Journalists around the country condemned the actions of police in Marion, Kansas, who this month raided the offices of the Marion County Record.
As NPR reported, the newspaper has a history of hard-hitting reporting, which at times has upset local officials.
Eric Meyer is the paper’s publisher and owner, and his mother, Joan Meyer, had worked for the paper until she died at age 98, just one day after the raid. She had been a newspaperwoman since 1953. Perhaps one of the final things she said was in reference to the raid: “These are Hitler tactics and something has to be done.”
Several media law experts told NPR the raid appears to be a violation of federal law, which protects journalists from this type of action. The Privacy Protection Act of 1980 broadly prohibits law enforcement officials from searching for or seizing information from reporters.
Shop Talk is a weekly panel discussion about journalism issues. The program features Dr. Will Buss, who teaches in the Department of Broadcasting and Journalism at Western Illinois University; Dr. Pamela Peters, who teaches in the Department of Broadcasting and Journalism at Western Illinois University; and TSPR News Director Rich Egger.
