In today's media, the status quo can flip so abruptly that news outlets are forced to reshape themselves. On January 1, 2014 as recreational marijuana explodes off the shelves of Colorado dispensaries, The Denver Post is telling the story. The Cannabist is the first pot section of a major newspaper and Ricardo Baca, the world's first marijuana editor sets out to report history in the making with a team of straight-laced staff writers and offbeat freelancers. Policy news, strain reviews, parenting advice and edible recipes are the new norm on a new beat: pot journalism. Legalization is an experiment for society and a risk for the dying industry of newspapers to hedge its bets on a new one.
Hanna Ranch is a feature documentary about visionary cattleman Kirk Hanna and his personal struggle to protect a once prominent way of life in Colorado. Born into a life on the family ranch, Hanna became a leader in the environmental ranching movement that set out to protect the West from the relentless encroachment of development and misuse. Featured in the book Fast Food Nation and dubbed the “eco-cowboy,” he was an early adopter of Holistic Resource Management practices, sat on numerous environmental boards and was president of the Colorado Cattleman’s Association. Hanna’s opinion was so widely sought and respected, many even saw him as a future governor of Colorado. But when his dream of harmony and sustainability ran up against the reality of family conflict and mounting threats to the land, Hanna lost hope. Kirk’s legacy and fight live on as his family and friends continue to protect the West by saving Hanna Ranch.