press freedom

Marion County also approved agreements with Eric Meyer, the owner and editor of the Marion County Record, and Ruth Herbel, the Marion city councilor whose home was raided in tandem with the newspaper office.

If the Oklahoma legislature passes it, the Common Sense Freedom of Press Control Act would place more monitoring requirements and financial obligations on journalists and media outlets.

The publisher of the newspaper said police were motivated by a confidential source who leaked sensitive documents to the newspaper. The raid followed news stories about a restaurant owner who kicked reporters out of a meeting with a member of Congress, and revelations about the restaurant owner’s conviction for drunken driving.