Anthony Cotton

Colorado Matters Senior Producer

@AnthonyCottondp[email protected]

Anthony Cotton is a senior producer for Colorado Matters on CPR News.

Education:
Bachelor's degree in journalism, Northwestern University.

Professional background:
Anthony joined Colorado Public Radio in 2016, bringing decades of writing experience ranging from politics to sports. He worked for 14 years for The Denver Post and has also served on the staff of Sports Illustrated and The Washington Post.

Awards:
Anthony was named 2011 Print Journalist of the Year by the Colorado Association of Black Journalists.

Colorado Matters

AI startup raises questions on ‘local’ news you can use

If you’re hungry for neighborhood goings-on – from government to bake sales – you might be delighted that a newsletter focused your community has arrived in your inbox. But might your enthusiasm be tempered – if you found out the content you crave was being generated by one man. In New York City. Via Artificial Intelligence. That scenario’s playing out across the country – including in Colorado. Reporter Andrew Deck, of the Nieman Journalism Lab discusses the implications of the startup.
By Anthony Cotton
Missy, the oldest elephant at Cheyenne Mountain Zoo, stands in the main outdoor elephant yard.
Colorado Matters

‘Laying the groundwork’ or ‘frivolous’ quest — After Colorado Supreme Court decision, what’s next in elephant case

Last week the Colorado Supreme Court ruled that five elephants at the Cheyenne Mountain Zoo in Colorado Springs did not hold the same rights as humans and therefore didn’t have a legal right to pursue their release. The court upheld a lower court decision in a case brought by an animal rights group, the Nonhuman Rights Project. While the zoo said in a statement following the decision that the lawsuit was “frivolous,” Jake Davis, an attorney for the NRP said it, and similar — albeit it, losing — efforts at other zoos around the country are the first step in a movement to overcome the status quo.
By Anthony Cotton
bill mccartney r m
Colorado Matters

Remembering legendary CU football coach Bill McCartney

On Wednesday, the University of Colorado celebrated the life of football coach Bill McCartney. The winningest coach in school history, McCartney died January 10 after a lengthy battle with dementia. In 1990, McCartney led the Buffs to the college football national championship, following a 10-9 victory over Notre Dame in the Orange Bowl. McCartney was perhaps recognized for his faith as much as football — in 1990, he founded the Christian organization Promise Keepers.
By Anthony Cotton
Colorado Matters

New CU Denver program Change Makers inspires those writing their next chapters

People approaching retirement face many challenges–there’s money and affordability, but there are also questions about identity and self-worth… and of course, what comes next. Change Makers, a new program at the University of Colorado Denver offers a chance to help professionals and others navigate those questions. As part of our Aging Matters series, we spoke with program directors Anne Button and Rachel Cohen. We also spoke with Alex Chernushin, a newly-retired aerospace engineer who took part in the program.
By Anthony Cotton
Colorado Matters

State historian William Wei discusses the Alien Enemies Act

When former President Donald Trump spoke in Aurora recently, he pledged to use the Alien Enemies Act to rid the city of violent gang members. The measure, first introduced in the late 1700s, was used in one of the darkest chapters in Colorado history — the formation of an interment facility, called Camp Amache, where thousands of Japanese-American citizens were held during World War II.
By Anthony Cotton
Colorado Matters

Digging into the Greek life — CU scholars interpret rare Euripidean find

When archaeologists in Egypt discovered a papyrus in 2022 that appears to hold fragments of work from the ancient Greek tragedian Euripides, it set in motion a chain of events that culminates in Boulder this weekend. A pair of scholars from the University of Colorado Boulder, Yvona Trnka-Amrhein and John Gibert will be part of a symposium centered around the find. After the discovery of the papyrus, the duo have worked on deciphering and interpreting the text, which they say contains portions from two of his plays.
By Anthony Cotton
Bianka Emerson, the president of Colorado Black Women for Political Action, at CPR News studios on July 26, 2024.
Colorado Matters

Kamala Harris provides needed excitement, but Colorado political activist says ‘there’s still work to do.’

Bianka Emerson says President Joe Biden’s decision to not seek a second term and endorsing vice president Kamala Harris to replace him, has energized a moribund Democratic campaign. Emerson, president of Colorado Black Women for Political Action, participated in a recent conference call that featured more than 40,000 women and raised more than $1 million. Emerson spoke of the challenges Harris — and Black women as a whole — are facing in the upcoming election.
By Anthony Cotton