Colorado Public Radio, Aspen Public Radio, and KSUT’s legal fight to keep the government out of its newsrooms just earned statewide recognition. Their leaders are being honored for the case that ended with President Trump’s NPR funding cuts deemed unconstitutional.
The Colorado Association of Libraries presented the Julie J. Boucher Community Honor Roll Award to CPR’s Stewart Vanderwilt, Aspen Public Radio Executive Director Breeze Richardson, KSUT Public Radio Executive Director Tami Graham and attorney Steve Zansberg for their work. The award recognizes individuals or organizations outside the library profession who have made significant contributions to promoting intellectual freedom in Colorado.
In 2025, Vanderwilt, Richardson, Graham and Zansberg, alongside NPR, sued the White House over an executive order restricting public media stations from using federal support for NPR programming. The lawsuit, National Public Radio, Inc. v. Trump, argued the order was unconstitutional and amounted to retaliation aimed at punishing protected speech. On March 31, US District Judge Randolph Moss ruled in favor of the public media coalition, declaring the executive order a violation of the First Amendment and protecting the editorial independence of the press.
Graham said, “We are honored to accept this award and join the legacy of advocates who stand up against censorship of all kinds. KSUT will always be in service to our listeners and freedom of speech over politicians.”
Richardson said, “Governmental interference against a free and independent press violates the First Amendment rights of every person in the state of Colorado. We are proud to stand up to any attack seeking to compromise the integrity of the reporting Americans rely on to stay informed and make their own decisions.”
Vanderwilt said, “We are honored to accept this award, and vouch to continue to protect and value the legacy of intellectual freedom that Julie J. Boucher dedicated her life to. Public media exists to serve the public, and CPR will always advocate for freedom of the press.”
