Campus newspapers removed and trashed
By: Beth Spencer
Issue date: 11/15/09 Section: News
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Jennifer Burton, art graduate assistant, emptied some of the newsstands holding papers with her brother's photo on the front page into garbage cans at several locations at The University of Memphis yesterday.
Memphis police have charged Ross Burton with trying to burn the rainbow flag outside the Memphis Gay and Lesbian Community Center in Cooper-Young early Wednesday morning and for assaulting a police officer during the arrest.
"I absolutely went around and threw away any newspapers I could find," she said.
Burton said she glanced at each individual newspaper before disposing of them, and because The Daily Helmsman is available at no cost, said she believed no crime had been committed.
However, campus police informed Helmsman editors that the crime could qualify as malicious mischief.
Candy Justice, general manager of the newspaper, said Burton tossing the issues in the trash was a violation of the First Amendment.
"I can't address what city or state crimes the police said she committed, although I do know a crime was committed," Justice said. "Anytime you deliberately prevent people from seeing the news, you've violated the First Amendment of the (U.S.) Constitution."
Some students, like Carolyn Ritch, junior psychology major, said because The Daily Helmsman is a free publication, Burton should not be disciplined for disposing of the newspapers.
"If she wanted to claim that she picked up every copy and read it, she could," she said. "They still have a right to cover (the story."
Ryan Vanderley, art graduate and a friend of Jennifer Burton's, said defending her brother was a logical reponse to the story..
"That's passion," he said. "Isn't that something that should be saluted? Her passino and her actions - in her defense - are true and real."
Ryan Poe, managing editor of The Daily Helmsman, inspected newsstands on campus to see how many issues had been stolen.
"I walked around the Tiger Den, Jones Hall and other buildings around the Meeman Journalism Building and found that papers were missing in both the Tiger Den and Jones Hall," he said. "I even found newspapers in the trash can next to the newspaper dispenser in the entryway of Jones (Hall)."