Colorado Governor Jared Polis Signs Order to Protect Pollinators
The executive order directs state agencies to reduce pesticide use and support habitat protection.
AI-assisted coverage comparison, editor-supervised · How this was made
Colorado Governor Jared Polis Signs Order to Protect Pollinators
Photograph: Colorado Sun (embedded from source)
What this story says
- Colorado Governor Jared Polis signed an executive order to protect pollinators.
- The order directs state agencies to reduce pesticide use and implement pollinator-friendly controls.
- It also calls for support for local governments and private landowners in protecting pollinator habitat.
- Pollinators face threats including habitat loss, drought, invasive species, and pesticides.
Who covered it
Percentages are shares of the 7 outlets carrying a published leaning rating. 2 of the 9 outlets we know ran this story carry no rating and are not counted in them. Coverage measured .
Trust
42/100
Craft
61/100
Hype
20/100
9 sources · methodology
Thin on the right so far
None of the 7 outlets with a published leaning rating that ran this story are rated right.
This story is still being watched, so it is a count and not yet a finding. Coverage keeps arriving for hours after an event, and a side that has published nothing this morning may publish by tonight. If it is still true when we stop checking, we will say so plainly.
Colorado Governor Jared Polis has signed an executive order to protect bees, butterflies, and other pollinators. The directive instructs state agencies to reduce their use of pesticides and to employ pollinator-friendly controls. It also directs departments to assist local governments and private landowners in efforts to protect and establish pollinator habitat.
Pollinators in Colorado face significant threats, including habitat loss, drought, invasive species, and exposure to pesticides. Governor Polis has previously taken action to support pollinators, including creating an invertebrate and rare plant initiative and ordering the use of bee-friendly seed mixtures on state land.
Coverage comparison
What the coverage left out
None of the left, centre, or unrated reports mentioned previous specific actions by Governor Polis, such as the creation of an invertebrate and rare plant initiative or ordering bee-friendly seed mixtures on state land, details that were present in the full report from The Colorado Sun.
Still developing. We have re-checked which outlets are covering this 3 times, most recently on 17 Sept 2026, 13:00, and will add the sides that appear.
How each side covered it
Our own reading of the reporting listed below, written from the outlets’ articles rather than quoted from them. The reasoning is set out on our methodology page.
Left
4 rated outlets
- Reports from the left focused on Governor Polis's executive action to protect pollinators, highlighting the threats they face. The Colorado Sun, which provided a full report, noted Polis's background as a former beekeeper and florist. This report quoted Governor Polis stating, "Pollinators help grow everything we love in Colorado." It also included a statement from Allison Johnson, a senior attorney at the Natural Resources Defense Council, who said the action would help private landowners and local governments decrease the use of neonicotinoids, which she described as among the most dangerous pesticides for pollinators. The Daily Item and NRDC digests also covered the order, with The Daily Item's digest mentioning climate change, habitat loss, and pesticides as threats.
Centre
3 rated outlets
- The centre-rated reports highlighted Governor Polis's executive order and its aims to protect pollinators. The Longmont Leader's digest included a quote from the governor: "Colorado’s economy depends on agriculture and outdoor recreation, and that's why protecting and strengthening Colorado’s natural pollinators is so important." Digests from Lancaster Farming, Colorado Politics, and Denver Post all covered the executive order, with the latter two mentioning the threats of pesticides and habitat loss. Colorado Politics noted the order was intended to boost protections for pollinators.
Right
0 rated outlets
No outlet rated right has run this story so far. We are still checking, and will say plainly if that does not change.
Questions about this coverage
- How did the left and right cover Colorado Governor Jared Polis Signs Order to Protect Pollinators?
- Of the 7 outlets on this story carrying a published leaning rating, 57% are rated left, 43% are rated centre, 0% are rated right. Those percentages are shares of the rated outlets, not of every outlet that ran it, which was 9. The sections above set out what each side emphasised, in its own terms.
- Is Colorado Governor Jared Polis Signs Order to Protect Pollinators left or right?
- Too few of the outlets on this story carry a published leaning rating to say. 7 of them do, and this site does not characterise a field under 12: at that size one newsroom filing moves the share by ten points. The percentages above are the count as it stands.
- Is the coverage of Colorado Governor Jared Polis Signs Order to Protect Pollinators biased?
- Colorado Governor Jared Polis Signs Order to Protect Pollinators is one event reported by 9 outlets, and this page does not rate the story as biased or unbiased. What it publishes is the spread: which outlets ran it, where named rating organisations place each of them on the spectrum, and what each side chose to lead with. A leaning rating describes an outlet's record over time, not this article, and the two should not be run together.
- Which side is not reporting Colorado Governor Jared Polis Signs Order to Protect Pollinators?
- When we first saw this story, outlets rated right had barely covered it. Coverage accretes for hours after an event, so that is where to look rather than a verdict — the split above is the current count, and it is the one to read.
- Which outlets covered Colorado Governor Jared Polis Signs Order to Protect Pollinators?
- 9 that we know of, every one of them listed further up this page with a link to its own report and to what we hold on the publisher. Nothing here is a summary of somebody else's summary: the outlets are named so the original reporting can be read.
- What does Governor Polis's executive order require state agencies to do?
- The executive order directs Colorado state agencies to reduce their use of pesticides and to implement pollinator-friendly controls. It also mandates that departments support local governments and private landowners in their efforts to protect and establish pollinator habitat.
- What threats do pollinators face in Colorado?
- Pollinators in Colorado are threatened by habitat loss, drought, invasive species, and exposure to pesticides. Neonicotinoids are specifically mentioned as particularly dangerous pesticides for these insects.
- Has Governor Polis taken action to protect pollinators before?
- Yes, Governor Polis has previously taken steps to support pollinators. These include creating an invertebrate and rare plant initiative and ordering the use of bee-friendly seed mixtures on state land.
Read it at the source
9 outlets, grouped by the leaning a published rating gives them. Every headline links to the original; an underlined outlet name opens our profile of that publisher.
Left
4- New order by Colorado Gov. Jared Polis aims to protect bees and other pollinators from climate change, habitat loss (opens The Daily Item in a new tab)
The Daily Item — is The Daily Item biased? Our profile of this outlet
- Colorado governor, an ex-beekeeper, takes executive action to save the bees (opens Colorado Sun in a new tab)
Colorado Sun — is Colorado Sun biased? Our profile of this outlet
- NRDC Statement on Colorado Pollinator Executive Order (opens NRDC in a new tab)
- Governor Polis signs executive order aimed at protecting pollinators (opens Colorado Public Radio in a new tab)
Colorado Public Radio — is Colorado Public Radio biased? Our profile of this outlet
Centre
3- New order by Colorado Gov. Jared Polis aims to protect bees and other pollinators from climate change, habitat loss (opens Lancaster Farming in a new tab)
Lancaster Farming — is Lancaster Farming biased? Our profile of this outlet
- Colorado Gov. Jared Polis issues executive order to boost protections for pollinators (opens Colorado Politics in a new tab)
Colorado Politics — is Colorado Politics biased? Our profile of this outlet
- New order by Gov. Jared Polis aims to protect bees and other pollinators from pesticides, habitat loss (opens Denver Post in a new tab)
Denver Post — is Denver Post biased? Our profile of this outlet
Right
0No outlet in this group ran the story.
Not rated
2How did this read?
About the coverage, not about the story. We do not ask whether you agree with what happened — we have no honest use for that answer.
