U.S. Rep. Jared Polis released the following statement this afternoon apologizing for remarks he made over the weekend that new media “killed” the Rocky Mountain News and the outcome was “mostly for the better.”

“I apologize to the entire Rocky Mountain News family and anyone who was offended by my recent remarks,” the Boulder Democrat said. “I did not mean to offend nor to show anything less than a strong sense of remorse for the loss of the Rocky. Like many Colorado residents, I grew up reading the Rocky Mountain News, and its demise and the loss of over 200 jobs is a major blow to our community, especially in these troubled times.”

Polis, a first-term congressman, drew attention Monday for remarks he made to the Netroots Nation in Your Neighborhood event in Westminster on Saturday.

“I have to say, that when we say, ‘Who killed the Rocky Mountain News,’ we’re all part of it, for better or worse, and I argue it’s mostly for the better,” he said, according to a recording posted online.

“The media is dead, and long live the new media, which is all of us,” Polis continued

The Rocky Mountain News published its final edition on Friday, just weeks shy of its 150th birthday.