the local newspaper is calle the mccurtain gazette news and the mccurtain gazette news is a print only newspaper, doesn't have a website if you want to read th mccurtain gazette news reporting, it's like the googl days you have to wait each week until the hard copy of the paper hits your doorstep, an then you can see what they hav reported on. like all good local news outlets, online or in print, o both the staff at the mccurtain gazette news, make it thei business to make sure they are did legitimately covering th local government in thei corner of oklahoma so they show up to count commissioners meeting, where the agenda is by an equipmen for the local volunteer fire department, or road repairs, for stuff like that. at the end of the day, these local reporter see it, as thei job to make sure that loca citizens know what their local government is doing. and also, as the flip side o that same coin, they are makin sure that the local government in that area, county officials in that part of oklahoma, they are held accountable for wha they do. so, making sure citizens are informs, making

-news" and "the mccurtain gazette news" is a print only newspaper. if you want to read its reporting it's like the good old days, you have to wait each week until the hard copy of the paper hits your doorstep and then you can see what they've reported on now, like all good local news outlets online or in print or both, the staff at "the mccurtain gazette-news" make it their business to make sure they are diligently covering the local government in their corner of oklahoma, so they're the people who show up to things like, you know, county commissioner meetings where the agenda is buying equipment for the local volunteer fire department or road repairs or stuff like that. at the end of the day these local reporters see it -- see it as their job to make sure that local citizens know what their local government is doing. and also as sort of the flip side of that same coin, they're making sure that the local government in that area, county officials in that part of oklahoma, they're held accountable for what they do so making sure citizens are informed,

amy: since the mccurtain gazette-news published those and other hateful comments, sheriff clardy has refused calls to step down. the sheriff instead accused the publisher of the mccurtain gazette-news bruce willingham of making the recording illegally and predicted he would face felony charges. willingham and his son, whose potential murders were discussed in the tape, have turned the recordings over to the fbi and the oklahoma attorney general's office. in georgia, an independent autopsy has revealed an activist who was fatally shot by atlanta police in january was struck by at least 57 bullets. 26-year-old manuel esteban terÁn, known as tortuguita, was killed as police raided an encampment of forest protectors opposing the construction of atlanta's $90 million police training center dubbed "cop city." no officers have been charged over the killing. meanwhile, at least 42 activists arrested while protesting cop city face state charges of domestic terrorism. in kansas city, missouri, the white homeowner accused of shooting a black teenager who rang his doorbell by mistake pleaded not

. >> geoff the recording was obtained by a local newspaper: the mccurtain gazette-news.ter, who has spent months investigating corruption at the sheriff's office, left an audio recorder in the room after a county commissioner's meeting ended, suspecting the sheriff, the commissioner and others would continue to conduct business. instead, he apparently captured a recording of top county officials allegedly discussing wanting to kill a mccurtain gazette-reporter, while waxing nostalgic about the days when a sheriff could take a quote -black guy- throw him in a cell, and beat him. we're going to play a snippet of the recording where the suggestions of murder continue, in we should warn you-*graphic* detail >> "i know. take them down to mud creek and hang them up with a damn rope. but you can't do that anymore. they got more rights than we got." jennings: i know where two big deep holes are here if you ever need them. >> i've got an excavator. jennings: well, these are already pre-dug. but the thing of it is, you know. >> we actually told the truth. jennings: i've known, i'v

he runs the "mccurtain gazette-news" out of middle-of-nowhere oklahoma.cted that local officials were continuing to conduct county business after meetings had ended, so he secretly recorded them. when he played the tape back, he heard them talking about his son, who was also a reporter, and it was not flattering. >> the recordings captured the group talking about hiring hitmen to kill the reporters and where the bodies could be hidden. >> i've known two or three hitmen that were very quiet guys. >> yeah? >> and would cut no [bleep] mercy. >> yeah. >> i know where two big deep holes are here if you ever need 'em. >> i've got an excavator. >> well, these are already pre-dug. [audience reacts] >> jordan: holy shit. you can threaten to kill journalists in a council meeting. keep that shit on twitter like a normal person. although, you can tell that some people were a little more integral to this plot than others. because one guy was like, "i know two hitmen," and another guy is like, "and i know two holes!" thanks for the contribution, larry, we'll let you kn

>> so the mccurtain gazette, they're an independent local newspaper.is is a very rural area. but they are not like a community based paper where you think of festivals this is an investigative unit. so they put togethers of corruption within the sheriff'fi questionable promotions. improper investigations. and it was angering the sheriff's office and the reporter, chris willingham, filed a defamation lawsuit because after those articles appeared, according to this lawsuit, alicia manning, one of the people in the recording, retaliated by telling a third party by teleconference that the reporter was exchange weed for child pornography so he has filed a slander suit against them and that is when they were in that commissioner's meeting talking about hiring potentially hit men to kill the publisher. >> let me play that audio. we have that >> but the thing of it is, you know -- >> we actually told the truth. >> i've known two or three hit men. very quiet guys. would cut no [ bleep ] mercy >> yeah. >> in louisiana. >> oh, yeah, but here's the reality. if a h

nationwide racism controversy during three hours and 37 minutes of audio just published, the mccurtain gazettes county officials threatened black people making multiple refrpss to possible violence the chairman discussed lynching black men has already resigned here's his handwritten resignation letter to the governor citing, quote, the recent events in our county. nbc's steven romo is following this for us. what's on this recording what more can you tell us, steven >> yeah, chris ca lot of disturbing things on this recording released by the newspaper, along with that discussion of lynching, there was also discussion of hiring hitmen and digging holes it just seems to get worse and worse. we do want to point out nbc news has not been able to infe independently verify this audio. in fact, the sheriff's office had claimed it had been altered, but that was before the full three and a half hours had been released here's more of what's on those tapes. >> i'm going to tell you something, if it was back in the day, when that when alan marshton would take a damn black guy and whoop their ass and throw

this audio recording was obtained by the mccurtain gazette-news, a small newspaper in southeastern oklahomar, was obtained following a county commissioner's meeting because the publisher said he was concerned these county officials were still holding business away from the public and so he left a voice activated audio recorder nearby where these four officials including the county sheriff and three others continued to talk. upon obtaining that audio recording the publisher said they were discussing everything about retribution to a reporter at the newspaper over a recent lawsuit to talking about justice in the past where it involved lynching of black people. i do want you to hear a portion of this recording and keep in mind that this is not independently verified by nbc news and is only a portion of this larger recording. take a listen. >> if it was back in the day -- >> i know, take them down to mud creek. but you can't do. they got more rights than we do. >> reporter: since the release of these portions of the recording there's been a response from law enforcement. we know the independent

a local newspaper there, "the mccurtain gazette" had a recording they legally obtained in a meeting and's actually another article that is scheduled to be published tomorrow and they plan to include a qr code with the entire three hours of that recorded meeting, the first release of audio with clips. >> we're seeing some of the frustration, the anger in that community there. is there any comment yet from the county itself or from mark jennings? >> reporter: when jennings put out his resignation letter to the governor, the governor's office sent it to us, it was sort of strange because it's written -- a handwritten note two sentences on lined white paper that says, here's my resignation, i do plan to release a statement soon. that's the only word we've heard from any of them. i've reached out multiple times to all of the parties involved. the sheriff earlier this week, the only thing that he -- his office has put out was a post on facebook questioning the authenticity of the recording saying he plans to investigate but did not make any claims of any sort of stepping down. >> erin christi

this all started when a journalist with "the mccurtain county gazette news" left a recording device innd had a tip they were conducting a public meeting. what i got is something he didn't expect, racist language including what sounds like threats and as you mentioneds -- nbc news has not been able to confirm. >> it's not like back in the day. whoop their ass. >> it's not like that anymore. >> take them to mud creek and hang them up with a damn rope. they got more rights than we've got. >> lots of protests have happened and more are planned. >> oklahoma's governor has called on everyone including the sheriff to step down. is there any indication that the sheriff will. >> reporter: not right now, kate. we've reached out to the sheriff and the others involved and have not heard back from them. the sheriff did post on facebook a message in part reading, this is a very complex situation and one we regret having to address. it is illegal to secretly record a conversation. the statement came out before the 3 1/2 hours of recording was released and have that one resignation but still more call