Key takeaways:
- Marion Police Chief Gideon Cody raided a small Kansas newspaper and other related locations on August 11th, sparking international attention.
- The affidavits used as the basis for the raid were not filed until three days after the search warrants were executed.
- The incident has sparked a debate over press freedoms and the right of journalists to access public records.
A small Kansas newspaper and other related locations were raided by Marion Police Chief Gideon Cody on August 11th, sparking international attention and debate over press freedoms. Three affidavits used as the basis for the raid were not filed until three days after the search warrants were executed, according to records provided by the paper’s attorney.
The affidavits allege that reporter Phyllis Zorn either impersonated someone else or lied about her intentions when she obtained the driving records of a local business owner. The newspaper’s attorney, Bernie Rhodes, said that no explanation has been provided why the affidavits were not filed prior to the execution of the illegal searches.
Zorn, Marion County Record Editor and Publisher Eric Meyer, and the newspaper’s attorney have all maintained that no laws were broken when Zorn accessed a public state website for information on restaurant operator Kari Newell.
The incident has sparked a debate over press freedoms and the right of journalists to access public records. The Marion County Record and its attorney have called for an investigation into the raid and the affidavits, and for the police chief to be held accountable for his actions.
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