‘The Governor’s Office does not want to tell reporters about this policy’: Axios uncovers Ferguson’s plan to keep secrets

New details are emerging about how Governor Bob Ferguson’s office handles communications, including previously unreported delays in a measles alert and internal messages suggesting state agencies were told to keep those policies secret.

The developments follow an earlier Axios report that raised concerns about centralized control over information released to the public and the media across multiple state agencies.

According to Axios reporter Melissa Santos, newly uncovered documents point to an instance where public health information was delayed. In January, during a measles outbreak in Snohomish County, reporters seeking information from the Washington State Department of Health (DOH) faced a roughly two-hour delay before an urgent alert was released.

Santos said documents show that after receiving multiple media inquiries, a communications worker at the DOH asked the Governor’s Communications Office whether approval was needed for an official response.

“They’re asking, ‘Hey, we have information about a measles outbreak we’re going to want to get out. Does this need to go through the approval process?'” Santos explained. “In this case, the governor’s office said, ‘No, you don’t actually need to run it by us,’ but it took them two hours to get that response.”

Not the only instance of delayed reports

A similar delay reported by Axios happened in October involving a confirmed measles case at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport (SEA).

“That is not how I think most of those public health officials think might be the best way to approach their jobs, at least in the emails I uncovered in my reporting, they don’t think that’s the best way to approach it, but that’s a system that’s set up,” Santos told KIRO Newsradio. “You see state officials whose job is to inform the public, being uncertain whether they can go ahead and do that in an instance of an incredibly infectious disease.”

The documents also describe internal reaction within the governor’s office after inquiries from KIRO Newsradio anchor Charlie Harger. After Harger contacted the DOH and was told media requests had to go through the governor’s office, he reached out directly to the governor’s communications team.

Santos said documents uncovered from the state showed the conversation was documented.

“Hey, what’s this new policy? And why can’t we just get straight answers from the agencies directly?” Santos further explained. “And that seemed to prompt a phone call from Brianna Aho, the governor’s spokesperson, to a communications supervisor at the Department of Health … ‘the governor’s office does not want us to tell reporters about this policy. If you have to tell them, you’re going to take longer getting back to them, don’t mention the governor’s office.'”

Santos said those exchanges, along with other internal communications, have raised broader questions about transparency and whether agencies were discouraged from publicly discussing the policy.

“You do have to wonder if it’s a policy that you think is good, why not justify it to reporters?” Santos asked. “Why then pretend it doesn’t exist?”

Axios reports it reviewed nearly 1,000 documents from the Governor’s Office and several agencies, including the DOH, Washington State Department of Transportation, and the Washington State Patrol. The records describe a centralized system requiring approval for news releases and responses to reporters.

Some agency staff expressed frustration in internal emails, describing the process as “grueling,” “painful,” and a “continual barrier” to their work.

The governor’s office has said the policy is intended to improve coordination and consistency across agencies. KIRO Newsradio previously sought comment but did not receive a response before the Axios report was published.

The reports have intensified scrutiny over how quickly critical information, including public health alerts, infrastructure updates, and emergency notifications, is shared with Washington residents.

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