Reporter-Herald (Loveland): It’s important for news reporters to be good listeners.

It’s also important that they and their editors carefully consider whether the public needs to know what they’ve heard.

The Reporter-Herald put those professional skills to an unusual test over the past few weeks as we wrestled with how to respond to reporter Max Levy’s discovery June 2 that the Loveland City Council had broadcast two executive sessions, private meetings meant for the council members to hear information related to negotiations.

The Colorado Open Meetings law allows governing bodies to go into executive sessions for discussions regarding buying or selling property; conferences with attorneys to receive legal advice; matters required to be kept confidential by state or federal law; security arrangements or investigations; determining contract negotiation strategies; personnel matters; or consideration of documents protected from disclosure under the Colorado Open Records Act.

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