Dylan Lepore

JOURNALISM & PRESS FREEDOM

The Case of the Missing Tartan Newspapers

In September 2019, approximately 1,000 copies of The Tartan, Radford University’s student newspaper, disappeared from campus newsstands shortly after distribution. What initially appeared to be a strange circulation problem quickly developed into a much larger story about newspaper theft, student press freedom, university oversight, public records, and the independence of student journalism.

At the time, I was Editor-in-Chief of The Tartan. After noticing multiple empty newsstands, I worked with the newspaper’s staff to determine the scope of the disappearance. We ultimately found that 22 of the newspaper’s 32 newsstands had been emptied. Approximately two-thirds of the 1,500-copy press run was gone.

The timing immediately raised additional questions. The disappearance occurred one day after university administrators met with The Tartan staff and advisers to discuss concerns about the newspaper’s recent coverage. During that meeting, administrators discussed increased engagement with the newspaper, including proposals that advisers or university officials review material before publication. Our advisers rejected the idea as incompatible with the independence of a student news organization.

I subsequently pursued the disappearance as both an editor and a journalist. I reported on what had happened, communicated with university administrators and police, filed a Freedom of Information Act request seeking surveillance footage, and continued pressing the university for answers about the missing newspapers and the handling of the investigation.

“How long are we going to wait? Just work with me.”

Dylan Lepore, Editor-in-Chief of The Tartan
Student Press Law Center, February 2020

The Investigation

The disappearance quickly became a national press-freedom story. Coverage appeared in The Washington Post, the Associated Press, the Student Press Law Center, FIRE, The Roanoke Times, the Washington Examiner, Inside Higher Ed, and other publications. I was interviewed and quoted throughout the investigation as The Tartan continued reporting on the incident and advocating for transparency.

In November 2019, Radford University acknowledged that a classified staff employee had been found responsible for removing newspapers from at least four newsstands. The university said the employee had been disciplined internally but would not identify the employee or pursue criminal charges because the newspapers were distributed for free. The university did not publicly resolve the larger question of what happened to newspapers removed from the other newsstands.

The handling of surveillance footage became another major issue. According to subsequent reporting, footage involving the employee was placed in a personnel file while other requested footage was not retained. That left significant questions unanswered about the full scope of the disappearance and the university’s response.

The story continued into 2020. I continued pressing the university for answers and publicly criticized the handling of the investigation, including calling for the university to conclude its investigation, apologize to the Radford community, improve communication, and affirm its support for an independent student press.

Why This Case Mattered

Newspaper theft is more than the removal of pieces of paper. When newspapers are taken before readers can access them, the effect is to prevent information from reaching the public. That remains true whether a newspaper is sold for a dollar or distributed for free.

For The Tartan, the incident became a test of whether a student newspaper could operate independently while covering the institution that funded and housed it. For me as Editor-in-Chief, it became one of the most consequential tests of my ability to lead a newsroom, investigate a developing story, work with public records, communicate with administrators and law enforcement, and advocate for the independence of student journalism.

The case also became part of a broader conversation about student press protections in Virginia. Coverage of the Radford case intersected with efforts to strengthen legal protections for student journalists and renewed attention to the role of independent student media at public universities.

Coverage Archive

The archive below documents the reporting, editorials, interviews, and subsequent developments surrounding the case, organized chronologically by publication date. It is preserved as a research resource and as a record of one of the defining episodes of my tenure as Editor-in-Chief of The Tartan.

September 2019 — The Disappearance

October 2019 — National Attention

November 2019 — An Employee Is Identified

December 2019 — A Press-Freedom Issue

January–March 2020 — The Fight Continues

Featured Coverage — February 12, 2020

“How long are we going to wait?” Editor-in-Chief criticizes Radford’s newspaper theft investigation

Nearly five months after the newspapers disappeared, I continued pressing Radford University for answers through the Student Press Law Center, asking the university to conclude its investigation, identify the employee responsible, and apologize to the Radford community.

January 29, 2020 — Letter from the Editor

Letter from the Editor: Student Press Freedoms at Radford University
The Tartan | Jan. 29, 2020

More than four months after the original newspaper theft, I published a letter directly addressing the university’s handling of the investigation and its broader implications for student press freedom. I called on the Radford administration to apologize to the community, improve communication with students, staff, and faculty, and demonstrate its support for independent student journalists.

The letter marked an important transition in the story. What began as the disappearance of approximately 1,000 newspapers had become a larger question about transparency, institutional accountability, and the First Amendment rights of student journalists.

“It’s been 133 days since The Tartan’s newspapers were stolen Sept. 18. Still no conclusion.”

The letter also emphasized that the issue was no longer simply about The Tartan. The handling of the investigation had established a precedent for how a public university could respond when its student journalists challenged institutional decisions and reported on uncomfortable subjects.

Read the full letter: Letter from the Editor: Student Press Freedoms at Radford University

Looking Back

The missing Tartan newspapers became one of the defining episodes of my time as a student journalist. It required me to move beyond simply producing a newspaper and instead lead a newsroom through a developing controversy involving the university, its administration, police, public records, and the fundamental independence of the student press.

The case taught me that journalism is not only about publishing information. It is also about asking difficult questions, following those questions when institutions do not provide easy answers, protecting the independence of a newsroom, and continuing to advocate for the public’s right to know.

This archive preserves that work — not simply as a record of what happened at Radford University, but as a record of how I learned to lead, investigate, work with sources and public records, and stand behind the work of a student newsroom.