The Society of Professional Journalists Colorado Pro Chapter is announcing recipients of its annual individual awards for excellence in journalism. These are the chapter’s highest honors.

This year’s honorees are Linda Carpio Shapley, Jeremy Jojola, Doug Cosper (posthumous) and the Aurora Sentinel.

The awards – determined by the chapter’s board – will be presented April 25, 2026, at our annual Top of the Rockies Awards reception. Please join us in celebrating these outstanding Colorado journalists.The reception is open to all, but you’ll need to RSVP. Details and RSVP link here.

Our 2026 honorees:

KEEPER OF THE FLAME: Linda Carpio Shapley

Linda Carpio Shapley was managing editor of The Denver Post, managing editor of Colorado Politics, and both publisher and director of editorial and audience engagement at Colorado Community Media across her long career in Colorado journalism. Currently she is interim CEO/president for Rocky Mountain Student Media at Colorado State University, where she graduated in 1992. She has served as president of the Colorado Press Association, vice president of the Denver Press Club, and in 2022 was a fellow in the Poynter Institute Media Transformation Challenge. A native Coloradan, she has written: “I have a deep and abiding respect for the independent spirit of our residents, and I strive to ensure that the myriad voices that make our state so colorful continue to be heard.” Vince Bzdek, her former boss at Colorado Politics and colleague at the Post, has said, “Linda is one of Denver’s most loved and respected journalists, because she always puts the people who work for her first.”

Keeper of the Flame is a career achievement award recognizing a longtime journalist for excellence in journalism, contributions to the profession, and leading and mentoring young journalists. Recipients have displayed extraordinary dedication to ethical, responsible journalism and professional integrity.

---

JOURNALIST OF THE YEAR: Jeremy Jojola

Jojola spent nearly 15 years as an investigative reporter for KUSA-9NEWS in Denver, and currently is a video journalist for its parent company. His sustained, high-impact reporting in 2025 played a critical role in holding police departments across the Denver metro area accountable. Jojola produced an extraordinary body of reporting that exposed misconduct, policy failures and systemic weaknesses within multiple law-enforcement agencies, consistently demonstrating that these were not isolated incidents, but part of broader structural problems — inadequate oversight, over-reliance on surveillance technology, and a troubling pattern in which officers with documented conduct issues were able to move between departments rather than face meaningful accountability. His reporting at 9NEWS consistently reinforced journalism’s role as a watchdog over those in power.

The Journalist of the Year award recognizes extraordinary work in the previous calendar year, embodying the SPJ Code of Ethics in seeking and reporting truth, minimizing harm, acting independently and being accountable and transparent. 

---

EDUCATOR OF THE YEAR: Doug Cosper (posthumous)

Romania, Cambodia, Vietnam, Laos, Thailand, Azerbaijan, Maldives, Botswana, East Timor, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Myanmar, South Sudan. The late Doug Cosper (1949-2025) brought the principles of journalism to all those countries, many with fledgling democracies, some still under military control and in the grip of authoritarian governments. A seasoned and accomplished reporter at United Press International, the Daily Camera in Boulder and other outlets, Cosper dedicated more than a decade of his life to training young journalists in the Third World, inspiring them with his experience, his passion for the work, and his unflagging humanity. He also taught in the journalism department at University of Colorado Boulder, earning high marks from his students for his impact on them during their formative years as journalists.

Educator of the Year is awarded annually to recognize the outstanding work of teachers and professional mentors.

---

FIRST AMENDMENT AWARD: Aurora Sentinel

In a case brought by the Sentinel, the Colorado Supreme Court in October 2025 ruled that under Colorado’s Open Meetings Law, the Sentinel falls under the definition of citizen and therefore can recoup attorney fees from a public body that violated the law. In March 2022, the Aurora City Council held an executive session to receive legal advice about a censure proposal directed at a now-former council member. As a result of the closed meeting, the Sentinel requested records from the executive session, claiming that the meeting was wrongly shielded from public view. That request was denied, so the Sentinel asked the district court to weigh in on the matter.  In October 2025, the case was ultimately relayed to the Colorado Supreme Court, which ruled the newspaper is a citizen. The Supreme Court ruling benefits Colorado’s journalism community and our audiences by ensuring that we can challenge our governing bodies and recoup fees when they are in the wrong. Dave Perry is the Sentinel’s publisher and editor.

The First Amendment Award recognizes those who embody the exercise of a free and fair press and go above and beyond to hold governments accountable and speak truth to power. 

Click here for our roster of previous SPJ Colorado Pro individual awards winners.

---

• Our latest SPJ Colorado Pro newsletter.
• UPCOMING EVENT: April 3, Spring Portfolio Review — Students, get expert advice on your portfolio at our Spring Portfolio Review. Details here.
• STAY IN TOUCH WITH SPJ COLORADO PRO: Online, Facebook, LinkedIn, Bluesky.
• YOUTUBE VIDEOS of our past events.
• JOIN US: Become a member of national SPJ and add Colorado Pro chapter membership for free. Details here.