Colorado to 'review' death of journalist Hunter S. Thompson
The news behind the news in Colorado
This week, the state of Colorado’s version of the FBI set off an explosion of headlines when the agency said it would review the 2005 death of journalist and author Hunter S. Thompson.
Twenty years ago, on a Sunday in February, investigators had found the legendary godfather of Gonzo journalism dead at his home in Woody Creek near Aspen. A county coroner determined that he had taken his own life with a .45-caliber handgun at 67.
Later, media reported that four days prior to his death, Thompson had written a note titled “Football Season is Over;” some have called it a “farewell” note.
“No More Games. No More Bombs. No More Walking. No More Fun. No More Swimming. 67. That is 17 years past 50. 17 more than I needed or wanted,” Thompson wrote, according to his late wife, Anita, who said she found it among his personal papers. “Boring. I am always bitchy. No Fun -- for anybody. 67. You are getting Greedy. Act your old age. Relax -- This won’t hurt.”
📞 HELP: If you or someone you know are considering suicide, call or text 988 for free, 24/7 support from the Colorado Mental Health Line.
Thompson’s body was discovered by his son, Juan, “who was in another room of the home at the time, according to the Pitkin County Sheriff’s Office,” the Aspen Times reported at the time of his death. “Thompson’s 6-year-old grandson, William, was also in the house. Thompson’s wife, Anita, 32, was not at the residence, according to The Associated Press.”
But now, two decades later, Anita has asked authorities to review the circumstances surrounding the Good Doctor’s passing, and they have agreed.
Colorado Sun reporter Olivia Prentzel broke the story Tuesday, and the CBI put out a news release shortly after. The story blew up.
“The Colorado Bureau of Investigation is currently conducting a case review into the death of renowned journalist and author Hunter S. Thompson, at the suggestion of the Pitkin County Sheriff’s Office following a request from his widow,” the CBI stated in a news release. “The review is being conducted to provide an independent perspective on the 2005 investigation.”
More from the CBI:
Sheriff Michael Buglione stated that while there is no new evidence suggesting foul play, the Sheriff’s Office is committed to answering any lingering questions surrounding the case.
“We understand the profound impact Hunter S. Thompson had on this community and beyond,” said Sheriff Buglione. “By bringing in an outside agency for a fresh look, we hope to provide a definitive and transparent review that may offer peace of mind to his family and the public.”
The review process is expected to take an unspecified amount of time, and there is no firm deadline for its completion. Further updates will be provided once the review is finished.
On Wednesday, the sheriff held a news conference in Aspen where he said he was confident in the original investigation.
The sheriff said things Anita “has been hearing from friends and possible relatives” is what prompted the review. But he also said he had trouble making sense of what she was saying when they spoke on the phone, according to Jesse Paul of the Colorado Sun who attended the press conference.
Here’s a roundup of some notable nuggets amid this week’s saturated press coverage:
That the nonprofit digital Colorado Sun was the outlet that broke the bombshell story that led to a flurry of global headlines and a press conference from the Pitkin County sheriff is notable given that Aspen is one of the few towns left with two competing daily newspapers, the Aspen Times and the Aspen Daily News.
“Part of the CBI’s review includes a look at three incident reports prepared by Pitkin County deputies and investigators in February 2005 that concluded Thompson’s death was suicide and showed no signs of foul play,” Rick Carroll reported for the Aspen Daily News. “The reports were obtained by the Aspen Daily News through a public records request made to the sheriff’s office two weeks ago.” (So it looks like at least one Aspen reporter had been sniffing around this story for weeks.)
“I knew it was not going to change anything about the cause or manner of death,” Dr. Steve Ayers, who performed Thompson’s autopsy, told the Aspen Times for a story this week by Skyler Stark-Ragsdale, about why he didn’t perform a toxicology report. “And honestly, our standards are different these days, but at the time, I felt it was just going to be fodder for the press and for conspiracy theories and all kinds of things, and so I didn’t do it for that reason.” (In an odd choice of phrasing about the CBI’s review, Ayers told the Times, “There’s no smoking gun here.”)
“Any review will not include a reexamination of the writer’s remains, which were famously cremated and fired from a cannon at his request during a private ceremony in Colorado,” the Associated Press reported. “Among the celebrities who attended was actor Johnny Depp, who played the lead role in the 1998 film adaptation of ‘Fear and Loathing.’”
Whether this is all just really a nothing burger remains to be seen. And if you’re incarcerated anywhere in Colorado and claiming you’re innocent right now, you might be wondering what it takes to get a review of your own case.
If anything, the development has once again reignited the unique and unabating legacy of perhaps Colorado’s most famous journalist.
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This year, The Colorado Health Foundation will be working to combat disinformation and misinformation, and helping nonprofits build media literacy. Watch this space for more information on that effort.
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Curious about the perspectives of adults from across the state on issues from affordable housing and hunger to mental health and child care? View the latest results of The Colorado Health Foundation’s annual Pulse poll here. ⬅️
Watch the SPJ panel on citizen journalism
Citizen journalism was on the hot seat in Denver on Tuesday.
A panel including a citizen journalist, a trainer of citizen journalists, a mainstream Colorado newspaper editor, and a media bias researcher held a public discussion moderated by a journalism professor.
The panel included Vince Bzdek, executive editor of the Denver and Colorado Springs Gazette and Colorado Politics, Jacob Richards, a Western Slope citizen journalist and editor of the anti-capitalist Revolutionist newspaper, Vanessa Otero, founder of Ad Fontes Media and the Media Bias Chart, and Chaim Goldman, who formed the Peak News Educational Foundation, which recruits and trains volunteer citizen journalists.
Patrick Ferrucci, chair and professor of journalism at the University of Colorado Boulder, led the hour-and-a-half-long conversation.
Not all of the panelists agreed, and members of the audience weighed in to challenge some of them at times. Watch the panel discussion below:
The Society of Professional Journalists’ Colorado Pro Chapter, of which I’m a board member, hosted the event at the Denver Press Club.
Denver ‘Dog Writers’ Hall of Famer now heading to ‘Cat Writers’ conference
Jen Reeder of Denver might be the most prolific pet reporter in the state.
Earlier this year, the Dog Writers Association of America inducted her into its Hall of Fame. At the time, the organization noted that she had “also won numerous awards from the Cat Writers’ Association.”
Reeder has penned more than a thousand pet pieces for outlets like Forbes, CNN, and the Christian Science Monitor. A 2013 essay she wrote for Modern Dog Magazine titled “My Dog Taught Me The Meaning of Life” went viral.
Last week, the online Denver news site Bucket List Community Cafe published a Q-and-A with Reeder about life on the feline and Fido beat.
From the interview:
Reeder’s voice is both compassionate and curious. One week, she might be writing about veterinarians helping Ukrainian refugees care for their pets; the next, she’s profiling a Colorado volunteer feeding dogs and cats whose owners are experiencing homelessness. For her, pets are never just animals—they’re family, and the stories she tells reflect that bond.
Here are some more nuggets from the piece:
“I’m also a kidney donor in Colorado’s ‘One Kidney Club’ that heads out for hikes and happy hours, so I meet interesting dog people that way,” she said.
“I’ve also interviewed local rescuers taking in pets whose owners have recently been deported, veterinarians on all kinds of health topics for service articles and volunteers with Colorado Pet Pantry helping feed pets of people experiencing homelessness.”
“Next month I’m heading to Indianapolis for the conference and awards banquet of the Cat Writers’ Association,” she said, “so I’m looking forward to hugging friends, learning from the community and, of course, meeting some cool cats.”
Read the full Q-and-A at the link above.
Public funding for Colorado broadcasters officially dries up
This week, federal funding for the Corporation for Public Broadcasting officially ran out.
At the behest of the Trump administration, Republicans in Congress wiped out its funding earlier this year. Since then, local public broadcast stations in Colorado and around the country have been in crisis.
Station managers have been forced to swing the ax, chop programming, and dial back their operations.
Last month, KUNC in Greeley laid off 10 people — more than a quarter of its staff. At KRZA in the San Luis Valley, 50% of its budget evaporated. “It’s like a nightmare, seeing all of the worst things that could happen, actually happen,” Station Manager Gerald Rodriguez told the Gazette.
Grace Brajkovich reported for the newspaper about what the cuts look like on the ground for some stations, including KRZA.
An excerpt:
Beyond cutting programming and staff, Rodriguez said he has been making money-saving efforts for years. To save a few dollars here and there, Rodriguez has trained himself to be a contractor, completely renovating the station; an engineer, fixing any equipment when it breaks; and a man who fits into any role, acting as a DJ, a manager, an executive director, a programming planner and more.
Donor events, fundraisers and marketing are a must for the station to avoid more cutbacks, and Rodriguez says he hopes he can get the attention from a major philanthropic group offering support. But really, what would save the day would be an emergency fund like the one public broadcasting networks received during the pandemic, Rodriguez said.
Elsewhere in the state, at KCME in Colorado Springs, General Manager Stephanie Horton said she worries about going back to donors too many times and asking for help.
“They are giving what they can, so we really need to bring new donors on board,” she told the paper. “Our biggest strategy right now is new monthly giving.”
In the ski mountain town of Telluride, KOTO Executive Director Cara Pallone said listeners have stepped up to fill the funding gaps. At KSUT tribal radio in the Four Corners, the station might have to pay for a “next generation” FEMA emergency broadcast system itself.
On TV, Rocky Mountain PBS President Amanda Mountain told the Gazette that with its 107,000 members in every county in the state, it won’t disappear.
“We fully intend to step into the gaps and beat this moment in a way that keeps Colorado’s access to free public press abundant,” she said.
Read the full story here.
A journalist knocking on a public official’s door questioned as ‘intrusion’ of personal space?
As someone who teaches college journalism, I’ve learned over the years how perceptions about privacy, boundaries, and personal space can evolve.
Some younger generations might be more hesitant to make cold calls, and I’ve heard from some that they might feel uncomfortable approaching someone at their home for a story.
This week, Heila Ershadi of the Pikes Peak Bulletin nonprofit newspaper in Manitou Springs wrote about the recent resignation and charges of public assistance fraud of a Fountain City Council member.
At least one newscaster attempted to track [the council member] down at her place of residence seeking comment. Michael Logerwell KRDO’s Facebook page hosts a news clip video of Logerwell – dressed in a suit and holding a KRDO microphone – approaching a house and rapping on a front door surrounded by autumn decor, as he reports “No one came to the door when KRDO13 went to ask Fountain city councilor Detra Duncan about the current felony theft charges against her.” Duncan’s street address is not visible in the video; it is listed in the affidavit.
Liz Rosenbaum is a Fountain resident, community organizer and business owner, and a former Democratic candidate for the Colorado House of Representatives to represent District 21. She told the Bulletin that in the current climate of political violence, she was alarmed by the intrusion of the press into Duncan’s personal space.
“In today’s climate, where elected officials and community leaders are already targeted in public and at work, this kind of reckless reporting crosses the line,” she said.
KRDO’s news director, Staci-Lyn Onofre, stood by the station’s reporter, telling the Bulletin in part, “Due to the current climate, it’s more important than ever that we show transparency in our efforts to get all sides of the story, which is why we included video of our reporter at Duncan’s house.”
Ershadi asked me to weigh in for the story.
“I have written in the past about when journalists might get into tricky territory when approaching some sources, and I do think some people might have different ideas around privacy and boundaries these days and what counts as professional,” I told her. “A lot of these questions are going to come down to case-by-case situations. But journalists have to do their due diligence when seeking comments from story subjects and make sure they are giving people an opportunity to explain themselves. I don’t think it’s inherently unethical to knock on someone’s door, particularly that of a public official.”
So, should journalists be prepared for increasing criticism about going to the homes of sources for a story?
We’ll see, but it’s not completely new. Anyone who was paying close attention to Colorado politics in 2016 likely could not forget the hilarious episode that unfolded when then-U.S. Senate candidate Jon Keyser confronted 9NEWS reporter Marshall Zelinger about him showing up to the candidate’s home.
“Hold on, were you the guy who was creeping around my house yesterday?” the candidate asked on video. “I knocked on your door,” the reporter replied. What happened next went down in Colorado politics and media history. (Sorry, “Mitchell!”)
Democracy ‘can be messy’ — even in a Colorado newsroom
After once envisioning the Colorado Sun as like a law firm where its journalists could eventually become shareholder partners, the nonprofit statewide digital news site realized it had “inadvertently created two classes of employees.”
How the news organization, now in its seventh year, re-calibrated was the subject of a story this week by Tara Francis Chan for the Reynolds Journalism Institute.
Some highlights:
“The Colorado Sun practices representative democracy with three critical roles”: staff, board, and executive operating committee.
“The benefits of this are that our employees have a voice and a vote. And the downside is our employees have a voice and a vote, right? Democracy can be messy sometimes,” said Publisher Larry Ryckman.
Read the whole piece at the link above.
🌿 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.
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More Colorado media odds & ends
🤑 After losing $200,000 from a Republican vote in Congress to deny federal funding, Aspen Public Radio is launching a Resiliency Fund “to back its programming over the next couple of years,” Rich Allen reported for the Aspen Daily News. “The nonprofit radio station is seeking $500,000 by the end of the year from community contributions in response.”
🗞️ Two years after Arizona-based O’Rourke Media Group made inroads into Colorado with the purchase of a string of newspapers in the Central Mountains region, the company has acquired yet another paper. This week, Alan Wartes, the owner of the Gunnison Country Times, announced a sale to O’Rourke. “We’re unwavering with our strategy to own and operate print newspapers while thoughtfully building and growing digital audience and revenue,” owner Jim O’Rourke said in a statement.
📱 The anonymous social media account DoBetterDNVR, which had become a household name for posts that were “often inflammatory” and “sometimes false, with tidbits of fact mixed with rumor, speculation and misinformation,” according to the Denver Post, went dark in recent weeks, but has now returned. “I’ve made mistakes over the past two years, and I haven’t always gotten it right,” the account stated. “Moving forward, I’m committed to ensuring my posts are accurate and constructive.” The account also apologized for making “personal attacks” against Mayor Mike Johnston and his wife.
😬 The front-page above-the-fold story in last Friday’s hedge-fund-owned Estes Park Trail-Gazette newspaper was a press release from a hospital and its lead editorial was by the mayor.
✈️ A major publication claims the Aspen airport is the “most stressful,” but “data is unreliable,” reported Colin Suszynski for the Aspen Times.
⚙️ Rocky Mountain Public Media is hiring a senior vice president of people and change management and will pay $160,000.
💸 $65,000 seems to be the going rate for local Colorado governments to settle accusations of violating someone’s First Amendment rights these days. A former Denver elections worker just won that much from the city after she argued she “lost her job after speaking to comedian Jon Stewart about her concerns for the safety of poll workers” in violation of her free speech rights. Meanwhile, a man in Woodland Park also just won a $65,000 settlement over a First Amendment rights violation after he was “personally blocked on Facebook by a former police chief.”
🎙️ In the 450th episode of his podcast, Colorado Springs columnist “Hiking Bob” Falcone went “off his usual topic matter” and spoke “about threats to the First Amendment of the U.S. Constitution and why it’s important for everyone to speak out to protect the right to free speech and a free press.”
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.
First rule of running for office in a democracy--you know---the kind of government We the People fought for for centuries; Rule #1; if you don't want to have to explain your beliefs and actions it's very simple. Don't run for public office. Otherwise: be prepared to explain your self, your ideas and most of your decisions beyond those of a personal nature: Like "Why did you ever paint your house that color?"