Journalism



Colorado Supreme Court reverses appeals court ruling that CFOIC, news associations argued would chill attorneys’ speech about class-action suits

A Denver attorney’s comments to the press about a federal class-action lawsuit were protected by the litigation privilege, which immunizes a lawyer who makes allegedly defamatory statements related to a civil court case, the Colorado Supreme Court decided, reversing a 2021 ruling by the Court of Appeals.




Proposed CORA bill gives news media a break on fees, governments more time to respond to many records requests

A multi-faceted CORA bill draft circulating at the Colorado Capitol would give news organizations a break on research-and-retrieval fees, let government entities take more time to respond to many records requests and impose stricter rules for the retention of certain email records of state agencies.


COA ruling chills speech ‘that allows the media to keep the public informed,’ CFOIC, news associations argue in Colorado Supreme Court brief

A 2021 Colorado Court of Appeals opinion on what lawyers can tell the press about pending class-action lawsuits will chill “legitimate speech that allows the media to keep the public informed on matters of significant public concern,” the Colorado Freedom of Information Coalition and news associations argue in a brief filed recently with the Colorado Supreme Court.




CFOIC’s 2022 year in review: Club Q, McClain autopsy, serial meetings, secret ballots, book banning, teacher sick days and Casa Bonita

Like last year, court rulings dominate CFOIC’s 2022 list of transparency highs and lows, with perhaps the most closely watched decision coming nearly three weeks after a shooter killed five people and wounded more than a dozen others at an LGBTQ nightclub in Colorado Springs on Nov. 19.