Wrap-up: Sole finalist, police transparency bills mark 2021 Colorado legislative session
The 2021 Colorado legislative session produced a mixed bag of good and not-so-good developments for those concerned about government transparency.
First Amendment
Colorado House bill prohibits HOAs from banning signs and flags based on their message
Homeowners’ associations could not ban signs and flags based on their content or message under a bill making its way through the Colorado General Assembly.
CFOIC’s Zansberg, Denver Post’s Migoya co-recipients of SPJ Colorado’s First Amendment Award for work that prompted new court records sealing standard
Colorado Freedom of Information Coalition president Steve Zansberg and Denver Post investigative reporter David Migoya are co-recipients of this year’s First Amendment Award from the Society of Professional Journalists’ Colorado Pro Chapter for work that prompted a new statewide standard for sealing and suppressing criminal court records.
Digital communications bill amended to require a study — ‘I would never do anything to subvert the First Amendment,’ sponsor says
A bill “intended to spark conversation” about the power of digital communications platforms emerged from a Colorado Senate committee Tuesday with language requiring a study of how state lawmakers might address online consumer issues including privacy, the spread of disinformation and the promotion of violence.
Watch CFOIC’s Sunshine Week conversation — ‘Truth Be Told: The Proliferation of Online Misinformation and Disinformation and What We Can Do About It’
For Sunshine Week 2021, the Colorado Freedom of Information Coalition hosted a lively and informative conversation about online misinformation and disinformation the evening of Thursday, Mar. 18.
Bill prohibiting nondisclosure agreements for state employees dies in a Colorado Senate committee
A state legislative committee killed a bill that would have barred Colorado from using nondisclosure agreements to keep state government employees from talking about “factual circumstances” of their jobs.
CFOIC Sunshine Week panel on misinformation and disinformation
For Sunshine Week 2021, please join the Colorado Freedom of Information Coalition the evening of March 18 for a lively and timely online discussion, “Truth Be Told: The Proliferation of Online Misinformation and Disinformation — And What We Can Do About It.”
CFOIC’s 2020 year in review: coronavirus records, CORA costs, body cam footage, judicial secrecy
COVID-19 touched nearly every aspect of our lives in 2020 so of course it affected government transparency and public access to courts in Colorado.
Wrap-up: Police transparency and accountability bill highlights 2020 Colorado legislative session
The passage of an historic, comprehensive police reform bill transformed a relatively quiet 2020 Colorado legislative session for freedom-of-information issues into one of major importance.
CFOIC, journalism groups decry law enforcement targeting of reporters and photographers during George Floyd protests
Journalists know they may find themselves in harm’s way when they cover volatile events such as the demonstrations we have seen in Denver over the past several days. But it is inexcusable – and a violation of the journalists’ constitutional rights – for law enforcement officers to single them out for attack simply for doing their jobs in chronicling these events.