Protesters trash Md. newspaper

Anonymous protesters at the University of Maryland stole over 10,000 copies of the student newspaper Monday, claiming its coverage was racist. "We want to press criminal charges when the people are found, and they will be found," Diamondback Editor-in-Chief Drew Weaver said. In place of the missing copies of The Diamondback were anonymous computer-generated notes reading: "Due to its racist nature, The Diamondback will not be available today?Read a book." No one claimed responsibility, but two witnesses saw two women removing bundles of the newspaper. Campus police are currently investigating. The Diamondback incident bears a number of similarities to the April 15 seizure and destruction of nearly 14,000 copies of The Daily Pennsylvanian by a group of black students. Weaver said the protest most likely came from a general perception of the paper rather than any particular article or column. "I think the problems have been the same that they've been with other newspapers in the nation – you've got to have a diverse staff to cover all the issues," Weaver said. But Weaver said the composition of his staff is as diverse as the university, with African Americans comprising 10 percent of the paper's editors. The university condemned the paper confiscation. "The University strongly disapproves of the removal and apparent destruction of issues of The Diamondback," a statement from Maryland's President William Kirwan read. "Freedom of expression is a fundamental value in our society and one deeply held in the university community. "The university is unequivocal in its support of the First Amendment right of freedom of speech – even if such speech is offensive to some persons," the statement continued. "Although The Diamondback is an independent newspaper and the university does not influence nor defend its content, we vigorously defend the right of The Diamondback or any other publication to publish what its editorial board chooses." Weaver said he was encouraged by the administration's strong stand on the issue. "We really expect our administration not to be as spineless as Penn's," Weaver said. "It's a shame people are getting away with this. It's what free speech is all about." And the paper's attorney, Lee Levine, said he was encouraged by the university's stance on the issue. "Thus far, the university's administration has been extremely cooperative and supportive of The Diamondback," Levine said. "We're rowing in the same direction." Levine, who also serves as the attorney for The Daily Pennsylvanian, said there were key differences between the Maryland theft and the incident at the University. "The administration at Maryland has taken a firm stand against the taking of the papers, which did not happen at Penn," Levine said. "The university police are cooperating with [the paper], which also did not happen at Penn." Levine said procedures against students who took the papers could go on simultaneously in criminal and university judicial proceedings. The Diamondback is free, but page two of every issue says that each copy costs 50 cents "when taken in quantities of 50 or more." Over 30 instances of newspaper theft have occurred at college campuses across the country since the beginning of the 1992 school year, according to the Washington-based Student Press Law Center.

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