Colorado plans to impose its own definition of journalist

(Pixabay)

The state of Colorado already has determined it can define what are Christian beliefs.

For example, it has waged a years-long war against members of the faith who decline to follow its mandate that promoting the LGBT agenda is a required belief.

For that agenda, it's already been reprimanded by the U.S. Supreme Court, in the Masterpiece Cakeshop case, where it demanded the owner submit to state LGBT indoctrination.

It stands to face another scolding if the court follows its own precedents and says the state cannot demand Christians promoted that ideology in another case it has right now.

But now lawmakers in the Democrat-run state have decided they will define "journalist."

According to a report at Complete Colorado, a proposal in the legislature "gives government more control over who can play watchdog, making it costlier and more cumbersome for average citizens to get information on their elected officials than for those who would fall under the definition of 'news media.'"

The plan, from Democrats Chris Hansen and Marc Snyder, requires that to be "news media" a broadcaster must be "licensed by the federal communications commission" or to be a publication, one must have "published one or more regular editions in each of the four calendar quarters preceding."

Lawmakers also want to demand that "media" "primarily serve the needs of the public by providing news information," "Has news gathering entities or programs that primarily have content derived from primary sources relating to news and current events," "Employs at least one full-time journalist for thirty hours a week or more," "Is covered by media liability insurance," and discloses its ownership.

Can a state "define" a journalist?

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Excluded would be many of the more significant online news outlets, those that may be owned by 501 (c)(4) organizations, 501 (c)(6) organizations and IRS 527 organizations.

The report noted, "Under the bill’s definitions it appears that freelancers, bloggers, podcasters, non-profit watchdogs and other non-traditional media organizations and individuals would not be considered legitimate news outlets."

The state then would put them in a special fee structure that would charge them more, and make them wait longer, for public information.

To obtain the lower-cost "media" rate for access to public documents, "It will be on the requestor to prove they are a member of the media by submitting with the request a copy of their press pass or certification of eligibility from an association representing the majority of newsrooms in Colorado."

"The solution to this problem of access to public information cannot be for government to privilege certain people over others in granting that access," charged Ari Armstrong, a Complete Colorado columnist.

And the report noted Chase Woodruff, of the ideologically progressive Colorado Newsline, said, "No journalist or journalistic organization should support this."

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