A group of Shepherd students have formed an organization on Facebook to protest what they describe as a discriminatory coverage policy undertaken by the Picket, Shepherd University's student newspaper, to deny coverage to bands associated with Big Bullet Records. Big Bullet Records is a local record label run by Tucker Riggleman, a member of the BBR band The Demon Beat. BBR claims a number of local musical acts on its roster. Jeb Inge, Editor-in-Chief at the Picket, categorically denies the existence of any policy to deny any local bands of coverage, highlighting recent local music reports published in the Picket as evidence of his paper's commitment to local music coverage, and encouraged local musicians to take an active role in making the press aware of upcoming concerts and events.

The Facebook group, entitled "Bring local music back to the Picket!", was formed on the evening of Sunday, Sept. 20, by Shepherd student Charles House. By 3:40 p.m. on Monday, Sept. 21, it claimed 24 members. The group provides a link to an online petition which states, in part, that "a number of local Shepherdstown bands will no longer be written about in the Picket, Shepherd University's own campus newspaper. The soul [sic] reason for this denial of print coverage? The affiliation with a local record label, who the editor-in-chief feels has recieved enough attention." The petition has seven signatures as of 3:40 p.m.

In an email to the Chronicle, Picket Editor-in-Chief Jeb Inge said the existence of the group and petition surprised him. "Frankly, until last night when I first saw the petition I was unaware that a record label even existed in Shepherdstown." Said Inge, "their perception of me personally having something against any band in this town is utterly baseless. To think that I would take The Picket in a direction to purposefully disregard any individual or group is not only insulting, but naive."

Inge also points to recent coverage of local BBR band Cait O'Shea in their Sept. 16 edition as proof that there is no policy to deny coverage to members of the BBR label.

Charles House, administrator of the protest group, declined to comment for this story.