In a blatant abuse of power, Newport City Manager Colin Kennedy has been caught in a scheme to silence Newport Buzz, the city’s largest and most influential news outlet. The revelations, backed by damning emails, show how Kennedy orchestrated a shady, politically motivated move to remove the outlet from the city clerk’s media distribution list—an unconstitutional effort to muzzle the only local news source willing to hold him accountable. To make matters worse, City Councilor Mark Aramli fully supported this underhanded tactic.
It all began when Newport Buzz, a trusted news source since 2011, was abruptly removed from the city clerk’s press list. Kennedy, in an email, claimed that Newport Buzz was “not reputable” enough to be included—despite the fact that Newport Buzz is the most widely read news outlet in the city. But emails obtained through an Access to Public Records Act request tell a far different story. This wasn’t an oversight—it was a calculated attempt by Kennedy to silence his loudest critic.
Kennedy personally ordered Newport Buzz‘s removal from the list, hiding his true intentions behind the excuse of “routine housecleaning.” But as his emails reveal, the real motive was clear: Kennedy wanted to cut off the outlet that had questioned his qualifications to serve as city manager.
In one email, Kennedy wrote to City Clerk Laura Swistak, directing her to remove Newport Buzz from the distribution list. His reasoning? “I’d prefer it to go to just Council, myself, the Department Heads distro list, and reputable media sources (i.e., not Newport Buzz and others like it). Let’s give the Council a chance to react before a Christian Winthrop starts posting or a Kate Leonard starts mentioning things on social media before.” This wasn’t just a petty attempt to shield himself from criticism—it was an orchestrated effort to keep crucial city information from the public. To date, Newport Buzz has been shut out from receiving news about the broken elevator in City Hall, the locations of their new meeting spots, information about Executive Sessions of the City Council, and details about special city council workshops.
When Swistak raised concerns about the legality of the move, Kennedy ignored them and pushed forward. In a follow-up email, Kennedy even suggested a rehearsed excuse to Swistak: “You can just say it was routine housecleaning.”
But Kennedy’s shady move wasn’t enough for Aramli. The City Councilor, whose controversial proposal to require residents to submit income tax returns for Resident Parking Passes had sparked widespread backlash after Newport Buzz reported on his plan, threw his full support behind Kennedy’s decision to silence Newport Buzz. In an email, Aramli lashed out at the outlet, calling it a “disgusting online tabloid” and accusing it of being “an intentional tool for a prior local ex-politician.” Aramli wasn’t just upset—he actively backed Kennedy’s decision to remove Newport Buzz from the list, reinforcing the idea that these officials were working together to quash any critical voices.
And it gets worse. Just as Kennedy was cutting Newport Buzz out of the loop, he began a video series collaboration with an out-of-state online publication based in Virginia—thousands of miles away from Newport’s pulse. Why is the City Manager handing off local news to an outsider instead of supporting local voices? Taking city matters to Virginia? That’s a direct affront to the people of Newport!
Legal experts, including the ACLU, are now calling the city’s actions a violation of First Amendment rights. Steven Brown, Executive Director of the ACLU’s Rhode Island chapter, slammed the move, stating, “While city officials may disapprove of this website’s style or manner of reporting, the First Amendment’s guarantee of a free press ensures that the Newport Buzz cannot be singled out for inequitable treatment because it may occasionally sting city officials in ways that the recipients deem offensive or unfair. This is a basic constitutional principle, rooted in both free press and due process standards, that courts have recognized for decades.” He has called for Newport Buzz’s immediate reinstatement to the distribution list, warning that if the city refuses, legal action could follow.
Kennedy’s efforts to suppress the free press have backfired in spectacular fashion, drawing unwanted attention to his corrupt tactics and fueling outrage in the Newport community.
The ACLU’s letter concluded, “I trust that, upon further consideration, you will agree to reinstate Mr. Winthrop’s media site to the distribution list at issue here. In order to resolve this matter expeditiously, I would ask that you please advise us by COB Thursday of this week, October 10th, whether you have done so.”
Christian Winthrop, the founder of Newport Buzz, issued a defiant response: “They thought they could erase us from the narrative,” Winthrop said. “But they’ve only exposed their own corruption and made us louder. This isn’t just about Newport Buzz—it’s about protecting the First Amendment, and we’re not going anywhere.”
As the ACLU gets involved and public outrage grows, Kennedy and Aramli’s abuse of power may soon come to a head. Their attempt to silence Newport Buzz is turning into one of the biggest scandals in recent Newport history—and it’s just beginning.
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