Thursday, 4:30 PM
School papers often stolen, but not to hide embarrassing photographs
(Chris Calzolaio/The Gatepost)
Jennifer Carsillo, 18, (third from left) said she and a friend grabbed 130 copies of The Gatepost paper because they were embarrassed about this photo, shot at a lacrosse game.
By John C. Drake, Globe Staff
As executive director of the Student Press Law Center, Mark Goodman has helped plenty of campuses deal with the theft of student newspapers.
"The most common example is someone who has engaged in some kind of misbehavior, is embarrassed about it and wants to prevent people from knowing about it," Goodman said.
But he had never heard of a stunt pulled by a pair of students at Framingham State College who said they grabbed dozens of copies of the school paper because they were embarrassed by a front page photo of their midriff-baring stunt at a lacrosse game.
"That is unusual," Goodman said.
Anytime students grab stacks of student newspapers from the distribution bins, even when students are invited to grab a copy for free, the Student Press Law Center considers it theft.
"Stealing newspapers is not different from shouting down a speaker at a campus speech," Goodman said. "It is a very direct threat to academic freedom and expression, but also a violation of school rules."
Officials first learned that students had pilfered copies of The Gatepost from a tipster whose roommate was involved, according to Desmond McCarthy, the newspaper’s faculty adviser.
"I'd just been hearing from people that we might get in trouble and they'd have to print more copies, so I thought it was best just to go back to campus police and return them," said Jennifer Carsillo, the 18-year-old student pictured in the photo who has admitted her role in the caper.
School official are still investigating the incident and any punishment for the students would likely include a lesson about the protections provided to a free press, said Susanne Conley, the dean of students.
"The problem is an unclear understanding of how newspapers in our society are protected by First Amendment right," Conley said. "Being an educational institution, I have to take that very seriously and make sure anyone involved in that sort of activity walks away at the end of the matter having a much clearer understanding of First Amendment rights."
