National journalism group offers $20,000 to defend Kansas newspaper raided by police

Contributing sentiments towards policy:

53% :The decision of local law enforcement to execute search warrants Friday on the Marion County Record's office, the publisher's home and the residence of Marion City Council member Ruth Herbel exposed a web of intrigue tied to a local restaurant owner's 2008 drunken driving conviction and her pending application for a liquor license.
50% : The Kansas Bureau of Investigation, which is under authority of Attorney General Kris Kobach, assigned an agent to the case prior to the raid at the request of Marion law enforcement officials.
49% : The Kansas organization urged law enforcement in Marion to release the affidavit so the public could assess whether actions of authorities was justified, Kautsch said.
48% :"Law enforcement has refused to explain the facts that led to the issuance of the warrant," Kautsch said.
45% : "By all accounts, the raid was an egregious attack on freedom of the press, the First Amendment and all the liberties we hold dear as journalists in this great country," said Claire Regan, national president of the Society of Professional Journalists.
43% :The letter urged law enforcement to return confiscated computers, servers, telephones and records to the newspaper, purge newspaper records retained by the police department and conduct a transparent inquiry into the department's conduct.
39% :TOPEKA, Kansas -- The Society of Professional Journalists' board unanimously offered $20,000 to the family-owned Marion County Record for legal costs in wake of the seizure of newspaper and personal property by local law enforcement investigating allegations of identity theft and illegal use of a computer.
39% : He said law enforcement authorities ignored First Amendment rights.

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