CLARKSDALE, Mississippi: A judge in Mississippi has ordered a newspaper to take down an editorial that criticized the mayor and city officials after they sued, raising concerns from press freedom advocates about a possible violation of the First Amendment.

Chancery Judge Crystal Wise Martin issued the order on February 18 against the Clarksdale Press Register. The editorial, titled "Secrecy, Deception Erode Public Trust," accused city leaders of failing to notify the paper about a City Council meeting on a proposed tax on alcohol, marijuana, and tobacco.

Wyatt Emmerich, president of the paper's parent company, called the order dangerous and said they plan to fight it: "We will fight it and see where it goes."

The city's lawsuit claimed the editorial was false and hurt efforts to push for the tax with state lawmakers. By February 19, the editorial had been removed from the paper's website. A court hearing is scheduled for February 27.

Mayor Chuck Espy said the article wrongly suggested the city broke the law and unfairly questioned whether officials had received kickbacks. "We support press freedom and transparency," he said. "We just want the truth."

The order has faced backlash from press advocates across the country. Layne Bruce of the Mississippi Press Association called the ruling "astounding" and a clear violation of the First Amendment. Lisa Zycherman from the Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press added that the order amounts to censorship.

This case follows other recent efforts to silence the press. In 2023, police in Kansas raided a newspaper office over claims of identity theft, but the raid was later investigated, and the police chief involved was charged with obstruction of justice.