Headlines Cause Newspaper to Disappear

Sideline ^ | My Wife

[Hotdog]

Sidelines, the campus newspaper of Middle Tennessee State University has become part of a breaking news story that is drawing interest from the Associated Press, The Tennessean and several local print, television and radio outlets.

Despite pressure from the associate dean of student life and those involved, Sidelines printed a story about the fact that two fraternity houses owe the university almost $100,000 in back rent.

At 7 a.m. the papers were delivered to various outlets around campus. By 8 a.m. nearly all copies had been removed from the stands.

Approximately 7,500 papers were taken.

A witness ( a school employee) saw papers being dumped in the trash. This witness took the papers out of the trash and put them back in the stand. Then she briefly left her office. Upon her return, not only were the papers gone, but the trash can as well.

It's one thing to disagree with news publishers. It's quite another when an entity attempts to suppress the news.

To read the story that is causing so much controversy, go to www.mtsusidelines.com.

[Hotdog]

My wife is an editor at this newspaper. The excitement started this morning when the editor in chief found the newspapers missing. As the day progressed the media showed a lot of interest....sure they would...it could have been one of them! By the way...one of MTSU's professors is none other than Al Gore...

[Fledermaus]

Interesting. I'm e-mailing a copy now to Phil Valentine!

[Husker24]

Would the media have even mentioned this if the papers had been been stolen because of a conservative article, like an anti reperations add?

[Nita Nupress]

It's Dubya's fault.

[Hotdog]

The Tennessean will print the article in tomorrows edition...Channel 4 is carrying it tonight at 10:00pm...central time

[I still care]

In the 5th Harry Potter book, the evil superintendant forbids everyone to read the paper. The result is, more people read the paper than ever before.

[Hotdog]

Don't read Harry Potter....but this is one way to make that happen

[Dimensio]

Don't read Harry Potter

You're getting the idea. Now more people will read Harry Potter than before.

I would set up some kind of watch, a decoy paper stand. Watch for someone to come up and steal them, then whack them over the head with a baseball bat. Or, for a less felonious act, take a nice clear colour photograph and put up signs all over the neighbourhood detailing exactly what they are -- pointing out that they have appointed themselves the censor of the local news because they're too cowardly to face the truth.

[Hotdog]

That's one of the ideas floating around...pictures...wouldn't that be nice for a front page story...Headlines would read "Newspaper Virus" caught!

[Hotdog]

Love Phil...tell him I said "hey"...I think he's a great radio host!

[PAR35]

When I went to the site, I saw something really amusing. Next to the registration form which demanded my email address was an online poll about SPAM.

And how do they use the registration email address? To send SPAM, of course. From the "privacy" policy:

"We use Registration Data ... to send you ... promotional materials that you have agreed to receive [by registering, of course] from our media Partners, Advertisers, & Sponsors.

[Hotdog]

I don't know what...have to check into it...

[Hotdog]

Channel 4 in Nashville just did a story on this...I think by tomorrow the word will be in the right hands...going to be interesting...

[Hotdog]

The issue I'm raising has nothing to do with signing up for anything....I just wanted to convey the facts of the papers being taken...to see this you don't have to sign up for anything! Just click and read the truth...

[PAR35]

It was the juxtoposition of the two that was amusing. If it had just been the registration form by itself, I would have just clicked back to FR and forgotten about it.

I was trying to read the underlying story about the Frats; you did a great job on the missing papers report.

[Hotdog]

The story is the first one listed...maybe it came on late...don't know for sure but this is going to be interesting tomorrow

[LiteKeeper]

INTREP

[Hotdog]

Starting to get phone calls from every one we know around here...this is getting good...I'll keep everyone posted...updated...

[Hotdog]

Local paper has the story in the...front page