Watch VideoPublic reaction to News First Investigation
Story By: Nicole Vandeputte
Source: KOAA
It's been almost a week since our story aired, showing El Paso County District Attorney John Newsome drinking alcohol and driving a county vehicle. This story obviously touched a nerve, and the comments are still coming in.
Some are telling us they've asked the Governor to look into it. His office tells News First this is an issue for the voters of El Paso county to handle. Some of the people responding want the District Attorney to step down. Other's say our story was unfair.
Our News First investigation shows El Paso County District Attorney John Newsome drinking roughly 130 ounces of beer in 5 hours, then getting into his county vehicle and driving.
On The Gazette's website, close to 540 comments have been posted about this story. We spoke with Editor Jeff Thomas. He says, "There's been a pretty robust community town hall all around this story: Our District Attorney, accountability, journalism and how it functions in our society. Really, quite interesting to watch."
Here are a couple of comments. One says "My son was joking around with his friends and I heard him say 'It's ok if we get drunk, all we have to do is say we're sorry.' I swiftly lectured him about it. He used the DA as an excuse."
Another wrote, "People have bigger things to worry about than the DA's drinking habits. Give it a couple weeks and this will be forgotten just like everything else around here."
Thomas says, "You have to remember what's happening online is just a small slice of community conversation."
We asked people in Colorado Springs what they think of the DA story. One man said, "He overstepped a boundary. I guess if somebody caught him drinking excessively, and he didn't get stopped by police, then it's a political thing. He should get slapped on the hand, be a good boy and behave himself. "
Another man said, "It's very unfair. They decide if someone goes to jail or whatever. Well, they're setting an example for everyone. So, if they get away with it, i think a lot of other officials are going to get away with it."
A couple of people we spoke with hadn't heard about the story. One woman questioned the media ethics involved. She said, "I think it's kind of strange how they are following him around. I don't think it's a good thing to be drinking the way he was on the job. It was a little disturbing."
On our website, that story has generated about triple the amount of traffic, of most stories we post. We always want to hear from you.
