At least 350 copies of Pepperdine University’s student newspaper, the Pepperdine Graphic, are suspected to have been stolen last weekend, the newspaper reports. This is the second time this semester the newspaper and the Department of Public Safety are investigating possible newspaper theft.
The Graphic reports that during both suspected thefts, there were stories about drunk driving incidents involving students in a fraternity and sorority in the missing newspapers. Some members of the newspaper staff suspect the drunk driving stories could be motive for the alleged thefts.
According to the Graphic, accounting for printing cost, staff scholarships and advertising revenue, the 350 missing newspapers cost around $1,460.
“Whether mischief, a rogue act of censorship or the outright theft of university property, the periodic and unexplained disappearance of the Graphic newspaper is disappointing,” Pepperdine President Andrew K. Benton said in a statement to the student newspaper. “When an individual is allowed to control the news, something is lost and the reputation of a community is damaged.”