Local News Organization Declines “Freedom of the Press” Town Hall Invitation

Ark Valley Voice (AVV) has declined to participate in a “Freedom of the Press” town hall organized by the Chaffee County Patriots, citing concerns about the group’s history of platforming disinformation and promoting divisive content.

The decision came after careful consideration by the AVV newsroom team, who determined that participating would conflict with their journalistic mission to provide fact-based reporting and “give truth a voice.” In a public statement, AVV explained their reasoning and announced plans to present findings regarding the stance of the Chaffee Patriots organization and some of its members.

“Our First Amendment role and our journalistic ethics require that we confront disinformation. That we not platform prejudice, hate, and discrimination,” AVV stated. “Whether intentionally or not, Chaffee Patriot members have often made a point of displaying this behavior, and they have done so since their inception.”

The Chaffee County Patriots originated as a private Facebook group on August 7, 2020, formed less than 24 hours after AVV published a story about an incident in Buena Vista on July 4. According to AVV, the group’s original mission statement, which has since been removed from their website, included language that could be interpreted as inciting violence.

AVV’s investigation revealed that the organization has a pattern of hosting speakers associated with controversial viewpoints and disputed claims. Last year, the Patriots hosted a representative from Turning Point USA, an organization that the Anti-Defamation League (ADL) has described as providing a “vast platform for extremists and far-right conspiracy theorists.”

The news outlet also noted that the Patriots have invited speakers Joel Oltmann and David Clements, both of whom AVV characterized as having “a history of violent rhetoric and accusations of spreading misinformation, specifically in relation to the 2020 election.”

Another concern raised by AVV was the Patriots’ screening of “Constitution Alive,” a 2015 film featuring David Barton and former Texas legislator Rick Green. AVV described the content as “considered highly inaccurate by historians” and noted that Barton “is not a historian and is anti-LGBTQIA+, anti-Muslim, and a proponent of Christian supremacy.”

The news organization’s concerns extended beyond the Patriots’ public events to the social media conduct of the group’s leadership, including President Brian O’Connell, Vice President Dennis Heap, and Secretary Alan Seeling. AVV provided screenshots showing what they described as examples of racist, Islamophobic, and anti-transgender content, as well as various forms of misinformation.

One example highlighted was a post by O’Connell stating that people from Somalia are “unwelcome in the US,” which AVV characterized as embracing “racist ideology.” Other examples included posts suggesting that the NFL is promoting “anti-Americanism & globalist homosexual propaganda” and content that appeared to glorify violence.

AVV emphasized that while these posts were made on personal social media accounts rather than official Chaffee Patriots channels, “they speak to the public persona of the individuals who lead” the organization.

In their analysis, AVV drew a distinction between expressing opinions and spreading hate speech, noting: “It is possible to disagree with something without vilifying that person, group, or race of people.”

The news organization concluded that the trend of “glorifying violence, spreading disinformation, and perpetuating hateful rhetoric” among Patriot members made their participation in the town hall incompatible with their journalistic mission.

AVV has previously published numerous articles covering the Chaffee Patriots, militias, and right-wing extremism, indicating an ongoing focus on these topics in their regional coverage.