Repercussions are following a series of police raids based on a wrongful allegation, which had tragic consequences when the 98-year-old co-owner of a small newspaper collapsed and died a day after her home was searched.

Home security footage released by the family shows the raid (above).

Joan Meyer’s death – partly attributed by the coroner to the stress of the search – followed raids on the Marion County Record in Kansas last month, with her son Eric commenting that his mother’s last 24 hours “was devoted to pain and anguish, and a feeling that all her life didn’t matter”.

Police had also entered the paper’s offices, seizing its electronic devices and files, although it was later discovered that the basis of the raid – in response to a local restaurant owner’s claim that a reporter had committed identify theft in accessing her driving record, while he had in fact accessed public records – was false, and the warrant was subsequently withdrawn.

Senior Counsel and News/Media Alliance public policy director Charlotte McBirney says that “while some may read this and think, ‘No harm, no foul,’ unfortunately this couldn’t be further from the truth”.

News/Media Alliance condemned the raid along with numerous other organisations, in a letter led by Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press. “In the days and weeks following the raid, we know the answers to many questions, but some remain unanswered, such as: What lasting impact will the raid have on the independence of the free press in this country,” she asked.

McBirney says the press has long operated as an unofficial watchdog of government, uncovering misconduct and corruption through investigative journalism, and keeping the public informed of government actions. “Journalists are only able to do this, however, if they can rely on laws designed to protect them from government overreach or abuse of power.”

She says police raids have a chilling effect on journalists and their sources. “If the government can infringe upon the rights of the free press, raid their premises and search through confidential source materials, this can have rippling effects – chilling not only the investigative work of journalists, but also deterring sources from coming forward.”

She quoted Eric Meyer, owner of the Marion County Record, that “it would be the end of people ever being able to send anything anonymously to a newspaper.”

“Our democracy relies heavily upon the freedom of the press,” says McBirney. “Without it, America begins to resemble countries like Russia or North Korea, where the government routinely raids news organizations, intimidates reporters, and exposes confidential sources precisely to silence the press and anyone who helps uncover truths.”