MEDIA SKIRMISH

This article in the Sacramento Bee is about the alleged theft of two free Natomas Publications (Natomas Journal and N Magazines) by members of their respective staff. The Natomas Journal publisher Will Craig was caught on videotape picking up a stack of N magazines discarding them and replacing them with the Natomas Journal. Allegedly Craig has done this more than once and although there is a video of a man disregarding and replacing the N magazines a second time he face is concealed from the camera. Craig said he was responsible once but that the second time it wasn't him. He also said that he did it because he someone from the N magazine staff has been stripping the Natomas Journal racks for 21 months and he wanted to send a message. He claims the theft of their papers stopped 24 after he replaced and discarded the N magazine. The law in California prohibits taking more that 25 copies of a freely distributed paper to sell, barter, recycle for cash, harm a competitor, or deprive others of the enjoyment to read.I think that this story shows why the journalism community is not respected. I have read both publications and its inconceivable to think that either staff members would stoop to stealing papers. If they don't have the integrity not to steal how can you trust that their publications have integrity in the stories they write. The publisher from the Natomas Journal said he suspected his papers were being stolen my question is why didn't he take it the police? All in all,I was very disappointed in his response to accusations of stealing it shouldn't have mattered what his suspected his competitors of . Integrity, in my opinion should be the ethic that a journalist should value the most.