A Colorado town has finalized a $45,000 settlement to a local news outlet after its leaders allegedly pulled public advertising because of the outlet’s critical reporting.
The dispute between the town of Bennett and The I-70 Scout arose over the paper’s coverage of an alleged sexual assault case tied to a Strasburg middle school.
The author wrote an article detailing how six boys allegedly assaulted another boy in the locker room after track practice. Five school employees were suspended because of the incident, but it is not known what role they played.
The outlet published a front page article in May including graphic details of the encounter from a redacted incident report the author obtained from the Adams County Sheriff’s Office. The reporter noted that, “Shockingly, the mother of the victim did not want to press charges,” which upset town officials.
The publisher later apologized for including too many details of the incident and for using the word “shockingly” when describing the mother’s refusal to press charges. He explained, “that is how I felt, and it crept into the story.”
Members of the town council pushed to cut off the paper’s advertising contract as retaliation for the article. One of the trustees said the outlets owned by Doug Claussen, The I-70 Scout’s publisher “have concerned me for most of the years I’ve lived out here, but this is by far the worst I’ve ever seen him do to anyone.”
Claussen responded by hiring an attorney from the Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press, who argued that the board’s decision was “egregiously unconstitutional” because it was “openly motivated by retaliation for the I-70 Scout’s editorial decision-making.”
Attorney Rachael Johnson sent Bennett trustees a letter accusing it of retaliating against the news outlet for protected speech. She argued that state and federal courts have long held that government bodies cannot pull advertising to punish publishers over news coverage.
A Colorado town pulled advertising from local newspaper The I-70 Scout in retaliation for reporting it disliked. After an @rcfp attorney representing the newspaper pushed back, the town reversed course. https://t.co/1wo5kLkLl1
— Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press (@rcfp) December 27, 2025
In a statement, the town said it approved the settlement because it believes in the First Amendment and the value of free speech. However, it maintained that the board members’ decisions were ethical. The town will not only pay the $45,000 settlement, but will also restore the paper’s advertising contract.
ICYMI: Bennett trustees voted this week to settle a First Amendment claim brought by a weekly newspaper that lost town advertising last spring because the board didn’t like an article about a sexual assault. https://t.co/nBjjHmZZ5m
— Colorado Freedom of Information Coalition (@CoFOIC) December 12, 2025
While the Town Board firmly believes that its previous actions were taken ethically and with the best interests of our Eastern Colorado community in mind, we recognize the importance of moving forward with a continued focus on transparency and community support. We remain committed to strengthening trust and communication with those we serve.
Once a new contract is established with the I-70 Scout, we look forward to continuing our shared goal of keeping the community well-informed about Town happenings, events and important updates. Additionally, we are actively exploring opportunities within this contract to further support local groups, organizations and businesses.
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