Colorado’s constitution guarantees freedom of speech and freedom of the press, broadly stating that “every person shall be free to speak, write or publish whatever he will on any subject.” Should it also guarantee freedom of information?
Colorado senators narrowly defeated a bill to create an online clearinghouse of pre-introduced legislative proposals in between sessions of the General Assembly.
The Regional Transportation District is considering capping fees for public records requests from the news media.
Citizens, media representatives and nonprofit organizations asked legislative leaders to repeal Colorado Open Meetings Law changes affecting the legislature that were adopted earlier this year.
Public bodies must not be permitted to “cure” infringements of the Colorado Open Meetings Law without being held accountable to the citizens who file lawsuits to enforce compliance, the Colorado Freedom of Information Coalition argues in a brief submitted to the state’s highest court.
The Colorado Freedom of Information Coalition presented its Jean Otto Friend of Freedom Award to Erin McIntyre and Mike Wiggins, owners and co-publishers of the weekly Ouray County Plaindealer since 2019.
It could have been worse. While open-government losses far outnumbered wins in the 2024 session of the Colorado General Assembly, the death of a burdensome Colorado Open Records Act bill in the closing days helped make the final tally a little less one-sided.
A bill advanced by state senators would give county clerks up to 20 working days to comply with Colorado Open Records Act requests during election seasons, except for requests made by journalists.
State lawmakers made significant adjustments to a bill that closes autopsy reports on minors, adding a deceased child’s name to the summary of information that must be released to the public following a death.
Journalism serves as the cornerstone of a vibrant and functioning democracy, providing citizens with the information necessary to make informed decisions. The forcible removal of Ms. Fish from the assembly, under the pretext that her reporting was unfavorably viewed by the party’s chairman, stands in stark contrast to the principles of freedom of speech and the press enshrined in our Constitution.
