I’ve never met Sandra Fish, but she’s my hero. If you haven’t read about the Colorado Sun reporter on page 2 of this issue, please do so.
I’m immensely proud of her for her insistence on freedom of the press, and for the job she’s done for decades. Here’s an excerpt of her biography on the Sun website:
“Sandra Fish has covered government and politics in Iowa, Florida, New Mexico and Colorado. She was a full-time journalism instructor at the University of Colorado for eight years, and her work has appeared on CPR, KUNC, The Washington Post, Roll Call and other outlets. …
“Education: Bachelor’s in journalism and political science, Master’s in political science with an emphasis in statistics from Iowa State University.”
As we began the Bulletin’s revival about one year ago, our publisher, Lyn Ettinger-Harwell, had the brilliant idea to reach out to the Colorado Sun to inquire about collaborating. That’s enabled us to expand our coverage with the excellent work of Sun writers and photographers.
I’m proud of all legitimate journalists — ones who follow established principles of fairness and objectivity — and proud to have spent a few decades myself in this profession.
I served alongside Larry Ryckman, the Sun’s editor and co-founder, for a few years at the Colorado Springs Gazette. I’m proud of this latest accomplishment in his sterling career.
But enough patting ourselves on the back. This brouhaha is about the public’s right to know. It’s about you, our readers, and the pillars of democracy. Period.
I’m also a student of history, and I’m both angry and proud about the fact that dictators seizing power tend to kick out the media soon after they move into the presidential palace. They don’t want anyone to know the truth.
They’re like cockroaches scuttling under the refrigerator when you turn on the kitchen light.
It’s about you, our readers.
I’m not saying that Colorado’s Republican Party leaders are dictators (or cockroaches), but throwing around terms like “fake news” and “the crooked press” does not bode well for transparency.
Rest assured, if a reporter from a conservative media outlet had been ousted from a Democratic Party assembly, I’d be just as peeved.
And, I’m sure, the national outlets now reporting on Fish’s “disinvitation” would be just as indignant if the situation were reversed. Even fellow Republican leaders in Colorado are calling this ouster a bad move.
This attempt to stifle the free press, guaranteed in the Constitution in 1791, just makes the Bulletin staff and board even more determined to continue our work, the work we do for you.
If you’d like to hear Fish’s thoughts about this kerfluffle, tune in here: tinyurl.com/SandraFishonKOA.
