Marion, Kansas Police Raids Town Newspaper, 98-Year-Old Owner Dies

Posted on by Baye Kambui
logo of marion county record newspaper, co-owned by joan meyer

We should call out attacks on the press in all towns, large and small …

I rarely read a local news headline from the Midwest that says, “Kansas Newspaper Owner Died in the Line of Duty After Police Raid”.

So, yeah. I started digging.

The decedent is 98-year-old Joan Meyer, co-owner of the Marion County Record, a weekly newspaper with a circulation just north of 2,000. Marion County, Kansas police officers — apparently acting on local restaurant owner Kari Newell’s accusation that one of the newspaper’s reporters conducted an improper search to confirm that the restaurateur has been convicted of drunk driving — raided Meyer’s home and the newspaper’s offices to confiscate hard evidence of the accusation. The officers walked away with the senior citizen’s personal electronics devices, a family member’s financial statements, and the publication’s computer equipment. 

The Marion County Record reports that the five-person police department, with the support of two sheriff’s deputies, even raided Marion vice mayor Ruth Herbel’s home and snatched the phone of one of the publication’s reporters, re-injuring a dislocated finger.

Joan Meyer, who became visibly stressed during the raid, died soon after.

So, what the Boss Hogg is happening in Marion, Kansas?

Thanks to federal law, government officers can’t just take news-related stuff from journos unless there’s some Jack-Bauer-type situation or if someone could be harmed. And even with those reasons, the newspaper can prevent this seizure in court.

But we’re talking about a hair-trigger raid, based on an above-board journalist inquiry to a government database that was subsequently called off because The Marion County Record suspected Newell’s husband had leaked his wife’s DUI details to the press. Newell accused the newspaper of an improper inquiry, which led to the raid. I’m sure that Newel, in an ordinary universe, would lose some or all of her food business credentials if her DUI convictions were disclosed.

But thanks to the raid and Meyer’s death, Newell is now famous for driving a vehicle without a driver’s license for years, and possibly with local law enforcement’s knowledge; this Gestapo bumrush is all over the Internet, and now I’m driven to make a post in support of Meyer and press freedom.

Less than a week ago, The Atlantic’s Steven Waldman reminded us of how local news reporting can keep public officials honest and prevent wild stuff like a small, low-income, predominantly Latino town in California paying its city manager $787,637 per year and its police chief $457,000. Google “robert rizzo bell california” one day to get your mind blown. I have no reason to believe the town’s citizens were aware of this graft until journalists broke the news.

The Marion Police Department believes they found a loophole in First Amendment protections and posted their thoughts on Facebook. They end their statement with “The victim asks that we do all the law allows to ensure justice is served. The Marion Kansas Police Department will nothing less.”

“The victim” is Kari Newell.

Ooh, I’m taking a screen shot of this.

Marion, Kansas Police Department responds to their raid on Joan Myer's home and the Marion County Record newspaper offices with the following statement on Facebook: "The Marion Kansas Police Department has has several inquiries regarding an ongoing investigation. As much as I would like to give everyone details on a criminal investigation I cannot. I believe when the rest of the story is available to the public, the judicial system that is being questioned will be vindicated. I appreciate all the assistance from all the State and Local investigators along with the entire judicial process thus far. Speaking in generalities, the federal Privacy Protection Act, 42 U.S.C. §§ 2000aa-2000aa-12, does protect journalists from most searches of newsrooms by federal and state law enforcement officials. It is true that in most cases, it requires police to use subpoenas, rather than search warrants, to search the premises of journalists unless they themselves are suspects in the offense that is the subject of the search. The Act requires criminal investigators to get a subpoena instead of a search warrant when seeking “work product materials” and “documentary materials” from the press, except in circumstances, including: (1) when there is reason to believe the journalist is taking part in the underlying wrongdoing. The Marion Kansas Police Department believes it is the fundamental duty of the police is to ensure the safety, security, and well-being of all members of the public. This commitment must remain steadfast and unbiased, unaffected by political or media influences, in order to uphold the principles of justice, equal protection, and the rule of law for everyone in the community. The victim asks that we do all the law allows to ensure justice is served. The Marion Kansas Police Department will nothing less."

America should be on First Amendment watch as the country moves closer to the 2024 elections, and echoes of 2020 will become louder.

Rest in truth, Joan Meyer.

song currently stuck in my head: “girl supreme” – Σtella

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Published by Baye Kambui