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After police raid Kansas newspaper, its co-owner "collapsed and died" [1]
['Carla Sinclair']
Date: 2023-08-14
After police raided a small Kansas newspaper on Friday, its 98-year-old co-owner, Joan Meyer, "collapsed and died."
Meyer had become "stressed beyond her limits and overwhelmed by hours of shock and grief" after police stormed through the Marion County Record as well as Meyer's home — raids that were illegal, according to the paper (via CBS News).
Friday's raid was part of a "search warrant" after a restauranteur, Kari Newell, accused the paper of "illegally obtaining drunk driving information" about her and passing the information along to Marion Councilwoman Ruth Herbel. But the paper argues that "the Record did not seek out the information [but] rather, it was provided by a source who sent it to the newspaper via social media and also sent it to Herbel."
"Our first priority is to be able to publish next week," said publisher Eric Meyer. "But we also want to make sure no other news organization is ever exposed to the Gestapo tactics we witnessed today. We will be seeking the maximum sanctions possible under law."
The raid seems to have violated the First Amendment, according to Seth Stern, advocacy director of Freedom of the Press Foundation. "This looks like the latest example of American law enforcement officers treating the press in a manner previously associated with authoritarian regimes … The anti-press rhetoric that's become so pervasive in this country has become more than just talk and is creating a dangerous environment for journalists trying to do their jobs."
From CBS:
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