In an alarming act against press freedom and your right to know, Sandra Fish, a seasoned Colorado Sun reporter, was unjustly ousted from the Republican state assembly on April 6. This troubling move, initiated by the party’s chairman in retaliation for Fish’s purportedly biased reporting, has triggered bipartisan condemnation, including sharp critique from the chairman’s predecessor, who called the action “dangerous.”  

Such tactics are the hallmark of authoritarian regimes like Russia — a comparison made by Colorado Sun editor Larry Ryckman. The outrageous act of censorship is not merely an attack on Fish, it’s a siren call threatening the very pillars of our democracy. Our nation stands on a dangerous precipice, where silence against such tyranny is complicity. We should all loudly reaffirm our commitment to the First Amendment. Let this moment galvanize us, as citizens, to defend our democratic bedrock against those who would erode it for political gain. 

Read more in this open letter from the Colorado News Collaborative (COLab), Colorado Press Association, Colorado Broadcasters Association, Colorado Media Project, Colorado Freedom of Information Coalition and Denver Press Club published April 9, 2024.