• About Us
  • Advertise
  • Contact Us
  • Privacy Policy
  • Pickem Terms and Conditions
Friday, May 9, 2025
The Platte County Landmark Newspaper
  • Home
  • Local News
  • Opinion
  • Landmark Pickem!
    • Weekly Pickem Updates
    • Results by Week
    • The Leaderboard
    • Pickem Rules and Help
  • Landmark Live!
  • Looking Backward
  • es_MXSpanish
  • Home
  • Local News
  • Opinion
  • Landmark Pickem!
    • Weekly Pickem Updates
    • Results by Week
    • The Leaderboard
    • Pickem Rules and Help
  • Landmark Live!
  • Looking Backward
  • es_MXSpanish
No Result
View All Result
The Platte County Landmark Newspaper
No Result
View All Result

Keep squeezing the lemon

Ivan Foley by Ivan Foley
August 16, 2023
in Between the Lines
Keep squeezing the lemon
8
SHARES
206
VIEWS
Share on FacebookShare on TwitterShare via Email

Law enforcement officials raided the Marion County (Ks) Record on Friday evening, seizing computers and reporters’ personal cellphones as part of an investigation into alleged identity theft of a restaurant operator who feuded with the newspaper. The newspaper had also been investigating the past employment history of the Marion chief of police, who formerly worked for the KCPD. As the New York Post puts it, “the police chief whose ‘Gestapo-style’ raid on a small town newspaper has become the focus of national outrage was being investigated by its reporters over claims of alleged sexual misconduct (while he was with KCPD).”

The raid was conducted by cops armed with a search warrant that I still can’t believe any judge in America would authorize. It seems possible at this point that we’ll eventually find out the affidavit in support of the search warrant contains creative writing by a police chief who has no business being a police chief.

RelatedNews

Catechism, burglary vs. robbery, The Accountant 2

Transparency in court filings, and can anybody hit a baseball these days?

Aldlerman provided a calm voice; Farmers Market; hackers and communists

At the same time the newspaper office was being raided, the publisher’s home was being raided by cops as well. A day later the publisher’s 98-year-old mother, co-owner of the newspaper who was a resident of the home and present at the time of the raid, died from the “shock and grief,” according to her son.

The Marion County Record, much like The Landmark, is not the type of newspaper some people think of when they think small papers. It’s not a “we only want happy news, tell us about the high school sports teams and garage sales and stuff” kind of publication. So this is a situation to which The Landmark–and our readers–can relate. Longtime Landmark readers can recall multiple instances of attempted retaliation against The Landmark. On the surface, this over-the-top and likely unconstitutional raid on the Marion County Record smells of retaliation. The newspaper owner is indicating he’ll file a federal lawsuit over the action. The news guy may end up getting a nice retirement fund out of this.

Journalistic organizations across the globe are reporting on the story and at least one group has offered $20,000 for the publisher to use in his legal action. The newspaper has brought in noted Kansas City attorney Bernie Rhodes, who specializes in media-related cases. He represents the Kansas City Star, among others. Bernie Rhodes doesn’t mess around. Bernie isn’t dropping in for a pillow fight. Landmark readers may recall our newspaper contacted Bernie Rhodes multiple times for comments while we were covering the Nan Johnston-City of Parkville circus a couple of years ago. Rhodes sent a scorching letter to the Marion police chief, who probably should be in one of those “Wanna Get Away?” commercials right about now.

Rhodes’ initial letter to police chief Gideon Cody said, in part: “I can assure you that the Record will take every step to obtain relief for the damages your heavy-handed actions have already caused my client. This letter offers you an opportunity to mitigate those damages going forward. If I were you, I would jump at this opportunity.” Rhodes at one point writes: “As Joan Meyer said less than 24 hours before she died: ‘These are Hitler tactics.’ She is right.”

Rhodes goes on to say that by treating the local paper “as a drug cartel or street gang” the police chief has violated the constitutions of both Kansas and the United States. Rhodes says the search “plainly violated the First, Fourth, Fifth, and Fourteenth Amendments to the United States Constitution” and three sections of the Kansas Bill of Rights.


I don’t know Eric Meyer, the 69-year-old editor and publisher of the Marion County Record, but it feels like we’re kindred spirits so I will be reaching out to him soon. Let the man plan his mother’s funeral and get a newspaper on the streets this week–which will be a challenge in itself–before I bother him with a phone call. My advice and encouragement to him will be simple and direct. It’s a strategy The Landmark has used in situations involving shady public officials/and or shady actions by public officials. Show that you’re not intimidated by picking up the intensity a notch. Keep squeezing the lemon because you’re already getting some juice. And you haven’t even printed any of the information you have on the chief’s history just yet. Metaphorically speaking, the chief has already fired his best shot while all your ammo is still at the ready. Each week, squeeze out a little of the information the chief doesn’t want in the paper. Give it the drip-drip effect until the situation is where it needs to be for the public good. I like to think of this as the humane approach. The smart ones will eventually tap out. The not-as-smart ones will hang on too long and worsen their own situation. Always save your best stuff for last in case you need to go nuclear.

Bottom line is the journalistic squeeze hasn’t even begun and the chief’s head is already spinning to the point it’s possible he has already committed a career-ending act by conducting that search and seizure.

Wanna Get Away?

(Fight corruption with The Landmark. Email Foley at ivan@plattecountylandmark.com)

Tags: eric zahndLawsuitsNan Johnstonparkvilleplatte countyPublic Safetytaxes
Ivan Foley

Ivan Foley

Ivan Foley, longtime owner/publisher of the Platte County Landmark, is a past winner of the national Gish Award for courage, tenacity and integrity in rural journalism, presented by the Institute for Rural Journalism and Community Issues at the University of Kentucky. He lives in Platte County not far from KCI Airport.

Related Posts

45 Years Ago–May 2, 1980

by Ivan Foley
May 1, 2025
0

Mr. and Mrs. Don R. Bailey of Independence announce the upcoming marriage of their daughter, Cathy Jean, to James Franklin Anderson, son of Lt. Col and Mrs. F.B. Anderson of Ferrelview. The ceremony will commence Saturday, May 24 at the...

30 Years Ago–May 4, 1995

by Ivan Foley
May 1, 2025
0

Between the Lines by Ivan Foley: Major League Baseball is back after the strike, but fans across the country thus far have given it a cool reception. In Kansas City, the Royals couldn’t even give away all 5,000 of the...

15 Years Ago–May 5, 2010

by Ivan Foley
May 1, 2025
0

If you thought the proposed Tomahawke housing development had disappeared from the news cycle, think again. Chris Byrd, attorney for landowners/developers Hal and Peggy Swaney, told The Landmark on Tuesday that the developers will be filing to appeal a judge’s...

Technology

Please and thank you

by Chris Kamler
May 1, 2025
0

You know that awkward moment when you catch yourself saying “thank you” to your microwave? No? Just me? Well, according to a jaw-dropping report from OpenAI researchers (USA Today, April 2025), 67% of us now compulsively sweet-talk our devices, flinging...

Next Post
Class is in session

Class is in session

Popular News

  • Northland Workforce Development Center

    KC commits $25 million to new workforce center

    18 shares
    Share 7 Tweet 5
  • Five businesses hit in series of break-ins

    15 shares
    Share 6 Tweet 4
  • Sheriff’s department provides statement on officer-involved shooting

    22 shares
    Share 9 Tweet 6
  • The Landmark begins its 161st year of publication

    6 shares
    Share 2 Tweet 2
  • Catechism, burglary vs. robbery, The Accountant 2

    6 shares
    Share 2 Tweet 2
  • About Us
  • Advertise
  • Contact Us
  • Privacy Policy
  • Pickem Terms and Conditions
Call us at 816-858-0363

Copyright © 2019-2020 The Platte County Landmark Newspaper - All Rights Reserved

No Result
View All Result
  • Subscribe Online
  • Home
  • Local News
  • Opinion
  • Landmark Pickem
    • Results by Week
    • The Leaderboard
    • Pickem Rules and Help
  • Landmark Live!
  • Looking Backward
  • es_MXSpanish

Copyright © 2019-2020 The Platte County Landmark Newspaper - All Rights Reserved