A Shasta County elections official excluded a local news organization from receiving official press releases in the run up to the November election. The move drew a legal threat by FAC on behalf of Shasta Scout, condemnation by press groups, and a rebuke by the Board of Supervisors. Photo: Courtesy of Annelise Pierce
Politicians don’t get to pick the journalists who cover them. But that’s what the top elections official of a California county tried to do.
A Florida import named Clint Curtis has been under scrutiny since he narrowly secured an appointment to the job of Shasta County Registrar of Voters and County Clerk in May. News coverage has scrutinized his qualifications, connections and changes to elections administration. Now, in the run-up to the statewide special election on redistricting, news coverage of how elections are run has gained new importance and urgency.
The nonprofit, civic-focused newsroom Shasta Scout has met the moment with measured, insightful, in-depth news coverage, including a recent headline: “Shasta ROV Clint Curtis claims Secretary of State has greenlit his election plans. The state says otherwise.”
What happened next is a censorship cliche.
Curtis and his top deputy began making thinly veiled threats, saying the Scout’s coverage amounted to “election interference” and invoking federal authorities, while implying something was amiss with the newsroom’s nonprofit status with the IRS.
And then in a blatant attack on press freedom, Curtis removed Shasta Scout journalists from a press release distribution list.
Shasta Scout fought back. Represented by my colleague David Loy, Shasta Scout told Curtis his actions to exclude disfavored outlets from press releases shared with other news organizations violated the First Amendment and exposed the county to litigation.
Curtis’ response to this legal demand should alarm everyone. He fired off an email, as reported in the Redding Record Searchlight, discontinuing news release distribution for all and invoking Trump’s U.S. Department of Justice.
That’s no way for a person in charge of ensuring free and fair elections to behave, especially with one of national importance just weeks away and voters waiting for vital information, and Curtis’ actions drew a swift denunciation from the Northern California chapter of the Society of Professional Journalists. We can think of no topic that deserves more transparency than the administration of our elections.
But a bright spot: We are thrilled that the Shasta County Board of Supervisors took the unusual step of calling a special meeting over the controversy and then voting 5-0 to publicly condemn Curtis’ actions. This is the board that just hired Curtis. Board Chair Kevin Crye said: “The board unanimously respects the right of the press to have free and unfettered access to public information. We condemn Mr. Curtis’ action of excluding the press and encourage him to maintain a high level of transparency and access to public information.”
Curtis and his staff must heed this call. Shortly after the board’s condemnation, Curtis told reporters his office would post press releases on the elections office website moving forward. That’s a decent start, and luckily for Shasta County voters, no matter what Curtis does, the local press corps will be keeping watch, with the First Amendment there to protect them and the public’s right to know.