Katherine Jacobsen, program coordinator for the Committee to Protect Journalists, monitored the situation closely. She claims this type of raid is unprecedented in the history of the United States. And underscores the vital importance of a free press and the delicate balance between law enforcement and the Fourth Estate.
Marion County Record met weekly deadline
Facing the daunting challenge of producing the weekly edition without their confiscated resources, they ingeniously pieced together a working machine from discarded computers.
The staff was able to retrieve backup files stored on DVDs to reconstruct the layout.
Emily Bradbury, executive director of the Kansas Press Association, along with a staff photographer, took on the responsibility of protecting the makeshift newsroom from media intrusion, allowing the staff to focus on their task.
Shortly after 5 a.m., the newspaper was ready to go.
After overseeing the marathon effort, Meyer remarked, “If we hadn’t been able to figure out how to get computers together, Phyllis and I and everybody else would-be handwriting out on Post-It notes and putting them on doors around the town, because we were going to publish one way or another.”
Chain of events
It all began when the newspaper received information about a local restaurant operator’s driver’s license history from a confidential source.
