2,200 Student Newspapers Stolen, Thrown Away at USC

USC campus police are investigating the theft of about 2,200 copies of the Daily Trojan student newspaper from kiosks at the university--an incident they suggest is connected to coverage of student elections.

Before the morning drop-off had been completed Friday, copies of the Daily Trojan were disappearing from various distribution sites on campus and dumped into nearby garbage cans. Although hundreds were found, most were never recovered.

“It definitely makes me angry,” said Jennifer Medina, editor in chief of the Daily Trojan. “Regardless of what people say about student newspapers--if 2,200 papers are missing, then 2,200 people are missing the news.”

The 9,000-circulation Monday-through-Friday paper is usually distributed from 7 to 9 a.m., said Mona Cravens, director of student publications. By 8 a.m., she became aware of the trashed newspapers.

Cravens said a janitor told her that he had found a bundle of 300 to 400 Daily Trojans in the student union trash bins and put them back in the kiosks. Later that morning, Trojan staff members discovered that other kiosks along the mall of the main campus were missing newspapers. They also retrieved hundreds of copies from garbage cans.

But when the staff members retraced their steps, the papers were again in the garbage. This game of cat-and-mouse happened at least five times, Medina said. “It was kind of bizarre,” she said.

It was also a crime, said Deputy Chief Robert Taylor of the USC Department of Public Safety. If the culprits are found, they will be charged with misdemeanor theft, he said, which can carry a $500 fine and six months in jail. Taylor expects the school’s Office for Student Conduct to weigh in with punishment as severe as suspension.

“Most people are outraged by this,” he said. “Academic institutions are places for free expression. We hold that belief sort of sacredly.”

Taylor said he thinks the thefts were connected to Friday’s lead story in the 12-page Daily Trojan, which was headlined “Debate fuels heated race: Students gasp at verbal confrontation as candidates aggressively defend their platforms.”

The article focused on Thursday’s debate between student body presidential candidates Andrew Compton and Matt Weir, and their competitive remarks toward each other.

Public safety officers are following an anonymous e-mail tip and questioning the candidates, according to Taylor.

The officers also are more closely monitoring the newspaper kiosks.

Cravens said copies of the Daily Trojan have been stolen before, but never so many.

“If this were to become a regular occurrence, we would have to make sure that our distribution was much more focused,” she said.

“If anything,” Medina said of the theft, “it’s a reminder for our staff of how seriously we should take our paper.”