Honesty and transparency focus of RTD's new newsroom

Denver’s Regional Transportation District (RTD) is one of the largest mass transit systems in the United States. We operate for the benefit of more than three million people in a 2,400 square-mile service area that spans 40 municipalities in eight counties. We are also a key planning agency for the future of transportation needs in one of the fastest-growing major cities in the nation. As a public agency, RTD has the responsibility of communicating openly and honestly with the communities we serve. But this is a challenge for many public agencies, especially when things get tough. But we have to own our news - the good, the bad and the ugly.

We have a lot to communicate and we want to make sure we keep everyone informed and up-to-speed on the latest news and important RTD decisions and projects. Therefore, RTD is increasing the amount of information, material and content we share through a dedicated newsroom section of the RTD website called the News Stop. 

We are committed to sharing more information than ever with the people of the Denver metro area, our 3,000 employees and our 15-member Board of Directors, as well as with the media that help communicate about what’s happening at RTD and the impact of our decisions. Our commitment is to be transparent and not only explain what we are doing, but why we are doing it, and how we are facing our challenges and opportunities. Also, to tell the interesting stories that lie within the agency, how we do things, and the dedicated people who are committed to their roles as public servants.

Our newsroom is not intended to replace reporting by outside, independent journalists, but rather provide more information to both the public and the reporters who cover us. We're not trying to be a 24/7 news operation, posting new content every five minutes. We'll leave that to the news pros. And we’ll continue our responsive interaction with local and national media to help them tell their stories. But in a time of intense media competition where media organizations fight to stay relevant, some media organizations aren't telling the whole story. 

Our goal in building a more robust news section on our website is to be more transparent, and to ensure we’re not only telling what is happening, but why it’s happening. This is often the part that is left out, with some news outlets focused on sensationalizing one part of the story. The public deserves the whole story.

When you sign up to work for a public agency you also sign up for accountability and scrutiny, as should be the case because we work to serve the people. But it also requires owning our own stuff when stuff happens. And what I've found in my years of doing this is that people may not like what you have to tell them, but they appreciate that you've told them.

So, here we go. Welcome to the News Stop.