Publisher’s note: The beginning of a new beginning
Publisher/The Aspen Times
The Aspen Times has been in the news as of late. I want to take this opportunity to share directly with you what’s been happening.
Swift Communications LLC, parent company of The Aspen Times, was sued for defamation by Vladislav Doronin on April 13, 2022, in the U.S. District Court, District of Colorado due to commentaries and an article that ran in The Aspen Times.
Swift, which is owned by Ogden Newspapers, was able to address Doronin’s concerns out of court. Doronin agreed to withdraw the lawsuit, and it was officially dismissed on May 27, 2022. The terms of the agreement are confidential.
I consulted with our attorney and Ogden leadership, and we made the decision to not write about the lawsuit while negotiations were underway on a settlement. From the outset, the thought was that this dispute could be resolved fairly and quickly, without going to court. This was done out of good business sense, and most certainly not out of fear or intimidation. Reporting on the lawsuit could have unnecessarily disrupted or delayed resolution.
However, The Times has not published stories about Doronin or his Aspen Mountain development since. After consulting with Ogden, I decided not to run two columns submitted by Roger Marolt during this period because they were inadvertently related to aspects of the settlement discussions. While the connection was tangential, we chose to make a conservative decision so as not to delay resolution.
There are now no restrictions on The Times’ coverage of the lift 1A parcel or Doronin. Redevelopment of the lift 1A area has been a hot topic for decades. I assure you that the Times’ reporting of what’s happening in our community, including on the west side of Aspen Mountain and of the parties involved, will continue with the journalistic integrity readers expect from the upstanding and award-winning editorial team at The Aspen Times.
If you have questions about this or concerns related to anything at The Aspen Times, please reach out to me at apattillo@aspentimes.com.
