Post's Kreck touted Boyles' planned Washington broadcasts on immigration, omitted Boyles' history of falsehoods on the topic

Written by Media Matters Staff

Published

In a column about 630 KHOW-AM host Peter Boyles' planned broadcasts from Washington, D.C., to " 'hold [Congress'] feet to the fire' " on immigration legislation, Dick Kreck of The Denver Post failed to mention that Boyles has repeatedly spread misinformation and falsehoods about immigration and illegal immigrants.

In his April 16 column, The Denver Post's Dick Kreck reported that Peter Boyles, who crusades against illegal immigration on his 630-KHOW-AM program, “is taking his case to the nation's lawmakers” by broadcasting his April 23-24 shows from Washington, D.C. Absent from the column (an online version appeared April 15) was any reference to Boyles' repeated dissemination of false and misleading information, which Colorado Media Matters has documented extensively, to advance his campaign against “the threat 'illegals' pose to Our American Way of Life.”

From Dick Kreck's column, “Boyles takes his fight against illegal immigration to D.C.,” in the April 16 edition of The Denver Post:

Talk-show host Peter Boyles, a motorcycle devotee who has been riding the anti-illegal immigration Harley for almost two years, is taking his case to the nation's lawmakers next week.

He'll do his morning show (5-9 a.m. weekdays, KHOW 630-AM) from Washington, D.C., April 23-24 “to encourage Congress to vote against amnesty for illegal aliens” says the station's website. “Hold their feet to the fire” as the popular battle cry goes.

As he often is on various topics (see Ramsey, JonBenét), Boyles is tightly wound about illegal immigration. His trip to D.C., he says, came about because there is “a moment when enough is enough. I've had enough.”

“Enough” for him came in May 2005 when Denver policeman Donnie Young was shot and killed by Raul Gomez-Garcia, who, it was later revealed, was in this country illegally.

“I was appalled. I knew Donnie through motorcycles. That was enough for me.” Boyles launched a million words.

He's frequently at odds with local media. Still, he labors on with his almost-daily diatribes on the threat “illegals” pose to Our American Way of Life.

He is not, he says, taking Tom Tancredo with him to Washington but if he doesn't have the anti-illegal immigration congressman/presidential candidate on either of his shows, it will be a major upset.

As Colorado Media Matters has noted, Boyles in his “almost-daily diatribes” routinely presents inaccurate or misleading information regarding immigration and illegal immigrants. Colorado Media Matters initiated a petition urging Boyles to apologize for the repeated false and misleading statements he and his guests have made on the subject. Kreck's failure to mention Boyles' history of misinformation was similar to his October 20, 2006, column about the petition, in which he allowed Boyles to deflect blame onto his guests. Boyles was quoted as saying falsely of the petition, “They want me to apologize for what other people say on the show. They're not accusing me, they're accusing other people.”

Additionally, in noting that “it will be a major upset” if U.S. Rep. Tom Tancredo (R-CO) is not a guest on Boyles' D.C. broadcasts, Kreck also failed to point out that Boyles reportedly has helped to raise funds for Tancredo's presidential bid. Colorado Media Matters has raised the question of whether Clear Channel Communications, KHOW's owner, would allow Boyles to discuss on the air Tancredo's cornerstone issue of immigration control or his presidential bid now that he has raised funds for Tancredo's campaign.