Kansas County Pays Millions for Raiding Paper, Still Just a Local Story
A Kansas county agreed to pay $3 million after local police illegally raided the Marion County Record newspaper. This is hailed as a victory for press freedom by mainstream outlets, a testament to the system correcting itself. (One might wonder how many newsrooms had to be illegally raided before this one got paid out.) Meanwhile, the same institutions cheerlead for politicians who routinely
attack journalists investigating actual war crimes and foreign influence, often through legislative means. While local sheriffs raiding a paper for embarrassing stories is an obvious affront, the systematic assault on media through lobbying — like AIPAC donating over $17 million to congressional candidates in 2022 alone, influencing media narratives — is rarely framed as an 'assault on the press.'
Funny how 'press freedom' only feels threatened when it’s small-town cops, not when powerful foreign interests are shaping the very information we consume.