The Colorado Sun
TypeDigital daily newspaper
FormatOn-line
Owner(s)Founding journalists[1]
EditorLarry Ryckman and Dana Coffield
Founded2018
LanguageEnglish
Headquarters2101 Arapahoe Street
Third Floor
Denver, CO 80205
CityDenver
CountryUnited States
Websitecoloradosun.com

The Colorado Sun is an online news outlet based in Denver, Colorado. It launched on September 10, 2018, to provide long-form, in-depth coverage of news from all around Colorado.[2] It was started with two years of funding from blockchain venture capitalists at Civil and from a Kickstarter campaign.[3] The operation is now funded by reader support, through memberships, and from sponsorship and grant revenue. The Sun is an associate member of the Associated Press.[4]

History

Ten former employees of The Denver Post started The Colorado Sun[5] in response to multiple layoffs[6] after layoffs prompted by the hedge fund that owns the post, Alden Global Capital.[7] None of the founders of The Sun were laid off from The Post. They left on their own volition.

The Colorado Sun was initially started with a combination of financial and technical support from Civil,[8] a blockchain platform for news organizations to independently found and run newsrooms,[9] and from a Kickstarter campaign that more than doubled its initial goals.[3] This combination provided The Colorado Sun with two years of initial funding, and a subsequent grant from Wend Ventures in late 2018 provided two years of funding for educational reporting.[10] The newspaper accepts advertising, and is supported through a combination of memberships, sponsorships, grants and donations.

In May 2021, The Colorado Sun and nonprofit organization The National Trust for Local News became joint owners of 24 local newspapers after acquiring them from the previous owners, Colorado Community Media.[11][12] In November 2023, The Colorado Sun announced it would donate its ownership shares of those papers to The Trust because it was in the process of converting from a for-profit public benefit corporation to a nonprofit.[13][14] In November 2023, The Sun became a nonprofit.[15][16]

The Colorado Sun's editor is Larry Ryckman. Dana Coffield is the senior editor.

Newsletters

The Colorado Sun generates several newsletters:

  • The Sunriser: five-day-a-week newsletter with Colorado headline news
  • The Unaffiliated: twice-a-week newsletter covering Colorado politics
  • The Outsider: weekly newsletter covering Colorado outdoor recreation
  • The Temperature: weekly newsletter covering Colorado health and climate news
  • Colorado Sunday: weekly newsletter covering Colorado news and arts and culture
  • Mike Littwin: twice-weekly newsletter with commentary on Colorado politics

References

  1. ↑ Hutchins, Corey (July 18, 2018). "The Colorado Sun pits Civil-backed startup against The Denver Post". Columbia Journalism Review. Retrieved January 24, 2019. Founding staff members own the company, an LLC.
  2. ↑ "About Us". The Colorado Sun. Retrieved January 24, 2019. The Colorado Sun is a journalist-owned news outlet based in Denver but which strives to cover all of Colorado so that our state – our community – can better understand itself.
  3. 1 2 "Kickstarter: The Colorado Sun". Kickstarter. Retrieved January 24, 2019.
  4. ↑ "The Colorado Sun, one year after the 'Denver rebellion'". Columbia Journalism Review. Retrieved 6 April 2021. It is also an associate member of The Associated Press, which means it publishes AP content, but also provides news to the AP.
  5. ↑ "Here comes the Colorado Sun". Next 9NEWS YouTube channel. 2018-06-18.
  6. ↑ Aiello, Chloe (June 16, 2018). "As hedge funds overtake media, the Denver Post leads a vocal revolt against 'vulture capitalists'". CNBC. Retrieved January 24, 2019. The Post has cut its staff about 70 percent since Alden and its founder Randall Smith took control in 2011, according to data from the Denver Newspaper Guild.
  7. ↑ Markus, Ben (June 17, 2018). "The Colorado Sun to Launch with Former Denver Post 'A-Team' Stars and Tech Cash". CPR.org. Colorado Public Radio. Retrieved January 24, 2019.
  8. ↑ "A community-owned journalism network based on transparency and trust". Civil.co. Retrieved January 24, 2019.
  9. ↑ Coolidge, Matt (December 1, 2017). "What is Civil". Civil.co. Retrieved January 24, 2019.
  10. ↑ Ryckman, Larry (November 2, 2018). "Editor's note: The Colorado Sun is growing — with an eye on education". The Colorado Sun. Retrieved January 24, 2019.
  11. ↑ Oravetz, Janet (May 3, 2021). "The Colorado Sun is now part owner of 2 dozen community newspapers". KUSA-TV. Retrieved 2021-10-28.
  12. ↑ Folkenflik, David (2021-05-03). "In Denver, Civic-Minded 'Colorado Sun' Acquires Suburban Newspaper Chain". NPR. Retrieved 2021-10-28.
  13. ↑ "The Colorado Sun donates its share of 24 suburban papers and urges they go nonprofit". Media Nation. 2023-11-03. Retrieved 2023-11-04.
  14. ↑ "Colorado Sun donates shares in Colorado weeklies to the National Trust for Local News". The Colorado Sun. 2023-11-01. Retrieved 2023-11-04.
  15. ↑ "How The Colorado Sun is funded". The Colorado Sun. Retrieved 2023-12-06. As of Nov. 15, 2023, The Colorado Sun is a 501(c)3 nonprofit. Prior, we were a public benefit corporation, which meant we were a for-profit company incorporated with a mission. Our mission remains unchanged: To provide our community with quality, nonpartisan journalism — and no paywall.
  16. ↑ Sun, The Colorado (2023-12-05). "It's official: The Colorado Sun is a nonprofit". The Colorado Sun. Retrieved 2023-12-06.
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