The National Association of Hispanic Journalists is saddened to learn of the closing of The Rocky Mountain News.

Friday’s final edition signals the closing of a nearly 150 year chapter in Denver’s history. From that day on, there will be one more empty chair at city council hearings, fewer bylines in a now one newspaper town and countless stories that will go untold.

The Rocky Mountain News was the first to partner with the National Association of Hispanic Journalists’ Parity Project , and a pioneer in  the project's efforts to diversify the ranks of America’s newsrooms and advocate  for fair coverage of Latinos.

The Rocky Mountain News, which predated the founding of the state, was the community’s conscience, a trusted source of local information and a fierce watchdog of the public’s interests.

Its closure means one less photographer covering the high school’s state championship, one less reporter documenting public fraud and waste and hundreds of others who helped Denver’s community understand itself.

The Rocky Mountain News had established a long history of covering issues important to Denver’s Latino community and its passing places an added responsibility on The Denver Post to strengthen its efforts to ensure that those voices are not ignored.

The National Association of Hispanic Journalists remains firm in its efforts to support its community partners in Denver to continue advocating for fair coverage of Latinos and increasing our ranks in its press corps.