Complete Colorado: In a recent Complete Colorado column, Ari Armstrong rightly criticized Colorado Senate Bill 77 for expanding the special privileges Colorado law gives to professional journalists.

Specifically, SB 77 would restrict most citizens’ rights to public records, while retaining rights for members of the credentialed mass media, or what the bill refers to as “newspersons.”

Colorado law already grants privileges to “newspersons” not extended to the rest of us. Section 13-90-119 of Colorado Revised Statutes is entitled “Privilege for newsperson.” It allows reporters and other media operatives to withhold the names of sources from disclosure during judicial proceedings. This is commonly called a “shield law,” and, of course, ordinary mortals don’t enjoy that privilege.

Professional media claim other advantages, too. The Associated Press (AP) is now suing the Trump administration for revoking its special access to White House events. Again, most of us—even those of us working in media—do not have that privilege.

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