Fox News on Wednesday portrayed Durango as a picturesque mountain town – once vibrant and upscale, “dotted with luxury hotels” – but recently “overrun by panhandlers,” thanks, in part, to legalized marijuana.
The story, headlined “Legalized marijuana turns Colorado resort town into homeless magnet,” was the most-read U.S. story Wednesday on FoxNews.com.
It was written by Joseph J. Kolb, a Fox contributor who was in town for a soccer shootout last weekend, according those he interviewed. For his 850-word piece, Kolb quoted five sources: a man holding a cardboard sign; a gift shop manager; an anonymous hotel clerk; Durango Police Chief Kamran Afzal; and Tim Walsworth, executive director of Durango Business Improvement District,
In an interview Wednesday, Walsworth took exception with Kolb and his story, saying the reporter barely identified himself, omitted comments that didn’t fit his angle and based the article on a few opinions. The result was a superficial glance at an issue in a community the writer was passing through, those who talked to him said.
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