Publishers, news directors and talk show hosts are protesting the way the GPD handled its apparent conflict with KUAM, stemming from last week’s newscast that reported the questionable hiring process within the organization.
KUAM was the subject of a search warrant executed on its studios in Harmon on Wednesday.
On Thursday, Pacific Telestations Inc., which runs KUAM, filed a legal action against the police, seeking damages and the recovery of documents confiscated from the news station during the controversial raid.
The complaint stated that the search warrant “was improperly issued and unlawfully executed in violation of the First and Fourth Amendments of the U.S. Constitution.”
It added that “the timing and manner of executing the warrant reveal the GPD’s improper purpose of intimidating KUAM.”
Eight to 10 officers deployed to recover a single document was excessive, the complaint stated, adding that the search was conducted late in the afternoon just when the newsroom was getting ready for the evening newscast.
“Clearly, the timing was selected to disrupt KUAM’s normal operations,” the complaint said.
Lt. Gov. Mike Cruz will “strongly urge” Gov. Felix Camacho to revamp the GPD and fire police chief Paul Suba, Variety learned on Thursday.
Cruz was not happy with Suba’s leadership skills and management style.
Slap in the face
According to Joseph Calvo, general manager of Pacific Telestations which runs KUAM, “The execution of a search warrant at KUAM’s Harmon office is a slap in the face to every member of our community and tramples on the Constitution of the United States, which guarantees freedom of speech and freedom of the press.”
He added, “It is alarming the Guam Police Department would go to the extent that it went in seeking a search warrant and subsequently sending a group of Criminal Investigation Division agents to search for a single piece of paper — something they certainly could have easily placed a phone call and asked for.
Amier Younis, publisher of Marianas Variety-Guam, said the police action smacked of “arrogance.”
“This is an attempt to silence those who are not happy with the way the police organization is being managed.
How can we promote a free flow of information if people are threatened with a legal weapon that is not always exactly warranted?” Younis asked.
The Big Show host Travis Coffman said: “We can’t allow for this kind of heavy-handed action from the Guam Police to set a precedent. If we don’t take a stand now, it could be K-57 tomorrow, it could be PDN it could be the Variety tomorrow.”
Pacific News Daily publisher Rindraty Celes Limtiaco said her organization is exploring ways to support KUAM and fellow media organizations.
“It is our company’s priority to defend and protect the First Amendment and the community’s right to a free press,” she said.
Kevin Kerrigan, news director of the Pacific News Center, said GPD “could have and should have resolved” its conflict with KUAM in a different manner.
“PNC News joins with other news organizations on Guam in protesting the unwarranted and unnecessary search of the KUAM newsroom by the Guam Police,” Kerrigan said.
Maureen N. Maratita, publisher of Glimpses Publications, said news consumers expect the protection of constitutional rights.
“Understandably as a news organization we are concerned. First Amendment rights and Guam’s Sunshine law offers all media certain protections for a reason. We are monitoring developments closely. Our readers expect no less,” she said.
(With Zita Y. Taitano
and Therese Hart)
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