The Spokesman Review suspended Rob Curley in August, then faced a staff vote of no confidence and a lengthy investigation that detailed allegations against him. The editor in chief is now at the center of public claims from newsroom employees that reached far beyond a routine management dispute.
Those employees accused Curley of compromising editorial independence, nepotistic hiring, lying about reporters being paid with community donations, retaliation, and cronyism. They also said he hired a loyal but disorganized and unproductive editor who often shopped online for magician supplies while in the office.
RANGE Media and Investigate West
RANGE Media and Investigate West published the investigation after the suspension and the no-confidence vote. Their report put the complaints into one public account, turning internal frustration into a story readers and staff could see in full.
Curley had long survived criticism with backing from one of Spokane’s richest families, which owns the paper. That support now sits alongside the suspension, the staff vote, and the new allegations, all of which show a leader whose position became harder to defend once the complaints moved from the newsroom into public view.
Spokane newsroom fallout
For the newsroom, the practical question is not whether the allegations were noticed; they were. The issue now is how the paper handles trust, hiring, and editorial control after employees accused their editor in chief of putting those basics at risk.
The report leaves one question hanging: what specific findings or evidence in the investigation led to the allegations against Curley. Until that is answered, the public record shows a suspended editor, a no-confidence vote, and a set of accusations that have already changed how the paper’s leadership is seen.
