It takes two weeks, twenty students and three advisors to put together one issue of the LBCC Viking newspaper.  But recently, those efforts were erased when over 2,500 newspapers – half the Viking’s distribution – were taken from 85 racks on the Liberal Arts Campus and were reportedly trashed.  

Students are speculating as to whether this could be a form of censorship in regards to an article written by Viking staff writer Mark Benton.  Benton’s story, “Dancers Pay the Price,” highlighted student dancers being fined for minor infractions in the May 14th issue of the Viking.

“I believe that the theft of the newspapers was because of my article,” Benton says. “The intention of the article was about a policy in which students are being fined for tardiness and other small infractions.”

According to the Sher King, head of the Dance Department, the money goes to the Associate Student Body (ASB), however, when Benton asked to check the account receipts he was denied access.

Viking advisor McKean sent an e-mail to LBCC administrators regarding the theft. In part, he said, “I view the theft of student newspapers as the most serious attack on the First Amendment’s freedom of the press in my 21 years at Long Beach City College.”

Viking advisors and staff suspect the theft occurred some time between Thursday and Friday because the students and faculty only have limited building access on Saturdays.  

According to California State Law, AB 2612 Newspaper Theft, if twenty-five papers or more are taken off any rack it is considered a criminal offense and is punishable by a fine not exceeding $1000 and/or imprisonment not exceeding six months.

The Viking newspaper will soon be contacting all of its advertisers to propose compensation,” said McKean.

“It angers me that members of the LBCC ccommunity, a community which is dedicated to education and self improvement would so readily use theft to resolve a problem they have with the Viking Student Newspaper,” said Steven Piper, Editor & Chief of the Viking.

Ricklyn Hukriede is a current LBCC journalism student, former staff writer for the Viking newspaper, and current contributing news report for the staging-live.lbpost.com.