As a writer, I've typed and done a lot of other things at the same time. But I've never typed and begged simultaneously, like I'm doing now.

I'm on my knees begging the Denver media to give us more coverage of the Iraq war over the next year, as we decide who will be the next president.

You get the general impression that coverage of the war is slipping in both Denver dailies. And by one imperfect measure, it is.

From Oct. 21 to Nov. 20, 2006, the war appeared on the front pages of the Rocky Mountain News and The Denver Post 13 times each.

During the same period in 2007, the war appeared on the front pages of each daily once. (This was the most recent month that the newspapers are available on film at the downtown library.)

The news from Iraq, good or bad, is as important as it ever was. No month should pass when the Iraq war logs only one front-page appearance. Here are ideas for boosting coverage.

* Economic costs. When U.S. casualties in Iraq reached 1,000, 2,000, and then 3,000, the dailies ran major coverage of the milestones.

After the death of the 3,000th American soldier, for example, the Rocky printed the names of all dead U.S. soldiers on the front page.

The dailies should treat the economic costs of the war as they've treated U.S. casualties.

To mark economic milestones, the Rocky should fill its front page with graphics representing teachers who could have been hired with money spent on Iraq.

Through 2007, Colorado's proportional contribution to the Iraq war could have been used to hire 125,000 elementary school teachers or provide health insurance to 2 million Coloradans, according to the National Priorities Project, a liberal think tank.

But this isn't partisan information. It's a simple explanation of our nation's economic sacrifice, just as casualties represent the human sacrifice.

If you think it's biased to show how many teachers we could hire with Iraq money, pick something else for the front page, like police officers or tax refunds.

America has spent $495 billion directly on the war, according to National Priorities Project, with Colorado contributing $7 billion.

When this figure reaches the milestone of $500 billion, the dailies should dedicate the front pages to explaining what it means. And they should do this again when other economic milestones are reached. (Disclaimer: A recent client promoted Iraq war spending trade-offs.)

As part of this, local journalists should reference dollar figures in play at the state legislature. For example, the Rocky reported Tuesday that lawmakers might have trouble finding $23 million to cover a fraction of Colorado's own kids who lack health insurance. This amounts to about two hours of spending on the Iraq war.

* Fort Carson news. There are about 4,000 soldiers from Colorado's Fort Carson in Iraq, and 45 of them died in 2007.

The Rocky ran 100 stories last year by staff or Colorado Springs Gazette reporters about Fort Carson and Iraq (vs. the Post's 42 staff-written pieces).

The Rocky tries "to write about all Iraq deaths with Colorado connections," Rocky managing editor Deb Goeken e-mailed me, adding that "in the case of a Fort Carson-based soldier, we make every attempt to contact their family and to write their life stories as completely as possible."

My review shows the Rocky has been doing this consistently. The Post has been less consistent, though it tries to cover memorial services of all Fort Carson soldiers, according to Post managing editor Gary Clark.

(The Post prints Associated Press profiles, called "Portraits of Valor," of all U.S soldiers who die in Iraq. Exactly 3,470 portraits have run so far, and the Post will continue running them, according to Clark.)

For impact, it's hard to top the Fort Carson stories and photos of families dealing with the death, injury, deployment or return of soldiers.

And the behavior of the Army, as exposed, for example, in the Post's recent piece about a Carson soldier with bipolar disorder who was forced to deploy, makes for great journalism.

So I think both dailies, especially the Post, should expand their Fort Carson coverage.

Reporters should track how the Army is dealing with the injuries, how Fort Carson families are coping with the physical and psychological impact of repeat deployments, how they're viewing the election, and more.

* Remembering the troops. It can sound hokey when Steffan Tubbs signs off from Colorado's Morning News on KOA with, "Remember the troops."

But I respect Tubbs for it, and I hope all Denver journalists hear him and act accordingly.

Which puts me back on my knees. Maybe you're right if you're thinking I'm a pathetic media critic, but, please, Denver journalists, I beg you, cover this war like your kid's life and America's future depended on it.

Jason Salzman, president of Cause Communications and board chairman of Rocky Mountain Media Watch, is the author of Making the News: A Guide for Activists and Nonprofits. Reach him at salzmanj@RockyMountainNews.com.