A Kansas newspaper was raided by cops after leaked DUI intel made its approach to the writer — and plenty of are calling it a chilling try at censorship over freedom of the press.
The Marion County Report was paid a go to Friday by the native authorities … who had been executing a warrant that had been signed by a choose, giving them the inexperienced gentle to confiscate a ton of things — together with computer systems, telephones, arduous drives and different information.
Police stage ‘chilling’ raid on Marion County newspaper, seizing computer systems, information and cellphones | through @sherman_news, @SamarahBailey, @RachelMipro and @TimVCarpenter #ksleg https://t.co/KR8ITkefh2
— Kansas Reflector (@KansasReflector) August 11, 2023
@KansasReflector
The explanation regulation enforcement stormed the place — to not point out the house of the writer, Eric Meyer — is because of a criticism a restaurateur on the town filed … specifically, accusing the Report of id theft/illegal use of a pc in placing collectively a bit about her.
It is a difficult backstory — however, basically, this girl (Kari Newell) and the newspaper have apparently had some dangerous blood of late … and, within the aftermath of that, the Report says it just lately obtained a tip about her previous, revealing she’d as soon as gotten a DUI and had pushed with no license thereafter. This information may’ve hindered her enterprise prospects.
Whereas investigating the tip and confirming its veracity, the Report’s writer, Meyer, concluded the data was seemingly coming from Newell’s husband … whom she was in the course of divorcing. In different phrases, questionable motives … so he determined to move on it altogether.
Nevertheless, he did extra than simply that … he really alerted cops to the truth that this data had been leaked to them — though it is unclear why. In any case, it backfired.
It appears Newell grew to become aware of the actual fact Meyer and co. had fallen into possession of this data, and believed they’d finished so illegally … one thing the Marion County Report denies. Nonetheless, she went to the cops and filed a criticism … which escalated right into a full search warrant that Marion County District Courtroom Justice of the Peace Decide Laura Viar signed.
The warrant lists a lot of objects that regulation enforcement — which consisted of nearly 7 individuals whole, the whole drive in that little city — had been entitled to grab … and so they did. It goes with out saying … journalists far and extensive are crying foul, and saying that is an outrage.
