Colorado lawmakers target newspaper 'legal notices' with two separate bills
The news behind the news in Colorado
Colorado lawmakers are proposing to update the state’s laws around newspapers and legal notices to reflect the changing media landscape.
According to the president of the Colorado Press Association, a recently introduced bipartisan bill with four bicameral sponsors counts support from both the press advocacy group and Colorado Counties, Inc.
That unlikely pairing might be newsworthy on its own, given the two organizations typically might find themselves crosswise on such a topic.
Meanwhile, a lone lawmaker has introduced a separate bill in the House that would allow counties to publish legal notices online on a legal newspaper’s website. (That bill is likely to lead to more discussion and could foretell an uncomfortable situation down the road among some of Colorado’s print newspaper publishers and those who run digital-only local news outlets.)
Tim Regan-Porter, the president and CEO of the Colorado Press Association, says his group is seeking more information about the online-notices bill, but the CPA is currently backing the one titled, “Publication Counties Without Legal Newspapers,” albeit with the hope for some minor tweaks.
Sponsors of the bill are Western Slope Republican Sen. Janice Rich, ski-mountain-area Democratic Sen. Dylan Roberts, Democratic Rep. Meghan Lukens of Northwest Colorado, and Eastern Plains Republican Rep. Chris Richardson, who represents two news-desert counties.
Rich indicated in an email that stakeholders are still hashing out parts of the legislation.
If passed, the new law aims to strip out language that currently bars free newspapers from being a county or other entity’s “legal newspaper.” Some free papers in Colorado aren’t paid subscription newspapers, and so they could now become beneficiaries of county money through notice placement sales. It would also scrap language about how many consecutive weeks a newspaper must have published in order to become an entity’s “legal newspaper.”
A designation as a legal newspaper means a county, special district, or other entity including a private business pays to place certain notices that are required by state law to appear in a local printed newspaper in order to make the public aware of certain information. A storage unit company, for instance, might place a legal notice if it seeks to foreclose on someone’s property. A special district might place one to announce an upcoming board meeting, and a county might publish a notice to alert the community about a new ordinance.
“This has been a problem really for a while, but it’s come to the fore as print costs have gone up,” said Regan-Porter of the Press Association.
He added that in 2010, lawmakers updated the language similarly for cities, “so we’ve been wanting to address that for a while” for counties.
Other proposed updates to this legal county newspaper law are a nod to the realities of Colorado’s growing news deserts, meaning counties that no longer have a dedicated print newspaper serving them.
This is from the bill summary:
Current law requires a county to publish a legal notice or advertisement (notice) in a legal newspaper that satisfies certain requirements, including a publication period requirement (legal newspaper). If a legal newspaper does not exist in a county, the county is permitted to use certain alternatives. The bill removes the publication period requirement for a newspaper to be considered a legal newspaper. The bill also expands and clarifies the alternatives for a county to publish a notice when the county does not have a legal newspaper.
The proposed new law would allow counties in news deserts to publish legal notices in papers that serve counties adjacent to them, or in the bleak case that they don’t exist either, any nearby newspaper based on “geographic proximity.”
It’s a shame that such a proposal in Colorado is necessary.
But there is indeed a growing number of counties that do not have a newspaper serving them anymore. In 2022, Cheyenne County on the Eastern Plains became a news desert when the Range Ledger closed. Last summer, the San Luis Valley counties of Conejos and Mineral lost their dedicated weekly newspaper when they rolled up into the SLV Journal. (While one newspaper has listed Dolores as a news desert, the Four Corners county with a population of around 2,400 has a monthly print newspaper called the Pinto Bean out of Dove Creek and a digital-only community news site called Rico Ore Cart.)
In November, when the Limon Leader shut down, it created “another ‘news desert’ on Colorado’s Eastern Plains,” the Colorado Sun reported.
What, then, should a government do in a county without a newspaper when state law requires it to publish a legal notice?
That’s in part what the proposed new law would also help mitigate.
Some counties might consider printing legal notices a hassle. Others, which are run by elected officials, also might not have the best relationship with a pesky local paper.
In recent years, controversy has swirled in some counties where such public officials sought to punish a newspaper by taking away its coveted status and depriving it revenue generated by public tax dollars. (See: Wet Mountain Tribune and Aspen Times, 2022.)
Last year, when the county government in Gilpin cut the Weekly Register-Call off of its gravy train as the paper of record, the newspaper sued the Mountain-Ear, the paper the county chose instead.
The lawsuit, still ongoing, asks a judge to determine what exactly the requirements are under state law to serve as a county’s newspaper of record. Whether a ruling in the case might clarify or complicate any potential legislation remains to be seen.
“Across the country, modernizing legal notices to the reality of digital news and news deserts will be an ongoing discussion. This is a good step,” Regan-Porter said. “We have to do this carefully. We need to preserve those news outlets, which are also the only news outlet in their community … We don’t want to drive anybody out of business by updating this law.”
The Colorado Press Association, which has advertised in this newsletter, runs a free service called Public Notice Colorado that makes notices searchable online for people “who want to know more about the actions of local, county and state government.”
As the Press Association and Colorado Counties, Inc. work on their bill, another one has also dropped in the House.
That separate bill, which Four Corners-area Republican Rep. Larry Don Suckla has introduced and the CPA says it is seeking to learn more about, would give a county, municipality, or entity “discretion” to publish legal notices online on a newspaper’s website instead of in print.
“Legal notices published online must be free to access and cannot be kept behind a paywall or subscription,” it reads.
As I understand it, the bill does not suggest that digital-only news outlets that do not have print editions would qualify as legal newspapers to run such notices, something some local online news organizations might be interested to know.
Watch this space for how these dueling measures fare throughout the session.
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This year, The Colorado Health Foundation will be working to combat disinformation and misinformation, and helping nonprofits build media literacy.
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Recently, the Colorado News Collaborative called our annual Pulse Poll a “trove of information useful to reporters.” The Colorado Health Foundation’s Katie Peshek talked to journalists across the state about the poll results, which you can watch here. We also have Pulse Poll slides here, showing how you can use what we found to guide your reporting on topics and bring facts and data to your stories. ⬅️
An example of how a 9NEWS takeover by FOX31 could change Colorado journalism
Those wondering what could change in practice for Colorado journalism if the owner of FOX31 in Denver takes over 9NEWS might consider a recent example.
Compare and contrast how the two Denver TV news stations covered an announcement this week from one high-profile government official.
Here’s how 9NEWS anchor Kyle Clark reported on it in a Feb. 4 broadcast:
“Republican Congresswoman Lauren Boebert is back on her business of taking credit for funding projects in Colorado even when she votes against them. Boebert’s team sent out a statement today touting nearly $15 million worth of infrastructure projects. Ten of those projects were earmarked in a funding bill passed last month that she voted yes on. Three million dollars were in a funding project signed by President Trump yesterday. Boebert was the only Colorado Republican to vote against that funding package. She said it didn’t include enough funding for ICE.”
Clark went on to say that he has previously asked Boebert about taking credit for projects she voted against and how she explained that she sometimes prefers packaged bills broken up into individual measures.
So, that’s one way to do journalism. Reporting critically on a public official’s announcement and providing context for the viewer.
Here’s another way: this was from FOX31 in a (since removed) story headlined “Boebert secures nearly $15 million for rural clean water projects”:
Rep. Lauren Boebert secured nearly $15 million for clean water projects in rural areas of Colorado, only about a month after President Donald Trump issued the first-ever veto to a unanimously-approved, bipartisan bill, the “Finish the Arkansas Valley Conduit Act,” on Dec. 30, which would have funded the completion of a 130-mile pipeline that would have delivered clean water to over 50,000 residents in southeastern Colorado.
Now, 13 communities in Boebert’s district, the 4th Congressional District, have secured $14.75 million in funding for water and infrastructure projects, after requests were signed into law.
The (now disappeared) story went on to quote at length the announcement from Boebert’s office without any of the kind of context offered in the 9NEWS coverage.
“Much of this article is essentially cut-and-paste from GOP Rep. Lauren Boebert’s press release,” Clark himself posted on social media, linking to the FOX31 story. “What Boebert's press release (and therefore this article) doesn’t mention is that she voted against three of the projects she’s now claiming credit for.”
The FOX31 story vanished from the outlet’s website after Clark’s comment about it generated tens of thousands of views and plenty of comments on social media. (I haven’t seen an editor’s note, explanation, or disclosure about why. The link to it I shared above goes to a still-available MSN version that had re-published it.)
Fans of Boebert’s might get their hackles up over this, feeling perhaps that 9NEWS is “partisan” for reporting that context, that “commie Clark” is simply carrying water for the libs with such coverage — and they might cheer KDVR for its “unbiased” journalism when it simply regurgitates a press release from a politician they agree with.
Such people likely forget all the times 9NEWS has reported just as critically on Democrats who just so happen to control all of state government and Colorado’s largest municipality. And if they actually do want less critical coverage of Colorado’s politicians in general, which could happen if the Nexstar/Tegna deal goes through, I really don’t know what to say.
Upcoming public discussion: ‘DEI on Deadline’
The Society of Professional Journalists Colorado Professional Chapter, of which I’m a board member, is hosting an upcoming in-person conversation about DEI in the media industry.
On tap will be a conversation about how journalists are “navigating diversity, equity and inclusion at a moment when the terms themselves have become politically charged, legally contested and frequently misunderstood.”
From the announcement:
Rather than debating DEI as an abstract concept, this panel will focus on how reporters and editors actually encounter these issues in their work: sourcing, framing, newsroom decision-making, audience trust and internal culture.
Panelists will discuss what has changed in recent years, where tensions are showing up in coverage, and how journalists can approach these questions with clarity, fairness and ethical rigor.
Panelists will include Colorado Public Radio’s Nathan Fernando-Frescas and Chandra Thomas Whitfield, Denverite’s Paolo Zialcita, and Yolánda L. Chase, the founder of Diversity Way-Maker and Intersect Global Leadership Institute.
Esteban L. Hernandez of Axios Denver will moderate the discussion, which will take place Feb. 18 at 7 p.m. at the Denver Press Club.
“RSVP via email to spjcolorado@gmail.com with ‘DEI on Deadline’ in the subject space,” reads the SPJ announcement. “Also email us with any questions.”
Denver’s ’Stripped for Parts’ screening discussion focused on broadcast consolidation
A recent discussion following a public screening of the film “Stripped for Parts: American Journalism on the Brink” put a spotlight on how negative impacts of ownership issues are not just relegated to local newspapers.
The panel discussion, in which I took part, focused on a pending takeover attempt by Nexstar Media Group of Tegna, which could see FOX31 subsume 9NEWS. (I misspoke at one point in the conversation and called KDVR “FOX21.” That’s actually the station in the Springs.)
From the Colorado Freedom of Information Coalition, which had a write-up about the event:
Kimberly Spencer, director of the Colorado Media Project, moderated the conversation with Colorado College journalism professor Corey Hutchins, University of Colorado media studies professor Nathan Schneider and Colorado News Collaborative executive director Laura Frank. …
The $6.2 billion deal, if approved by the Federal Communications Commission, would likely lead to major changes in the way Coloradans get news from local TV stations.
During the hourlong discussion, Schneider warned attendees to watch out for something called “innovation amnesia,” which he described as when a new technology “becomes the excuse for doing away with rules that are good.” An example, he said, might be when Uber came along and people paid less attention to taxi regulation or labor law.
“Similarly, when someone says ‘Well, there’s the internet, so now we can’t care about laws designed to maintain competition and diversity in local news ecosystems,’” he said, “that’s something to be worried about.”
Frank, at one point, quantified the size of Colorado local newsrooms based on a recent COLab survey of around 150 of them.
I offered some tips on how to tell if something is journalism or something else. Watch the full discussion here.
‘Truth Be Told’ screening and discussion TONIGHT with local journos in the Springs
Journalists, educators, and community members will assemble on the Colorado College campus tonight for a screening of the documentary Truth Be Told.
Following the film, a community conversation will ensue that offers an inside look at how facts are verified, choices are weighed, and stories are told.
From the announcement:
This event is more than a film screening. It’s a celebration of the people and principles that keep Colorado communities informed. The documentary “Truth Be Told” offers an inside look at how journalists from different mediums across Colorado verify what they report, make choices about what they cover, and how they tell stories with care.
It reminds audiences that trustworthy local information isn’t a luxury — it’s a public good.
Journalists from local news organizations plan to attend the event for an informal community discussion with attendees after the screening. The filmmaker, Brian Malone, will also be there.
The free event with light refreshments, which my program is hosting, is from 5:30 p.m. to 8 p.m. at the Cornerstone Screening Room on the Colorado College campus at 825 N. Cascade Ave.
This event is part of the statewide Free Press, Free Country initiative coordinated by the Colorado News Collaborative, known as COLab, in partnership with local hosts and newsrooms across Colorado.
If you’ll be in the Springs tonight, register here for the event.
🌿 This week’s newsletter is proudly supported by PR firm Grasslands: A Journalism-Minded Agency™, founded by Ricardo Baca (ex-Denver Post, ex-Rocky Mountain News, and current Colorado Public Radio board of directors). We understand journalists because we were journalists — and we’re here to help. Need expert sources or compelling stories? Our diverse client roster includes beloved Colorado institutions (Naropa University and Illegal Pete’s), innovative wellness brands (Boulder County Farmers Markets, Naturally Colorado, Eden Health Club), bold natural products businesses (Wild Zora, Flatiron Food Factory, Flower Union Brands), and other purpose-driven organizations. As creators of the Colorado Journalist Meet-Up and longtime champions of quality journalism, Grasslands recognizes the essential role reporters play in our communities. Our team is ready to connect you with sources, data, and unique perspectives that elevate your reporting.
Have a story you’re working on? Email Ricardo directly: ricardo@mygrasslands.com. Together, we’re crafting better narratives — one story at a time. 🌿
More Colorado media odds & ends
🪧 Scott Tobias and Chelsey Dequaine-Jerabek, who are the CEO and editorial director of Voice Media Group, which owns the Denver alt-weekly newspaper Westword, published a Jan. 30 column in the paper. “Yesterday, businesses across the country went on strike against ICE,” they wrote. “Our offices remained open to continue reporting, but we want to make it clear where Voice Media Group and our publications stand. Immigrants are a vital part of our community. Our employees. Our readers. Our members. And our advertisers. We support them today in the strike against ICE and the current administration’s surge in funding of this program, sending thousands of agents into U.S. communities. Our company and publications were built on uplifting the voices of our communities – voices from all backgrounds of life – and holding our government leaders, both locally and nationally, to account. We are standing in solidarity with today’s national protest.”
🎙 City Cast Denver is seeking a contributor/correspondent for Denver, which it will pay $100 per podcast episode and a negotiable rate for projects.
🤦♂️ In a letter to a lawyer for 9NEWS and Colorado Public Radio, Weld County “defended a sheriff’s office requirement that records request forms be notarized,” Jeff Roberts reported for the Colorado Freedom of Information Coalition. “The unfortunate reality, as we have explained to your clients before, is that the WCSO needs to make policy that prevents bad actors from misusing our criminal justice records,” wrote Matthew Conroy, assistant Weld County attorney. “This will inevitably cause some inconvenience to good actors, but the law requires no less from us.” Other than the Weld County and Eagle County sheriff’s offices, CFOIC “has heard of no other law enforcement agencies in Colorado that require notarization of records request forms,” Roberts wrote.
🆕 Jennifer Coombes has joined Colorado Public Radio as Morning Editor. “I’m thrilled to join such a vibrant and energetic team where I can explore even more avenues in public media and jump in and help out wherever I am needed,” Coombes said on LinkedIn.
👀 “After a year marked by scrutiny, restructuring, and difficult lessons, the National Trust for Local News is signaling a shift in how it approaches innovation and newsroom empowerment,” reads an item from Editor & Publisher. “Under new leadership, the organization is narrowing its focus and experimenting with a different kind of growth—one that places journalists, not executives, at the center of change.”
📈 Writing for the Status newsletter, Natalie Korach wrote that this week, Axios was “set to announce an additional investment from OpenAI, underwriting a local expansion to nine new communities, building on its existing three-year partnership. Axios Local will be launching in Colorado Springs, Douglas County and Arapahoe County, Colorado; Scottsdale, and Mesa, Arizona; Hollywood and Fort Lauderdale, Florida; and Cincinnati, Ohio, and its northern suburbs.”
📰 Behold this news headline in 2026: “After public questioning, Colorado Springs City Council may recognize Black History Month.”
🎓 Linda Carpio Shapley, the new interim president and CEO of Rocky Mountain Student Media, was quoted in a recent Editor & Publisher story headlined “Student journalists push back as censorship tightens on campus.” The story didn’t indicate there was anything awry at CSU Fort Collins where Shapley works, but noted that “she was preparing for a meeting with school administrators.” Author Gretchen A. Peck quoted Shapley saying, “We recognize that they have a job to do, and we hope they’ll recognize that we have a job to do — and ultimately, we all want what’s best for our students. That’s our mission.”
I’m Corey Hutchins, manager of the Colorado College Journalism Institute, advisor to Colorado Media Project, and a board member of the state Society of Professional Journalists chapter. For nearly a decade, I reported on the U.S. local media scene for Columbia Journalism Review, and I’ve been a journalist for longer at multiple news organizations. Most recently, I’ve been contributing to Harvard’s Nieman Journalism Lab and The Conversation. The nonprofit Colorado Media Project is underwriting this newsletter, and my “Inside the News” column appears at COLab. (If you’d like to underwrite or sponsor this newsletter, hit me up.) Follow me on Bluesky, reply or subscribe to this weekly newsletter here, or e-mail me at CoreyHutchins [at] gmail [dot] com.