Bill to bolster Colo. media shield law fails

Colorado lawmakers rejected a proposal to increase legal protections for reporters and their sources in Colorado after a New York reporter was pressured to divulge sources in the theater shooting case.

Lawmakers killed the proposal on a 3-2 party-line vote with Republicans in support of the bill.

The bill from Colorado Springs Republican Sen. Bernie Herpin would have raised the legal standard to compel reporters to reveal their sources.

Herpin said he made the proposal because of the case of New York-based Fox News reporter Jana Winter, who was pressured to divulge sources of information about the 2012 Aurora theater shootings.

Opponents of the bill say Colorado’s law already offers sufficient protections to journalists. But supporters point out it was a New York court that ultimately prevented Winter from testifying.