After the distribution of the April 21 edition of The Ithacan, copies of the paper were stolen and thrown into recycling bins between Mac’s Convenience Store and Job Hall. Despite two successful attempts by staff members to retrieve the papers, thieves disposed of hundreds of copies later that evening.

Newspaper theft is a crime in New York state. The loss of hundreds of copies means lost printing costs, labor costs and revenue from ads readers never saw. It also robs other students of the opportunity to be informed.

But though the theft itself is upsetting and illegal, what it says about the state of society is even more upsetting. The First Amendment guarantees freedom of the press – even if one does not agree with the paper. But too few people understand the importance of this guarantee – a disturbing fact reflected in a recent Knight Foundation survey that found one in three high school students think the press should be more restricted. Those who would limit the press’ ability to distribute newspapers contribute to the misunderstanding of the press’ role.

One of the thieves has since apologized to The Ithacan. She said she had been upset with the paper for last week’s editorial cartoon and what she saw as the lack of coverage of the Erase the Hate rally.

Last week’s issue has sparked intense debates in the classroom, and while everyone is entitled and encouraged to discuss and disagree with the paper’s coverage, they should keep their dialogue and actions civil. One politics professor was described as “ranting and raving,” alleging the paper was “racist” because The Ithacan did not cover the rally in the print edition and instead covered it online. The paper covered the rally online with more than 30 photos so that students could read about the event that day, rather than waiting a full week.

Students and faculty members may not always agree with the paper’s decisions, nor do we expect them to, but we do expect them to acknowledge the importance of a free press and value all opinions, even those they disagree with.