No indication of who removed the papers

IF YOU MISSED IT, read yesterday’s paper in PDF format.

An estimated 2,450 copies of the Daily Kent Stater were removed from 12 different locations on campus yesterday. The Stater publishes 10,000 copies daily.

Advertising manager Tami Bongiorni said the Student Media Office received phone calls about newspapers missing from Franklin, Cartwright, Olson, McGilvrey, Moulton and Satterfield halls, as well as the Student Center. Some buildings have more than one distribution point for the newspapers.

Bryan Wroten, editor of the Stater, said a police report was filed but there was no indication of who was responsible.

Bongiorni said $1,033.50 in printing and advertising costs were lost.

Lori Cantor, senior business manager for the Office of Student Media, said there are no issues with distribution.

“In the first three weeks of the semester, we make delivery adjustments,” Cantor said. “Sometimes they may miss a building. But at this point in the semester, we do not have distribution issues.”

“At this point, I have no idea who did this. If someone has a problem that they want to address, unless we know what the reason behind it was, there is nothing we can do about it,” he said.

Wroten, a senior newspaper journalism major, said the abortion article was the only controversial article in yesterday’s paper.

“I initially thought that someone was upset about the coverage, but I don’t think anyone from the protest was responsible for this,” Wroten said. “Everyone was willing to talk to us, and we haven’t received any complaints on the Web site.”

The past two days, representatives from the Center for Bio-Ethical Reform, a nonprofit educational foundation, set up images on banners of aborted fetuses and distributed information about the anti-abortion Genocide Awareness Project at Risman Plaza.

Tim Smith, professor of news and attorney at law, said to take copies to deprive others is theft.

“They have a value because they contain advertising and to obstruct that is a crime,” Smith said. “This would be considered a level five felony and could result in a maximum sentence of 12 months in jail.”

Mark Goodman, professor and Knight Chair in Scholastic Journalism, and former director of the Student Press Law Center said he heard of 20 to 40 cases in any given year in which student publications were stolen.

“I have seen cases where people were criminally prosecuted for taking newspapers, Goodman said. “In most cases, they received a fine or community service.”

Contact the College of Communication and Information reporter Brittany Senary at [email protected].