'Uniquely egregious': Judge orders newspaper to delete editorial criticizing government

19 February

Without even conducting a hearing, a Mississippi judge ordered a local newspaper to remove an editorial criticizing local officials over a lack of transparency.

The Independent reported Wednesday that the Clarksdale Press-Register in Clarksdale, Mississippi has since deleted the editorial in question following an order handed down by Hinds County Chancery Court Judge Crystal Wise Martin. The editorial called out municipal leaders in Clarksdale for not properly notifying the public about a hearing on proposed tax increases. Judge Martin's order accused the paper of "reckless disregard of the truth," and asserted that the editorial disrupts the local government's "legitimate function to advocate for legislation they believe would help their municipality during this current legislative cycle."

"The notice was posted at city hall as required by law and said stated the city would 'give appropriate notice thereof to the media,'" the editorial read. "This newspaper was never notified. We know of no other media organization that was notified."

Seth Sterns, who is the director of advocacy for the Freedom of the Press Foundation, told the Independent that the case was "uniquely egregious."

"It's hard to imagine a more unconstitutional order than one compelling a newspaper to take down an editorial critical of the government," he said. “And it’s particularly ironic when the editorial in question is about government secrecy undermining the public trust ... If anyone previously trusted the secretive officials involved in this censorship campaign, they shouldn't now.”

Clarksdale Mayor Chuck Espy (the son of former U.S Department of Agriculture Secretary Mike Espy) celebrated Judge Martin's ruling in a Facebook post, exclaiming that "the city of Clarksdale WON today!"

"The judge ruled in our favor that a newspaper cannot tell a malicious lie and not be held liable. The newspaper had to take down a false story that they printed," Espy wrote. "The only thing that I ask, that no matter what you print, just let it be the truth; be it good or bad. Thank you GOD for a judicial system.”

Click here to read the Independent's full report. And click here to read an archived version of the Press-Register's now-deleted editorial.

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