have as to how the publisher (Clarity Media CEO Chris Reen) handled this letter, and your thoughts on how that handling aligns with best newsroom practices.
Warm regards,
Heila Ershadi
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Readers, we will keep you posted when we receive a reply from The Gazette.
The Pikes Peak Bulletin welcomes your letters and opinion pieces on all manner of topics of public interest. If you’ve followed us for any length of time, you know we accept and print writing that criticizes the Bulletin – in fact, we welcome it. A smart critic is a great teacher.
See our Letters to the Editor from June 2025, “A reader calls us out and we consider his point” and “Politicians and the media: A crosseyed look at both” for some recent examples of how we handle the concerns that readers raise.
Weiss is right: The Gazette should have included a disclosure on its opinion piece against 2A. And, instead of getting defensive and refusing to accept the kind of letter it says it wants, The Gazette should have accepted the feedback, added a disclosure and a correction, and moved on.
My friendly, unsolicited advice to The Gazette is to remember a few cutely named maxims. The first is The Rule of Holes which states, “When you’re in one, stop digging.” Also remember the Streisand Effect, when attempts to conceal only draw greater attention.
Readers, we look forward to more of your letters. Send them to heila@pikespeakbulletin and put “letter to the editor” in the subject line. Please keep letters to 500 words or less and provide sources for facts and figures. For longer guest opinion pieces, reach out to me at my email or at 719-373-1150 and let’s talk over the subject matter and scope first.
[Editor’s note Oct 18: This piece was updated to correct the link for 2A. Thank you to the reader who pointed this out!]
[Editor’s note Oct. 19: This piece was updated with a portion of Weiss’s letter noting his connection to the Indy and the Manitou attraction the Penny Arcade. Again, thanks to a reader!]
