Eric Meyer

It took two all-nighters. We didn't even have our nameplate, you know, the thing on the front of the paper that says Marion County Record. We didn't even have that. We had to recreate everything. We pulled computers out of an old storage closet. That's a fancy name for a junk room. And we had old Windows XP computers that we set up in a temporary network.

It took two all-nighters. We didn't even have our nameplate, you know, the thing on the front of the paper that says Marion County Record. We didn't even have that. We had to recreate everything. We pulled computers out of an old storage closet. That's a fancy name for a junk room. And we had old Windows XP computers that we set up in a temporary network.

The one thing we still had was that we'd posted a PDF, as we always do on the website of our paper, but it was a low-res PDF. So we pulled it down and tried to grab some material from it and Our normal deadline is midnight on Tuesday night. We were there until 6.30 before we got the paper sent out to our printer at 6.30 a.m., but we made it.

The one thing we still had was that we'd posted a PDF, as we always do on the website of our paper, but it was a low-res PDF. So we pulled it down and tried to grab some material from it and Our normal deadline is midnight on Tuesday night. We were there until 6.30 before we got the paper sent out to our printer at 6.30 a.m., but we made it.

Seized but not silenced.

Seized but not silenced.

Oh, no, they laughed at it. And later on in body cams, they're joking about, oh, yeah, sure, he thinks it's going to make national news. Well, it made international news.

Oh, no, they laughed at it. And later on in body cams, they're joking about, oh, yeah, sure, he thinks it's going to make national news. Well, it made international news.

And the judge basically wrote back, said, you didn't listen to my ruling. My ruling said, return it now. Now means now. And so they wouldn't give it to us, but they destroyed it. So we had a ceremony in which the sheriff wanted no part of it. So the undersheriff took a hammer and a chisel and broke the hard drive into little bitty pieces, put them in a plastic bag and gave them to us.

And the judge basically wrote back, said, you didn't listen to my ruling. My ruling said, return it now. Now means now. And so they wouldn't give it to us, but they destroyed it. So we had a ceremony in which the sheriff wanted no part of it. So the undersheriff took a hammer and a chisel and broke the hard drive into little bitty pieces, put them in a plastic bag and gave them to us.

The report that came out in August basically said, first of all, we'd never committed a crime.

The report that came out in August basically said, first of all, we'd never committed a crime.

As often as a case in scandals, it's not the thing that happened that was important. It was the cover-up afterward.

As often as a case in scandals, it's not the thing that happened that was important. It was the cover-up afterward.

Well, the reporter who had her cell phone ripped away from her. resigned. She couldn't take working in Marion anymore. She couldn't deal with being around the same people because the magistrate's still there, the county attorney's still there, the sheriff's still there, the sheriff's investigator's still there. There were some nice things that happened. People supported the newspaper.

Well, the reporter who had her cell phone ripped away from her. resigned. She couldn't take working in Marion anymore. She couldn't deal with being around the same people because the magistrate's still there, the county attorney's still there, the sheriff's still there, the sheriff's investigator's still there. There were some nice things that happened. People supported the newspaper.

I mean, we got tens of thousands of messages of support. We are the 122nd largest town in Kansas, not very big. As of today, we have the eighth largest paid circulation in the state of Kansas because of thousands of people who subscribe to the paper in support of it.

I mean, we got tens of thousands of messages of support. We are the 122nd largest town in Kansas, not very big. As of today, we have the eighth largest paid circulation in the state of Kansas because of thousands of people who subscribe to the paper in support of it.

The issue here is not just the raid. It's the idea that Law enforcement can be weaponized politically, personally, to attack journalists who report things that people don't want to have reported.

The issue here is not just the raid. It's the idea that Law enforcement can be weaponized politically, personally, to attack journalists who report things that people don't want to have reported.