Shasta Unfiltered Turns One Year Old
Free to Read and Paid for by the People Who Read It
REDDING — A year ago, five people decided the North State deserved a paper that would publish news worth reading without charging people for the privilege of reading it. Gary Peyrot, Kari Chilson, Elisa Ballard, Margaret Cantrell, and Jerry Sanchez started Shasta Unfiltered in September 2025. No corporate newsroom. No grant from a liberal NGO with a preferred viewpoint stapled to the check. A small crew of patriots, a website, and the unreasonable idea that local government should be covered like it matters.
The paper is free - every article. The work is covered by readers who chip in and by patriot-minded businesses that advertise. That is the whole model.
One year later, the archive holds 1,195 published articles. The Facebook page draws 50,000 to 80,000 views a week. Readers keep coming back for the same reason: this is the alternative to the mainstream outlets covering the North State, and it stays with the stories that actually land on their street.
Gary Peyrot helped get the presses rolling, then stepped back for other commitments. The rest of the founders stayed. About four months in, Rex Ballard joined as a contributor and promptly focused on creating content with a national and international focus. Famed forensic artist Robert Exter joined at the end of May as a videographer.
Contributor | Role | Articles |
Rex Ballard | Contributor | 601 |
Elisa Ballard | Founder | 254 |
Kari Chilson | Founder | 162 |
Jerry Sanchez, Sr. | Founder | 101 |
Gary Peyrot | Founder; later stepped back | 18 |
Margaret Cantrell | Founder | 5 |
Robert Exter | Videographer |
Rex wrote half the paper's articles, but Elisa wrote the ones that drew the most views. Her stories are the hard hits: focused on local government, elections, schools, and the fights readers in this county actually argue about at the kitchen table. Kari stayed on election integrity. Jerry kept the North State on the page, from festivals and fundraisers to the neighbors who show up. Jerry is also the "Man About Town" for the paper; he can be seen with his camera wherever something is happening in the North State.
The paper found its footing quickly, publishing ten articles in its first month and then maintaining a steady pace of more than a hundred articles a month through the winter and spring. We have been operating mainly as a community paper that ramps up when a North State story breaks and then stays with the story long enough to follow it through.
We launched our Youtube channel in December of last year and have since posted 235 videos.
Praise for the paper's articles has been received from many people, including Redding Mayor Mike Littau who recently wrote about our coverage of a lengthy city council meeting that it "was excellent...very detailed, easy to follow, accurate and very fair journalism." Similar praise has been received from local radio personalities Kelly Frost, Terry Rapoza, Nick Gardner, and Board of Supervisors Patrick Jones (former) and Kevin Crye. Our recent video coverage of ballot shredding at the Elections Office was picked up and reposted by "True the Vote" on X and received over 6,300 views with a shout-out to Elisa Ballard's excellent reporting.
Our paper does not take foundation money and reports the news as we see and experience it, with diligent research into the details. We put in many hours to bring you honest news. If we make a mistake, we own up to it.
A free paper stays alive only when the people who read it, and the local businesses that still value an independent press, decide it is worth supporting. So far, they have.
Year two starts the same way year one did. A small crew. A long agenda. A county that keeps producing stories. No paywall. No NGO underwriter. Happy anniversary to the readers who clicked, shared, argued, gave, and sent the tip. The founders brought the match. You kept the lamp on.
To view our YouTube channel:
If this paper belongs on your morning list, the newsletter is free: shastaunfiltered.com/newsletter.
If you want to keep it that way, the contribution page is here: shastaunfiltered.com/donate.
Patriot-minded businesses that want their name next to honest North State news can ask about advertising at contact@shastaunfiltered.com.
