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Police raid of a Kansas newsroom raises alarms about violations of press freedom

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Re: Police raid of a Kansas newsroom raises alarms about violations of press freedom

#31

Post by dmix »

bratgpttamer wrote: post #7
myself248 wrote: post #6

If the article is even half accurate, they must be using a different definition of "identity theft" than the one I understand.

Also, the classic "doing crimes with a computer" (performing a query on the DMV website)

It sounds like more than just a public records search, someone sent them information about her DUI:

> Newell said she believes the newspaper violated the law to get her personal information as it checked on the status of her driver’s license after a 2008 drunken driving conviction and other driving violations.

> The newspaper countered that it received that information unsolicited, which it verified through public online records. It eventually decided to not run a story because it wasn’t sure the source who supplied it had obtained it legally. But the newspaper did run a story on the city council meeting, in which Newell confirmed that she’d had a DUI conviction and that she had continued to drive even after her license was suspended.

Re: Police raid of a Kansas newsroom raises alarms about violations of press freedom

#32

Post by sorrytobedark »

remote_phone wrote: post #14

Who has authority to investigate the police department for this obvious corruption? Can anyone be held accountable?

Unfortunately probably no one, hence heavy vigilantism in the past which is starting to recur.

Re: Police raid of a Kansas newsroom raises alarms about violations of press freedom

#33

Post by vel0city »

remote_phone wrote: post #14

Who has authority to investigate the police department for this obvious corruption? Can anyone be held accountable?

Often the FBI will get involved when they hear about corruption.

https://www.fbi.gov/about/faqs/does-the-fbi-investigate-graf...

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hobbs_Act

Really goes to show you how wide interstate commerce clause goes.

Re: Police raid of a Kansas newsroom raises alarms about violations of press freedom

#34

Post by SubiculumCode »

bilbo0s wrote: post #25
2OEH8eoCRo0 wrote: post #12

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Are there any details about those allegations? I'd be interested to see what the warrant gave as cause. We seem to be jumping to the conclusion that these journalists are innocent.

We seem to be jumping to the conclusion that these journalists are innocent. Just, Devil's Advocate. Or, I guess, "Founder's Advocate"? But isn't that what we're supposed to do here in the US? I mean, you know, Constitutionally speaking?

well, presuming yes. but not concluding.

Re: Police raid of a Kansas newsroom raises alarms about violations of press freedom

#36

Post by dmix »

wishfish wrote: post #29

There's been some interesting updates to the story. The Marion Record was in the process of investigating the Marion police chief. He used to work for the Kansas City (MO) PD. Allegedly, he was demoted for "sexual misconduct" before he quit and came to work for Marion. This reveal comes in an interview of the Marion Record's publisher. It's an interesting read and he's an interesting guy. One of the old school report…

I was curious if seriousness of it was related to the restaurant hosting the Kansas congressman at the time (which the journos were kicked out of then wrote a follow up story about the restaurant owner). Maybe whoever invited him had some connection to both the politician and the owner, and the congressman helped kick it upstairs? This is just speculation though.

Re: Police raid of a Kansas newsroom raises alarms about violations of press freedom

#38

Post by flutas »

bilbo0s wrote: post #30
flutas wrote: post #26

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> That does give a veneer of legality to the raid. I would have agreed, if it hadn't been for the County Attorney (who according to their website is "the chief law enforcement officer in Marion County."[0]) putting his foot in his mouth, and the paper exposing the relationship between him and the restaurant owner. It makes it pretty clear what actually is going on here. > A Record reporter later requested a copy of t…

Slightly off topic, but how do you get to be a county attorney, and still be this oblivious to propriety? Did he believe nothing would come of this and it would all just go away? I honestly can't see how anyone with a law degree would have even touched this situation under the same circumstances. Journalists? Preexisting business relationships that are documented and freely available to the public. Jeez, at least hid…

To be fair he probably expected it to not be heard of at all.

Looking it up, the county only has a population of ~11.8k[0], and the town only has 1.9k residents[1]. Which is on the verge of "doesn't exist" usually for news.

Also editing the original comment, because apparently he's also their chief of police.[2]

[0]: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marion_County,_Kansas

[1]: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marion,_Kansas

[2]: https://web.archive.org/web/20230215034526/https://www.mario...

> The County Attorney is the chief law enforcement officer in Marion County.

Re: Police raid of a Kansas newsroom raises alarms about violations of press freedom

#39

Post by mcpackieh »

remote_phone wrote: post #14

Who has authority to investigate the police department for this obvious corruption? Can anyone be held accountable?

The FBI, but they're too busy grooming mentally disabled people into fabricated terror plots, because real terrorism is far too rare to justify their inflated headcounts and budgets.

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2011/nov/16/fbi-entrapment...

https://theintercept.com/2015/07/13/another-terror-arrest-an...

https://www.esquire.com/news-politics/a47390/alabama-isis-pe...

https://thefreethoughtproject.com/the-state/fbi-frames-menta...

https://www.democracynow.org/2015/3/19/how_the_fbi_created_a...

Re: Police raid of a Kansas newsroom raises alarms about violations of press freedom

#40

Post by giraffe_lady »

bilbo0s wrote: post #30
flutas wrote: post #26

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> That does give a veneer of legality to the raid. I would have agreed, if it hadn't been for the County Attorney (who according to their website is "the chief law enforcement officer in Marion County."[0]) putting his foot in his mouth, and the paper exposing the relationship between him and the restaurant owner. It makes it pretty clear what actually is going on here. > A Record reporter later requested a copy of t…

Slightly off topic, but how do you get to be a county attorney, and still be this oblivious to propriety? Did he believe nothing would come of this and it would all just go away? I honestly can't see how anyone with a law degree would have even touched this situation under the same circumstances. Journalists? Preexisting business relationships that are documented and freely available to the public. Jeez, at least hid…

> Did he believe nothing would come of this and it would all just go away?

Most likely yes, and he isn't wrong to believe that. This is genuinely how small towns & rural areas function even still. The sheriff, judge, police chief, school principal, county commissioner, and the most significant business owners and landlords will all be part of the same segregation-era country club or masonic lodge or some other thing and they'll make decisions and ask favors together over there.

Usually the local newspaper owner would also be part of this clique, and I guess the county attorney misjudged the ramifications of that. But this sort of local corruption is rampant and the people doing it can count on the fact that it almost never gets picked up as a national news item.

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