When “Sustainability” Collides With the Law: How One Complaint Forced a Course Correction at Esquire

When Esquire announced that electronic transcripts would replace sealed paper originals in California, it framed the move as sustainability. Regulators later confirmed it was illegal. A CRB investigation found the policy violated long-standing California law and was reversed only after a formal complaint. The episode exposes how easily corporate workflow changes can endanger reporters’ licenses—and why knowing the code matters before real damage is done.