News media unite after Kansas newspaper raid, police say to wait for the full story

Police conducted an extensive raid on a local newspaper’s office and the publisher’s home in central Kansas on Aug. 11. The police confiscated computers, reporters’ cellphones and other electronic equipment used by the Marion County Record.

The search warrant indicates the raid was based on alleged identity theft connected to a local restaurant owner accusing the paper of invading her privacy after the paper received a letter about her record of drunk driving and driving without a license.

The way the information was shared is what prompted the police raid.

Big media corporations are crying foul and suggesting the raid was illegally carried out. However, local police has a starkly different take, asking the public to wait until facts of the case are revealed.

Taking a look at some headlines across the news industry, this story is being framed in various ways.

USA Today published the story with a headline reading, “Police conduct ‘chilling’ raid of Kansas newspaper, publisher’s home.” The adjective “chilling” quoted in the headline comes from the executive director of the Kansas Press Association. USA Today is a publication that politically leans left in its news coverage, but left-leaning news organizations weren’t the only outlets deeming the raid “chilling.”

In its opening line, the New York Post, which leans right, said, “Police staged a ‘chilling’ and unprecedented raid on a Kansas newspaper.”

This time the word “chilling” was used in a local interview with the paper’s owner. 

Also in the media’s reporting of the raid are accusations from the publisher, who blames the death of his 98-year-old mother on stress from the police search. She was present during the raid of her home and died the following day. The Marion County Record published an article on Aug. 12 with the headline, “Illegal raids contribute to death of newspaper co-owner.”

There is now bipartisan agreement among the media that the raid conducted was wrong.

Thirty-four high-profile media organizations including The Associated Press, NBC, CBS and The New York Times have signed a joint letter condemning the action to Marion Police Chief Gideon Cody, who signed off on the raid.

The letter states in part:

“Newsroom searches and seizures are among the most intrusive actions law enforcement can take with respect to the free press, and the most potentially suppressive of free speech by the press and the public…

“Based on public reporting, the search warrant that has been published online, and your public statements to the press, there appears to be no justification for the breadth and intrusiveness of the search — particularly when other investigative steps may have been available — and we are concerned that it may have violated federal law strictly limiting federal, state, and local law enforcement’s ability to conduct newsroom searches.”

While the letter alludes to First Amendment rights violations, the Marion Police Department says the media outlets don’t have the whole story. The police say given this is an ongoing investigation, the facts in the case remain unclear.

“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,” Chief Cody said, adding state and local investigators have assisted in the process so far.

When discussing the privacy protection act — a federal law protecting newsrooms from most searches, requiring law enforcement to acquire a subpoena rather than a search warrant — Cody said the exception to that is when there is reason to believe the journalist is taking part in illegal activity.

While outlets wait for the facts on whether the raid was rightfully justified or an infringement on freedom of the press, what facts are known has the media watching this story very closely.

Straight Arrow News strives to provide unbiased, fact-based news in addition to offering a comprehensive look at how the media is covering stories that matter most. Learn more about the Media Miss™ tool and decide for yourself.