The Society for Advancing Business Editing and Writing joins the scores of news organizations and press freedom advocates denouncing the police raid on the Marion County Record newsroom and its publisher’s home last Friday.
“SABEW stands with other journalism organizations in condemning the raids and seizures of the Marion Police Department,” said Henry Dubroff, chair of the SABEW First Amendment Committee. “While our name is not on the letter sent earlier to the Marion Police Chief, our membership of more than 2,500 journalists echo its sentiments on this intrusive and suppressive attack.”
“In short, the search warrant directed at the Marion County Record was significantly overbroad, improperly intrusive, and possibly in violation of federal law,” the letter states.
“The ability of newsrooms to report freely on matters of public interest is critical in our U.S. democracy,” Dubroff added. “These attacks on press freedom should redouble our efforts to make sure that reporters are not targeted for doing their jobs.”
SABEW also extends its thoughts to The Record staff and the family of the late Joan Meyer, the newspaper’s co-owner, who collapsed and died shortly after the raid.
