Police raid of newspaper offices flies in the face of media protections, First Amendment scholars say

LAWRENCE — A small community newspaper in Kansas made national news over the weekend as offices and homes of the paper, publisher and reporters of the Marion County Record were raided by police and county sheriff’s personnel. University of Kansas journalism professors are available to discuss the events, their implications and aftermath.

Genelle Belmas, associate professor of journalism, can discuss the First Amendment, the protections it provides for journalists, media law, publishing and related topics.

“It is incumbent upon the judiciary and law enforcement to know and respect the federal law protecting newsrooms from raids like the one suffered by the Marion County Record,” Belmas said. “As publisher Eric Meyer correctly characterized it, this kind of Gestapo action against reporters and news organizations is the hallmark of a repressive government. Bravo to the Record staff for doing the important work of holding government and its citizens accountable.”

Belmas has written extensively on media law, including the textbook “Major Principles of Media Law,” and has published research on digital publishing, social media, legal protections for student journalists, regulation of speech and related topics.

Stephen Wolgast, Knight Chair in Audience and Community Engagement for News at KU, can discuss the raid, implications, rural publishing, news deserts and related topics. A longtime journalist who worked in newsrooms in Kansas and New Orleans as well as for The New York Times, Wolgast teaches writing and reporting and has also researched student reporting, as well as education reporting.

“While it’s true that journalists are not above the law, district attorneys and judges must apply the law fairly to everyone, including journalists. So far, Marion County officials haven’t been willing to show that they are following federal law or even Kansas law around seizing journalists’ notes,” Wolgast said.

To schedule an interview, contact Mike Krings at 785-864-8860, mkrings@ku.edu or @MikeKrings.