Many journalists fear they could be next

A new study by researchers at the University of Kansas and Missouri University indicates that more than a third of journalists interviewed were concerned that law enforcement officers in their communities would use the raid on the Marion County Record to justify raids on their offices.

“There’s a sense that if they can get away with this, it’ll be open season on all of us,” the researchers quoted one journalist as saying.

Researchers reported that shock and disbelief were the most common emotional reactions. Although less common, anger, distrust, righteous indignation, and fear also came up.

“I would say that we’re all a little more cognizant now of the reality that police could walk in the door and take all our stuff,” the researchers quoted another journalist as saying.

Respondents generally reported seeing no change in their relationships with city or county officials in their communities or in their own reporting practices.

Several said they were unaware of legal protections they had against raids. Many suggested a greater need for off-site backups of their material and expressed concern how working from home could increase their exposure.

“So, if my newsroom gets raided, it basically means my house is getting raided,” one said. “If my work phone is taken, that’s the same. It’s my personal phone.”

The peer-reviewed study, being presented next week at the annual convention of the Association for Education in Journalism and Mass Communication in Philadelphia, was conducted by journalism professors Stephen Wolgast of KU and Nick Mathews of Mizzou and involved in-depth interviews in January and February by a postdoctoral research assistant with 19 Kansas reporters, editors, and publishers.