NEVADA — In response to an editorial error, a person claimingto be an aggrieved reader gathered up more than 100 copies of Insight, astudent magazine from the University of Nevada at Reno, and returned themagazines to the publication’s office March 4.
The magazine published a story about another publication’s lack ofcoverage of the 2002 drowning of a UN-Reno student, who was a pledge at a campusfraternity. The Insight, in its story, misstated the name of thefraternity to which the deceased student had been pledging.
All of the stolen and returned copies of the Insight — 116 outof a circulation of 1,000 — were hand-corrected, and attached to the stackof magazines was a note purportedly signed by a fraternity member with hispledge number, Phi Kappa Phi No. 26.
The note described Insight‘s mistake in naming Phi Kappa Phiinstead of Phi Kappa Alpha and called on the magazine to correct the remainingissues that had not yet been circulated. To conclude the note, the unnamedfraternity member wrote: “P.S. any copies I see around campus that are notphysically corrected I will be less generous next time.”
According to Sarah Cooper, Insight‘s managing editor, themagazine management met with Taylor Anderson, chief executive and spokesman forthe campus’ chapter of Pi Kappa Phi, to discuss a correction shortly afterthe magazine was published.
Days after the agreement was made to run a 200-word correction written byAnderson, the stolen and corrected copies showed up outside theInsight‘s office door.
According to Cooper, Insight‘s printing costs total $3.50 permagazine. She said Insight does not intend to pursue legal action fornewspaper theft. However, Insight management has again spoken withAnderson, who said the theft was outside fraternity jurisdiction but that hewould discuss the matter with pledge No. 26. Cooper is also waiting to learn theoriginal locations of the stolen magazines so the hand-corrected copies can beredistributed to their proper newsstands.
Anderson did not return calls or e-mails for comment.