Napa Sentinel

Last updated
Napa Sentinel
Type Weekly newspaper (from 8 January 1993; previously semi-weekly [1]
PublisherHarry V. Martin [2] [3]
EditorHarry V. Martin [4]
Founded1985 [1]
Ceased publicationc. 2011 [4]
OCLC number 28399541

The Napa Sentinel (often referred to as the Napa Valley Sentinel[ citation needed ]) was a weekly newspaper published in Napa, California. Harry V. Martin, who served 12 years on the Napa city council, was its editor and publisher for 25 years. [4] Over the course of its publication, it was perpetually involved in legal disputes ranging from the accuracy of its reporting, the legal status of the newspaper and its corporate ownership. Martin's style of journalism was controversial, leading some to describe it as "tabloid-style journalism" [5] , "libelous" [6] , "insensitive and irresponsible" [7] and "conspiracist" [8] .

Contents

The newspaper published articles on various topics, ranging from mind control, conspiracy theories about the Zodiac Killer, [9] alongside various local reporting. There was repeated controversy in local news over the accuracy of some of its reporting, sometimes leading to retractions. [10] [11]

History of publication

The newspaper was first published on 20 September 1985. [12] [13] [14] At the time, Harry Martin served as the editor, journalist and publisher of the publication. It operated out of an office in the Village Square Shopping Center and Martin stated he had hired two former Napa Valley Times advertisers and a writer for the Napa Register, . At first, the newspaper was aimed only at covering the city of Napa and was to be delivered only to city residents, in contrast to the Napa Valley Times, [14] which had debuted only shortly before the Sentinel. [15]

The newspaper was close to shutting down following a legal dispute resulting from divorce proceedings with Martin's wife in November 1985. Martin also had heart surgery and a ruling from the NLBR that his newspaper carriers were not independent contractors forced the newspaper to choose an alternative distribution system. It was amidst these legal battles that he closed the newspaper in December, before changing his mind and reopening it by the middle of the month. [7]

In 1995, the Napa Superior Court ruled that the Napa Sentinel could not publish legal ads because it did not have a significant paid subscribership to count as a "newspaper of general circulation". It was reported at the time that the newspaper had 611 paid subscribers. [16] [17]

In 2008, the newspaper's publisher Sonoma Valley Publisher closed down. [18]

Content

Over the years, the newspaper covered various topics. The original scope of the newspaper was intended to focus directly on the City of Napa, and this matched Martin's critiques of city council, police and other local government actions. [9]

Later, the newspapers scope broadened and it published articles on a wide variety of topics like corruption, [19] [20] mind control, [21] the zodiac killer, [22] and other unsolved murders like the 1981 Cabazon tribal murders. [23] [24]

His reporting on government corruption achieved popularity among the political left, [25] despite Martin's political positioning as a conservative.

Controversy

In the span of its publication, Harry Martin's Napa Sentinel was subject to significant criticism and various controversies. One local organization referred to his reporting as "sensationalizing of unsubstantiated complaints under the guise of reporting" [26] , while Paula LaRosa stated that Martin "presses people's buttons and does it intentionally". [27] Over the years, the Sentinel feuded with other local newspapers, being described as the "anti-Register" [9] in reference to the Napa Valley Register and was often in opposition to the local Napa Valley Times.[ citation needed ]

In 1985, employees for the newspaper were locked out of the newspaper's offices following a dispute with his ex-wife as a result of their divorce proceedings. [28] His wife Martha Cosgriff-Martin alleged that he was using funds from their joint military publications to fund his new newspaper venture, which violated their divorce agreement. [12]

In 1987, the Sentinel published an article about police misconduct in a drug case. This prompted a response from the Napa Chief of Police, Dan Monez. [29]

References

  1. 1 2 chroniclingamerica.loc.gov, MARC Bibliographic Record: The Napa sentinel. (Napa [Calif.) 198?-current
  2. Paul LaRosa (2007), Nightmare in Napa: The Wine Country Murders , Simon & Schuster
  3. Kevin Courtney, Napa Valley Register , 29 September 2006, Martin: ‘Love me, hate me, there’s no in-between’
  4. 1 2 3 Kevin Courtney, Napa Valley Register , 4 November 2011, Harry Martin leaving homeless shelter, Napa
  5. Courtney, Kevin (11 May 1989). "Frauenfelder lashes out at Register 'conspiracy'". The Napa Valley Register. p. 2. Retrieved 5 October 2025.
  6. Saint Claire, Anthony (21 October 1986). "Letter to the editor". The Napa Valley Register. Retrieved 5 October 2025.
  7. 1 2 Woodside, Peter (17 October 1986). "No doubt Napa Sentinel a controversial paper". The Napa Valley Register. p. 6. Retrieved 5 October 2025.
  8. Hulet, Craig B. (August 1995). "Patriots or Paranoids? Black Helicopters: Strike Force for a New World Order". Soldier of Fortune. p. 44. Retrieved 6 October 2025.
  9. 1 2 3 McCourtney, Kevin (9 August 2014). "The Harry Martin years". The Napa Valley Register. Archived from the original on 6 October 2025. Retrieved 5 October 2025.
  10. Gorben, Jan (21 June 1989). "City officials defend police at conference". The Napa Valley Register. pp. 1, 4. Retrieved 5 October 2025.
  11. Lynch, Mike (22 May 2003). "News blunder keeps papers out of racks". The Weekly Calistogian. pp. 1, 10. Retrieved 5 October 2025.
  12. 1 2 "Weekly paper looks to publish again Friday". The Napa Valley Register. 10 December 1985. p. 2. Retrieved 5 October 2025.
  13. "The Napa Sentinel (Napa Calif.) 198?-Current". The Library of Congress. Archived from the original on 2020-09-08. Retrieved 2025-10-05.
  14. 1 2 "Valley weekly debuts, city weekly in the works". The Napa Valley Register. 25 Jul 1985. p. 6. Retrieved 5 October 2025.
  15. Courtney, kevin (22 Jul 1986). "Year-old Napa Valley Times changed". The Napa Valley Register. p. 3. Retrieved 5 October 2025.
  16. Martinovich, Susanne (3 June 1995). "Sentinel loses status, public notice ads". The Napa Valley Register. p. 1. Retrieved 5 October 2025.
  17. Martinovich, Susanne (3 June 1995). "Sentinel loses status, public notice ads". The Napa Valley Register. p. 11. Retrieved 5 October 2025.
  18. Hart, Steve (2008-10-16). "SONOMA PRINTING BUSINESS TO CLOSE:INDEX-TRIBUNE WILL BE PRINTED ON PD PRESSES; 14 EMPLOYEES TO LOSE JOBS". The Press Democrat. Archived from the original on 2025-10-05. Retrieved 2025-10-05.
  19. Martin, Harry V. (1995). "Federal Corruption Inslaw". dmc.members.sonic.net. Archived from the original on 29 August 2009. Retrieved 5 October 2025.
  20. Stich, Rodney (2005). Lawyers & Judges: American Trojan Horses. Silverpeak Enterprises, Inc. p. 21. ISBN   978-0-932438-37-9.
  21. "Napa Sentinel Mind Control Series". www.angelfire.com. Retrieved 2025-10-06.
  22. "Napa Sentinel". napasentinel.com. Archived from the original on 2005-10-18. Retrieved 2025-10-06.
  23. "Complaint: Killing of tribal leader was hit job". San Diego Union-Tribune. 2009-10-01. Retrieved 2025-10-06.
  24. Lane, Ambrose (1995). Return of the Buffalo: The Story Behind America's Indian Gaming Explosion. Praeger (published 30 October 1995). pp. 164–165. ISBN   978-0897894333.
  25. Berlet, Chip (1999-02-27). "Right Woos Left". Political Research Associates.
  26. Baker, David (26 November 2003). "Two faces of Harry Martin". The Napa Valley Register. p. 9. Retrieved 5 October 2025.
  27. LaRosa, Paul (2007). Nightmare in Napa: The Wine Country Murders. New York: Pocket Books. p. 244. ISBN   978-1-4165-4365-7.
  28. Carson, L. Pierce (9 November 1985). "Newest Napa paper locked out offices". The Napa Valley Register. p. 2. Retrieved 5 October 2025.
  29. Monez, Dan (31 December 1987). "Napa police and public trust". The Napa Valley Register. p. 11. Retrieved 11 October 2025.