Free! ( Registration Required) NYS Writers' Institute: "Seized", 2026@ThePalace.

"Tickets are free. Registration required.​​​

Documentary screening with commentary by director Sharon Liese and Marion County Record Editor Eric Meyer.

Produced by Sharon Liese, Sasha Alpert, and Paul Matyasovsky.
Cinematography by Jackson Montemayor.
Edited by Derek Boonstra.

What’s the cost when corrupt local officials target community journalism?

Join us for a free screening of the acclaimed new documentary “Seized," followed by a panel discussion with director Sharon Liese and additional guests.

About “Seized”

A 2023 police raid on the Marion County Record, a small-town weekly newspaper, sparks a fierce debate about press freedom and brings national and international attention to a tight-knit Kansas community.

Joan Meyer, the newspaper’s 98-year-old co-owner, died one day after experiencing the emotional trauma of the raid. The Sundance Institute named Seized a “must-see documentary about a small-town crisis.”

She is also the creator of multiple documentary series on various platforms, including "Pink Collar Crimes" (CBS), "High School Confidential" (WeTV), and "Let Us Prey: A Ministry of Scandals" (Starz).

Eric Meyer, publisher of the Marion County Record, began working at the paper in the fifth grade, and purchased it together with his parents in 1998. An associate professor of Journalism at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, he served formerly as associate dean of the university's College of Media.

Presented by George Hearst III, publisher and CEO of Times Union and executive producer of “Seized." Cosponsored by the Times Union, University at Albany Alumni Association, and the Journalism Program of the University at Albany Department of Communication.
Sharon Liese, filmmaker and UAlbany alum (Class of 1981), co-directed the Emmy Award-winning short documentary, "The Flagmakers" (2022) with Cynthia Wade. The film, screened at the Albany Film Festival in 2025, is a meditation on the 21st century American Dream. It tells story of immigrant and refugee employees at the largest American flag factory in the nation. Her other films include "Transhood" (2020), which aired on HBO; and "The Gnomist" (2015), nominated for Best Documentary Short at Tribeca."

The above description is taken from the following website:

https://www.nyswritersinstitute.org/seized