I recently noticed that the current White House administration has filed yet another lawsuit against a media organization—this time targeting the BBC in the UK and again seeking financial damages. It’s another reminder of just how strained the relationship between government and the press has become.
Growing up, I spent my days at the movies, on the field, and buried in comic books. In those stories, heroes weren’t just the ones in capes — they were the reporters. Clark Kent and Lois Lane at the Daily Planet. Peter Parker snapping photos for the Daily Bugle. Ben Urich investigating corruption in the Daredevil universe. These weren’t just background characters; they were brave truth-seekers who held the powerful accountable.
During my early high school years, the Watergate scandal was unfolding, and All The President’s Men hit theaters with Dustin Hoffman and Robert Redford. It left a deep impression on me.
After my Air Force career, I pursued that same calling — earning my journalism degree at MSU Denver — believing in the responsibility to shine a light on wrongdoing and protect the public interest. That spirit was shaped by those fictional heroes and the real reporters who inspired them.
But the landscape has changed. Many media outlets today are no longer owned by individuals driven by civic duty and community connection. Instead, large corporations prioritize profits over principle.
When confronted with lawsuits — like the one we’re seeing now — they often settle quickly rather than defend their reporting. That’s not what my heroes would have done, and it’s disheartening to see so little fight left in the institutions meant to safeguard our democracy.
Still, there are organizations doing the work, standing firm, and refusing to shy away from uncomfortable truths. Today, I’m attending an event organized by David Sirota’s investigative news group, The Lever.
Here in Colorado, I remain a supporter of The Aurora Sentinel, and I’m encouraged by the strong reporting coming from The Colorado Sun. These outlets prove that principled journalism is still alive — though at times hard to find.
I encourage you to seek out and support these independent voices. If you follow others you believe are doing meaningful investigative work, I’d love to hear about them. A free and accessible media isn’t just a civic luxury — it’s a cornerstone of our democracy. The alternative is a darkness we’ve seen elsewhere and one we cannot allow here.
Democratic State Sen. Tom Sullivan represents Centennial, Aurora and parts of the southeast metro area. He is an Air Force veteran and advocate for gun control.
What a hilariously fatuous, self-serving op-ed. Leaving aside the fact that when Sullivan says “independent media,” what he really means is, “in-kind public relations reps who push Democratic party political agendas,” he disingenuously asserts that media has only been very recently owned by corporations, since his political theology demands a boogeyman that’s oppressing. Anyone familiar with the history of journalism, particularly journalism in the Denver area, would know that media outlets have been owned by corporations for decades now. What Sullivan really means is that it’s a problem because those corporations might not be working in his team’s interest like they were before 2025, which is why he’s doing a panel with fellow leftist David Sirota.
When Sullivan laments the “strained relationship between the government and the press,” he certainly gives the game away there, since out of the other side of his mouth he claims that the press is supposed to hold the government accountable; logically, the press therefore SHOULD have a highly strained relationship with the government. That he finds this to be a problem says more about his obvious concern that the press might not be malding out for a revolution, considering his fellow party members in Congress, including Jason Crow, just released a video openly encouraging mutiny and seditious conspiracy among the military and intelligence agencies.
And of course, Sullivan ends with the false dilemma that if the press isn’t acting as his team’s media agents, then “democracy” is in “darkness.” Because when his team invokes the word “democracy,” what they always mean is “anywhere the left has complete political hegemony.”
Whine, whine, whine.
Your faux outrage is always good for a laugh.
Okay, Boomer.
Although I agree that a fair press is vital, I can’t put the Sentinel in that category. When you point out simple examples where the Sentinel has told untruths and they never change them, it is hard to call them fair. As an independent, it is easy to recognize the Sentinel’s bias. Yes, there is plenty to talk about with the Republicans. But, there is a great deal to talk about with the Democrats, also. Please try to stick to some facts occasionally.
They disingenuously try to give the impression that “independent” means “impartial and fair,” when what they really mean is, “mouthpiece for the Democrats.”