Veteran award-winning investigative reporter John Ferrugia is joining COLab, the Colorado News Collaborative, a new nonprofit coalition of journalists from more than 100 news outlets statewide. Ferrugia will help local news outlets report complicated stories, innovate the ways they report and train journalists in investigative reporting skills.
“COLab presents the opportunity to help local broadcast, print and digital news operations statewide to produce journalism that is important to all Coloradans,” Ferrugia said. “This is an opportunity to use my talents to help benefit my state and my community through in-depth reporting and collaboration with statewide partners.”
“John is joining COLab at a time when news media statewide are working to evolve and better serve their communities,” said Laura Frank, COLab Executive Director. “His experience and expertise are a perfect addition to our team, and the entire state will benefit from the work these extraordinary journalists do.”
The Colorado News Collaborative is a nonprofit founded in 2020 that leverages resources to help Colorado media achieve:
- Better News – through training, research and collaboration
- More Trust – helping media build stronger relationships and engage more closely with the diverse communities they serve
- Faster Innovation – giving media access to tools, products and best practices that help them become more financially sustainable
COLab partners include newsrooms large and small, from The Colorado Sun, 9News and Colorado Public Radio to the Kiowa County Independent and the Ark Valley Voice — and Colorado’s most diverse newsrooms, from KSUT Tribal Radio to Denver Urban Spectrum to Entravision. They represent newspapers, radio, television and online outlets from every corner of the state. COLab also is building partnerships with community organizations to find vital ways to bring information to news deserts.
Ferrugia is Colorado’s most honored broadcast investigative reporter, with two duPont-Columbia silver batons, three Peabody awards, a national Investigative Reporters and Editors award and a national Murrow award, more than two dozen regional Emmys, multiple Colorado Broadcaster Awards, and numerous other honors. He has been recognized by the Heartland Emmy chapter for his career contribution to broadcast journalism as a member of the Silver Circle.
Ferrugia is joining a team of award-winning Colorado journalists whose work is known and trusted: Executive Director Laura Frank is a pioneer of collaborative media in Colorado. Tina Griego and Susan Greene have broad experience as both reporters and columnists, and for years have been providing information important to Coloradans’ daily lives.
