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TYLER, Texas (KLTV) - Just about everyone has or will have a disagreement with the way something is covered in the press.

It is certainly the case with political news coverage over the past several years. Conservatives blast liberals and liberals blast conservatives, but no one challenges the other position’s right to express their views.

That is the fuel for the daily debate on the cable news channels and even the broadcast networks, but what is a little different from those situations are the existence of local TV stations, local newspapers and the like that are all protected under the first amendment.

Recently, a smalltown newspaper in Marion, Kansas, was raided by the local police department. There was a search warrant with all the bells, and the seizure resulted in cell phones, computers and other suspected pieces of evidence being seized under the warrant. This appears to be a huge misplay on the part of the local authorities that really have no right to search and seize journalists’ tools and protected information without a hearing.

We may not always like it, but the freedom of the press is real and must be respected. Now there are some exceptions that would allow for a search like this, but none of them appear to have been considered in this case. State and federal investigators are now involved along with attorneys for the newspaper.

Ultimately, freedom of the press means something, and in America, there are built-in protections for the benefit of society as a whole. We need that protection respected and preserved, and that will make for a Better East Texas.