House committee passes measure targeting mug-shot websites
A Colorado legislative committee advanced a bill aimed at stopping Internet sites from publishing mug shots and then charging fees to take them down.
A Colorado legislative committee advanced a bill aimed at stopping Internet sites from publishing mug shots and then charging fees to take them down.
A bill to increase legal protections for Colorado journalists and their sources died in a state Senate committee. The Senate Judiciary Committee also killed another measure that would have opened records kept by private associations of elected officials that get some of their money from public sources.
Records kept by private associations of elected officials that get some of their money from public sources would be open to public scrutiny under legislation proposed by state Sen. Kevin Lundberg.
With the traditional news media facing economic challenges, the CFOIC has evolved to help meet a vital need. The organization is committed to helping not only journalists, but all citizens – the backbone of our democracy – expose the conduct of public business to what Justice Louis Brandeis called the disinfecting power of sunshine.
Winners of open-records lawsuits in Colorado are entitled to attorneys’ fees, even if they succeed in getting only one record released, the Colorado Court of Appeals ruled last week.
Journalists in Colorado would have stronger, but not absolute, protections against being compelled to reveal confidential sources and unreported information under an amendment to a reporter’s shield measure proposed by the bill’s sponsor.
Steven D. Zansberg was elected CFOIC president on Wednesday. He succeeds Thomas B. Kelley, who has presided over the coalition’s board and membership since 1997.
Give state Sen. Bernie Herpin of Colorado Springs credit for understanding not just the Second Amendment on guns, but also a critical component of our system of government: A free press, protected from undue influence from prosecutors and others in government, is necessary to act as a watchdog for our government.
State Sen. Bernie Herpin quoted 18th-century English judge William Blackstone in explaining his reasons for introducing a bill to strengthen the Colorado law that protects a journalist’s confidential sources.
A new page on the website of the Colorado Freedom of Information Coalition lets you track bills in the state legislature that could affect the flow or availability of information in Colorado.