The Voices Initiative began in January of 2021 as a community organizing project of the nonprofit Free Press, Colorado Media Project (CMP) and the Colorado News Collaborative (COLab). It was then called News Voices: Colorado. 

While the name and some of the players have changed, the larger goal remains the same: reshaping a relationship among local newsrooms and communities of color in which predominantly white newsrooms wield near unilateral power over whose stories they tell, when they tell them and how. The result has been news coverage that, at best, has sidelined and silenced communities of color, shaping how they see themselves and how they are seen. At worst, irresponsible and inaccurate coverage has perpetrated harmful stereotypes with real-world consequences for these communities’ health, safety and overall well-being.

The Indigenous Voices working group developed four key recommendations, detailed in its report, “Reach, Representation and Respect: Recommendations to improve relations between Indigenous communities and local news in Colorado.”

Please see the report below, or click here for a PDF version.

To receive more information about the Voices Initiative, email COLab.

To read the recommendations from the Black Voices working group, click here. To read the recommendations from the Latinx Voices working group, click here. To read the recommendations from the Asian, South Asian, Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander Voices working group, click here.