Ex-Denver Post editor was briefly a candidate for The New York Times public editor position

Wins and losses for open government this legislative session: Mostly losses. Mostly meh.

For an end-of-session wrap up on the topic of transparency, let’s go to the guy who tracks this stuff more than anyone in Colorado, Jeffrey Roberts of the Colorado Freedom of Information Coalition. (You might recall a profile I wrote on Roberts earlier this year for CJR.) So, how did this session fare on the open government front?

“Colorado lawmakers in 2016 rejected an opportunity to bring the state’s open-records law into the 21st century,” Robert says.

Grrreat. Sooo, what happened specifically?

They … decided that wage-law violations should remain “trade secrets” and that internal affairs files on judicial branch employees should remain confidential, which isn’t the case for other state government workers. On matters affecting public information, the General Assembly did little during this year’s session to improve access. The most significant legislative win for government transparency doesn’t actually affect governments. That would be SB 16-038, which requires financial disclosures and state audits for nonprofits that get millions of dollars of taxpayer money to coordinate services for Coloradans with developmental and intellectual disabilities.

Read more from Roberts about this latest session’s failures here.

A progressive media watcher lists the “Best reporting on the state legislature in 2016”

Jason Salzman, a former Rocky Mountain News media critic and progressive consultant in Denver, rounded up some of his favorite reporting of the legislative session for his BigMedia blog this week, featuring journalism from The Denver Post, The Colorado Independent, Rocky Mountain Community Radio, The Durango Herald, FOX 31 Denver, and The Colorado Statesman.

“The press corps is threatened and depleted but continues to crank out quality journalism,” he writes. “Let’s hope we can say that next year.” Find out what specific stories tickled Salzman’s fancy here.

Speaking of … want to become a better reporter or editor?

The Colorado Press Association has you, shall we say, covered. The group is holding a May 26 morning webinar free for CPA members and $75 for non-members. Here’s what editors Randy Bangert of The Greeley Tribune and The Pueblo Chieftain’s Steve Henson will discuss:

What are some best practices when conducting interviews? How about writing stories? What are some tips to ensure your stories are accurate? What’s the difference between a hyperbolic lead and a good lead?

Interested reporters and editors can register for the event here.

Meanwhile, Denver7’s Marshall Zelinger is one Colorado reporter who is buh-lowing up

During big elections, sometimes one reporter’s work stands out as exemplary, usually when they get ahold of a storyline and just own it from start to finish. Colorado news junkies are watching that happen to Marshall Zelinger of Denver’s ABC station. I’d mentioned his work in last week’s newsletter— and it just keeps getting better. Zelinger hadn’t been able to get a comment for his earlier reporting that uncovered potential fraud in the signature-gathering process that put 34-year-old Republican Jon Keyser on the June primary ballot in the U.S. Senate race. But last week the reporter caught up with the candidate for a cringe-worthy video interview during a break in a candidate forum. What happened next was brutal, and in the era of 24/7 news coverage and social media could wind up a campaign killer. Keyser twice calls Marshall “Mitchell,” accuses the reporter of “creeping around my house,” doing “the Democrats’ work,” and mentions the size of his “huge” and “very protective” 165-pound Great Dane, asking the reporter, “Did you get to meet my dog? … he’s bigger than you are.”

There’s been some of talk about whether the candidate threatened the reporter with his dog. I saw it more as just awkward, nervous banter and Keyser trying to talk about anything other than the issue Zelinger wanted him to discuss. But still, as Associated Press reporter Nick Riccardi rightly pointed out, “you don’t want that to be a question.” Later, this candidate for a national political office told The Denver Post he invoked his dog because he thought the reporter crossed a line by knocking on his door — in the middle of the afternoon. Really.

Zelinger’s “great, amazing, shoe leather reporting” made a lengthy segment on MSNBC’s Rachel Maddow Show, bringing even more national attention to this statewide Colorado race.

Ex-Denver Post editor was briefly a candidate for The New York Times public editor position

Halfway through a Michael Calderone media piece in HuffPo about who will be the next public editor of the The New York Times, was this Colorado nugget:

The Times’ search committee cast a wide net for this influential perch and approached a number of prominent journalists. One candidate was Greg Moore, who led The Denver Post for 14 years before resigning in March. He withdrew early in the process, and told HuffPost recently that he was flattered to be considered but plans to remain in Colorado.

Moore recently left The Denver Post, just before news broke of byline counts, 26 buyouts, and a major re-organization of the newsroom.