An investigative reporter for one of Arizona’s leading media outlets was discovered to be conspiring with an activist group working to undo school choice in Arizona.
A photograph of a laptop open to a text exchange in the gallery of the Arizona House revealed 12 News journalist Craig Harris to be coordinating with Save Our Schools Arizona (SOSA): a nonprofit advocacy closely aligned with the Arizona Education Association, the state’s leading teachers union, and working to end universal school choice in Arizona.
Harris was member to a group chat named “ESA DDD Confidential 12News.” The woman behind the laptop was reported to be Kathy Boltz, a board member with SOSA and author of the ballot initiative to end universal school choice in Arizona. Boltz was also part of a scheme by SOSA colleague Beth Lewis to be Gov. Katie Hobbs’ Arizona State Board of Education replacement for an ousted school choice supporter, Jenny Clark.
SOSA was formed in 2017 by a group of several women intent on preventing universalization of Arizona’s school choice program, the Empowerment Scholarship Account (ESA) program.
Just the latest @CraigHarrisNews misconduct
In the past he was caught (1) fabricating a quote from @DougDucey out of thin air, (2) taking creepy pics of kids during COVID, (3) pal-ing around w Dems, (4) lying about @KimberlyYeeAZ, much more
Gross stuffhttps://t.co/1YaQ9sgItD pic.twitter.com/WekrU4uIJz
— Brian Anderson (@AZBrianAnderson) June 13, 2026
SOSA is working to get a proposed initiative to end universal school choice in Arizona — the Protect Education Act — on the November ballot.
In response to the exposure of his group chat, Harris dismissed it as “communicating with a source.” Harris claimed that he only discussed with the advocacy group the same information that he posts publicly on social media.
However, another photo of the captured text exchange revealed Harris speculating with SOSA members that a prominent school choice advocate, Matt Nielsen, “stars in porn.” Nielsen chairs the board of the Educational Freedom Institute.
That speculation by Harris was not included in any of the information that Harris made public on social media — not even on X, where Harris describes himself as a “Christ follower” in his bio. Gossip is considered a sin in the Christian religion.
OMG 😱 @CoreyADeangelis! You got me. A reporter communicating with a source who (checks notes) is a longtime ESA mom who has a student with disabilities. https://t.co/t9zG8iXohT
— Craig Harris (@CraigHarrisNews) June 13, 2026
A columnist with the Arizona Republic and former lawmaker, Paul Boyer, observed that Harris’s conduct was more akin to that of a lobbyist than a reporter.
“This is a really bad look 12 News when your reporter, who is also reporting on these same groups, is coordinating with them at the legislature to defeat the same type of legislation he’s myopically focused on,” said Boyer. “Or did [Harris] become a lobbyist and we missed it?”
This is a really bad look @12News when your reporter, who is also reporting on these same groups, is coordinating with them at the legislature to defeat the same type of legislation he's myopically focused on. Or did @CraigHarrisNews become a lobbyist and we missed it? https://t.co/TmHbNPgVCw
— Paul Boyer 🇺🇸 (@PaulDBoyer) June 14, 2026
12News brought Harris on in January of last year as an investigative reporter focused on “charter schools, ESAs, and how traditional school districts are using public funds,” according to an interview with HMA Public Relations last March.
Most of Harris’s reporting on ESAs has focused on the alleged and validated negatives of the program, especially the waste, fraud, and abuse of program funds.
12 News recently sued Arizona Treasurer Kimberly Yee over greater access to ESA program funding records.
From 2021 to 2025, Harris was a reporter in California. Prior to that, he was a reporter with The Arizona Republic for 21 years.
Be the first to comment