During a closed meeting Tuesday, Shasta County supervisors unanimously voted to condemn county elections official Clint Curtis' removal of a nonprofit news outlet from his press release distribution list.
Earlier this month, Curtis removed Shasta Scout from the list, alleging the online publication had a left-wing bias and questioning its nonprofit status.
The First Amendment Coalition sent a letter to Curtis on behalf of Shasta Scout, warning of potential legal consequences. Annelise Pierce, founder and managing editor of Shasta Scout, said she wants to ensure reporters can continue covering local elections.
“If we're removed from the press release list, then it's very possible in the future we could also be excluded from a press meeting or from reporting at the elections office itself on election night," Pierce said. "These are things that we don't want to risk happening.”
Shasta Scout has reported on Curtis since his appointment in May, including fact-checking his claims while in office. The outlet reported receiving a call from assistant clerk Brent Turner, who accused the publication of coming close to "meddling" in elections.
"It does not matter to me what their message is," said Curtis via email. "They can print 'The Communist Manifesto.' What they should not be doing is operating as a public charity. At some point, someone has to take a stand. This is a great place to do that."
Pierce founded Shasta Scout in 2021 to focus on government accountability and in-depth investigative local reporting. It's a member of the Institute for Nonprofit News, which requires members to produce fact-based journalism and avoid advocating for policies beyond freedom of the press and public access to information.
The county did not immediately provide the press release distribution list. Pierce noted that several "citizen journalists" in Shasta County who promote partisan viewpoints are allowed to attend press conferences just like any other journalist.
Pierce said the law is designed to protect all members of the press and that reporters shouldn't be excluded based on a "public official's beliefs about their legitimacy."
The Board of Supervisors agreed with Shasta Scout's right to equal access to information from the county government.
"We condemn Mr. Curtis' actions in excluding a member of the press and encourage him to maintain a high level of transparency and access to information," Board Chair Kevin Crye said during Tuesday's meeting. "If it occurs again, the board will move to censure."
The board itself faced criticism for restricting media access during meetings — a decision it quickly reversed.
Following the controversy, Curtis said he will no longer send press releases by email to any news outlets. Instead, he said all press releases will be published on the county's website. He said all press releases were already available there.
Some releases between July and October had been missing. Curtis said that was because of a staffing transition and has since restored the missing ones.
