Documentary 'Kill. Bury. Print.' revisits McCurtain County newspaper's fight for justice

A new Peacock documentary is set to bring national attention back to McCurtain County, Oklahoma, when it premieres Sept. 27.

"Kill. Bury. Print." tells the story of the McCurtain County Gazette News and its years-long investigation into the county sheriff's office — a story that went viral in 2023 after the paper secretly recorded video capturing appalling commentary from the sheriff and other officials, including remarks wishing lynchings were still practiced and discussions about plots to kill Gazette reporters.

"The assistant chief of Idabel PD listened to it and said I count at least five felonies on that tape," Gazette reporter Chris Willingham said.

Willingham had been covering accusations of corruption within the administration for years — writing at least 40 articles before the recording surfaced. The documentary lays out the full story, though Willingham said he has not yet seen the finished film.

The investigation took a serious personal toll. Willingham and his family received threats and feared for their lives, eventually relocating to Tulsa. His father stayed behind and still runs the paper.

"It was a day to day fight against our mental health to continue to do that job. It was really difficult. It was the right thing to do to get out of there," Willingham said.

FROM 2023: McCurtain Gazette reporter hopes 'someone will listen' after McCurtain County investigative series

The situation was compounded when Oklahoma Attorney General Gentner Drummond declined to charge anyone involved, saying being racist was not illegal.

"There was a failure there. Foolishly I thought well this is what happens. Reporters report. We will tell the story, we have the evidence and our officials come in and take care of us, and that's not what happened. We felt completely ignored," Willingham said.

Former Sheriff Clardy was not re-elected but remains living in the county, as do the other officials heard on the recording.

Willingham hopes the documentary brings the story back into the spotlight and leads to accountability.

"Kill. Bury. Print." premieres on Peacock on Sunday, Sept. 27.

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