PACIFIC COUNTY, Wash. — For more than 122 years, the Chinook Observer has documented happenings in and around Pacific County, Wash., but moving forward the paper’s stories will no longer contain interviews with county sheriff officials.
Citing several complaints, Pacific County Sheriff Daniel Garcia last week said the agency would stop responding to the paper’s questions or interview requests.
”I no longer want to give them little snippets of something I’ve said and then try and convince the people I meant something else,” said Garcia.
He said the paper has labeled him as a constitutional sheriff, something he rejects.
“I’m not a part of any movement. I’m not part of any group. I’m a man that saw a need, was asked to fill it and I stepped up to do so,” said Garcia.
He also said the paper has published stories Garcia said were inaccurate.
”We have told them in the past, and the undersheriff in particular has said, ‘I think you might want to check your sources, because they’re lying to you.’ And then the article runs anyways,” said Garcia.
Garcia said the agency would continue to send the paper news releases and fulfill public records requests for the newspaper.
Chinook Observer Editor Matt Winters stands by his newspaper’s coverage of Garcia and the agency. He said claims of inaccuracies in stories are "ridiculous."
”We have the records to prove everything that we’ve ever reported,” said Winters.
Winters, who has been the editor since 1991, said the award-winning newspaper has a good relationship with other law enforcement in the county.
”I like to get along with everybody,” said Winters, “but you know, damned if I’m going to let a sheriff dictate to me what the news is.”
Winters and Garcia said they hope the current situation is temporary. Both said they would like to find a way the county and the paper can work together to serve the community again.