Because of the extensive and prominent coverage in the Denver Post and Rocky Mountain News the last couple of days, you may have heard that the Al Jazeera English television network is coming to Golden during the Democratic National Convention -- specifically on Aug. 27 and 28. There are some concerns being voiced and lots of misinformation floating around, so we wanted to take this opportunity to explain to our citizens what we know and what the City's position on their visit is.

First and foremost, it is important for you to know that Al Jazeera is not a terrorist group or affiliated with any terrorist groups. They are the first 24-hour English language news channel broadcasting throughout the world (reaching 120 million households in 80 countries). Their offices are based in Doha (in the country of Qatar), Kuala Lumpur, London and Washington, D.C. They are a legitimate news organization, whether one agrees with their particular angles or not.

Golden did not actively seek out Al Jazeera to come here. They approached us when they were initially scouting locations and once they had decided to come here, we met with them regarding security concerns and to answer any questions they had about Golden -- just like we would have for Fox News or CNN or any other news organization.

So here is what they have planned:  Their network will be primarily broadcasting from Denver at the Convention Center and from Angie's Bar on Federal (adjacent to Invesco Field) talking to politicos, activists and experts throughout the week. They are coming with a crew of about 15 people to do some very brief interviews (probably about 5 minutes each of 3 times) with "regular" American people from small-town Golden.

They will set up on the back patio of the Buffalo Rose on Wednesday, Aug. 27. They are carefully selecting guests for that day to speak on the economy and the war. The Rose's regular clientele may appear in the background, but should not be randomly interviewed during the live broadcasts. The Al Jazeera producers chose the Buffalo Rose and made their own arrangements with the owners.

They also asked the City to help them find a person who might be willing to host a typical American backyard BBQ on Thursday, Aug. 28, and again interview a few pre-selected people on the healthcare system, the environment and get reaction to Obama's speech that night. City Manager Mike Bestor offered permission to use his backyard as a private citizen and Al Jazeera is paying for all the expenses. The City supports the limited involvement our City Manager and Communications Manager have had, in large part because of the opportunity it provided the City to influence the way Golden is portrayed to a worldwide audience. Once Al Jazeera chose to come here, it made sense for us to ensure that the rest of the world has a view of Golden that represents the true political diversity we have here (and in this country) and to really show our great Democracy in action.

Since that time, we have heard and understand the concerns of some citizens about our association with things Al Jazeera has chosen to air. The City Council, City Manager and Communications Manager see this as a fundamental question of the First Amendment. Like any news organization, Al Jazeera English has the right to come to Golden. It is our view that the First Amendment unequivocally protects their right to report news without government interference. And our City Manager and elected officials feel strongly that it is our obligation to protect that right, even if we don't share all of their views or reporting tactics. Having said that, we would like to also share Al Jazeera's Code of Ethics.

The crew visiting Golden is based out of and lives in Washington, D.C., and they are hiring some people from Denver to assist in their coverage of the DNC. There is more information on the anchor that will be hosting the Golden interviews. You can also view more about Al Jazeera online. 

We are sending you this information so that you can be informed about Al Jazeera's visit. If you have more questions or concerns you'd like to talk about, please contact Communications Manager Sabrina D'Agosta at 303-384-8132.