Reporting

A new civil lawsuit filed in Superior Court in Monmouth County raises questions about how the Monmouth County Sheriff’s Office moderates comments on its official Facebook page and whether those practices violate state constitutional free-speech protections.

The case¹, brought by Laurie Tietjen against the Monmouth County Sheriff’s Office and Sheriff Shaun Golden, alleges that her comments on the Sheriff’s Office Facebook page were selectively restricted or hidden from public view through a practice commonly described as “shadowbanning,” while remaining visible to her when she was logged into her account.

A civil lawsuit filed in Monmouth County raises unresolved questions about whether partisan conflict within a school board was directed at a long-time teacher, shifting focus away from education and eroding public confidence in district governance.

The case¹, brought by Daniel Rodrick against the Middletown Township Public School District and Board of Education, centers on allegations of political retaliation, misuse of public records, and the coordination of undisclosed political content published by Central Jersey Newswire. A consulting firm, Archangel Strategy Group LLC, is named as a defendant and is alleged to have played a role in preparing or facilitating content that contributed to media coverage critical of Rodrick.

At a hearing held on January 30, 2026, the court declined to grant emergency relief and also declined to dismiss the case, allowing the case to proceed through the normal litigation process.

Local political influence doesn’t always arrive through ads or mailers. Increasingly, it moves through digital outlets that appear to be independent news sources while publishing content that aligns with campaign interests. Our review of publicly available records shows how that dynamic played out in one recent race: a media outlet linked to a campaign vendor published and amplified favorable content about a candidate during an active election period, without any public disclosure of that relationship.

In our first story, From Bumper Sticker to Ballot Box: Middletown’s Outrage Was No Accident, we examined campaign filings showing how the Monmouth County Republican Committee drew the Middletown School District into a broader, politicized debate over free speech.

Board president Frank Capone has publicly accused state lawmakers of representing “an administration in Trenton that cares far more for special interests and political agendas than putting children first [sic],” and has stated that Governor Phil Murphy “is consistently putting politics ahead of children.” At the same time, our research documents Capone’s connections to partisan political networks, suggesting a more complex relationship between his campaign activity and political influence in the school system.

A closer examination of campaign filings from Capone and Jacqueline Tobacco’s 2023 Board of Education race reveals how those manufactured dynamics appeared on residents’ newsfeeds during their campaign.

Local political influence doesn’t always arrive through ads or mailers. Increasingly, it moves through digital outlets that appear to be independent news sources while publishing content that aligns with campaign interests. Our review of publicly available records shows how that dynamic played out in one recent race: a media outlet linked to a campaign vendor published and amplified favorable content about a candidate during an active election period, without any public disclosure of that relationship.

A closer look at the campaign of Scott Fegler shows how these dynamics ultimately surfaced on residents’ newsfeeds.