FeedAnother censorship by theft at a university
November 30, 2006 in Overset
It’s a recurring theme at our institutions of higher learning: If you don’t like what the newspaper is saying, resort to theft:
Sigma Chi fraternity admitted Wednesday to stealing more than 10,000 copies of The Daily Tar Heel in an attempt to prevent the public from reading a front-page article about the fraternity’s hazing violations and three-year suspension.
The DTH and Sigma Chi reached an agreement that requires the fraternity to pay restitution for the stolen newspapers. The DTH will not press criminal charges.
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The fraternity’s officers said they were unaware as to how many members were involved in the crime but plan to pursue an internal investigation, and they said they did not know where the papers were discarded.
At least in this case, they apologized and took responsibility. There have been other cases at other universities where school officials have defended the right to protest by destroying private property.
Hat tip: Romenesko.
December 1st, 2006 at 9:55 am
“There have been other cases at other universities where school officials have defended the right to protect by destroying private property.”
Legally, they’re wrong. We dealt with several of those cases when I interned at the SPLC. Even when the newspaper is free, courts generally say it’s theft if you steal more than 5 copies or so.