UGA Red & Black staff walks out today in protest. Is it now Red & Dead?
UPDATED THURSDAY MORNING:
The student staff of the Red and Black, the acclaimed University of Georgia student-run newspaper, walked out en masse Wednesday to protest what the student journalists consider intrusive oversight of what had been one of the nation’s most well known independent campus publications.
Expect a lot of news coverage as many Atlanta journalists worked at the Red & Black while students at UGA. Please keep in mind that the newspaper is an independent, non-profit enterprise that supports itself largely through ad sales. It is not under UGA or President Michael Adams and receives no direct university support. That independence has given it far greater freedom over the years to criticize the university and its policies.
The Red & Black publisher Harry Montevideo has responded to student charges that their role was being minimized and that the board was giving more powers to non journalists to dictate content and that the focus was shifting from “news” to “good news.” He says:
“The Red and Black has always championed the best interest of student journalists. Core to our mission is providing the best possible training and experience which mirrors the real world. The changes occurring here reflect an ongoing commitment for the Red & Black Publishing Company, Inc to continue to offer a news product which is relevant for and accessible to our audience as we also train student journalists for futures in a rapidly changing world of news delivery beyond our traditional print format. There will be a quality student newspaper in our racks tomorrow, as there will be next week and the week after.
In a letter on a new blog, Red & Dead, former editor Polina Marinova explains:
The Red & Black’s top editors, design staff, photo staff and reporters walked out of the newspaper building this afternoon.
The Red & Black has covered the University of Georgia community since 1893 and has been independent of the University since 1980. The newspaper has always been a student-run operation, but recently we began feeling serious pressure from people who were not students. In less than a month, The Red & Black has hired more than 10 permanent staff with veto power over students’ decisions.
In a draft outlining the “expectations of editorial director at The Red & Black,” a member of The Red & Black’s Board of Directors stated the newspaper needs a balance of good and bad. Under “Bad,” it says, “Content that catches people or organizations doing bad things. I guess this is ‘journalism.’ If in question, have more GOOD than BAD.”
I took great offense to that, but the board member just told me this is simply a draft. But one thing that would not change is that the former editorial adviser, now the editorial director, would see all content before it is published online and in print. For years, students have had final approval of the paper followed by a critique by the adviser only after articles were published. However, from now on, that will not be the case. Recently, editors have felt pressure to assign stories they didn’t agree with, take “grip and grin” photos and compromise the design of the paper.
But what’s most alarming to me is that there was no input from The Red & Black student staff about any of these changes. I was doing an internship this summer, and I did not receive any materials related to these changes until I emailed the board member about it.
Even then, nothing was solidified, and I still do not even know what the print product will look like in a week. I’ve worked at this paper since I was a freshman and held multiple leadership positions. This semester, we have a really talented, smart and dedicated staff that had no voice in these changes. It all came from the top, not from the students.
The Red & Black has always been the best experience for student journalists. It’s no longer a place where lessons can be learned without “serious repercussions.” We don’t believe that is a learning environment.
As the former editor-in-chief, I stood by my editors and staff 100 percent, and what I found out today was that we all stood together.
You can read more about the controversy on this Facebook page for Red & Black alums, many of whom work in Atlanta media. You can also read more about today’s events at the Athens Banner-Herald.
–From Maureen Downey, for the AJC Get Schooled blog
Tell us what you think about the site
Customer Care »
Vacation stops, manage subscriptions and more
AJC Services
Sections
Other Editions
Visitor Agreement | Privacy Statement
© 2013 The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
154 comments Add your comment
BehindEnemyLines
August 16th, 2012
12:52 am
re: “we all stood together.” … on the sidewalk, which is pretty much where anyone who fails to heed the instructions of their boss ends up. Sounds like one of the most valuable educational lessons possible.
Beverly Fraud
August 16th, 2012
2:01 am
Under “Bad,” it says, “Content that catches people or organizations doing bad things. I guess this is ‘journalism.’ If in question, have more GOOD than BAD.”
Has this guy never heard of the Fourth Estate? It’s a NEWSPAPER, not a P.R. firm for the university.
Beverly Fraud
August 16th, 2012
2:04 am
Mareen, is it fair to say that UGA’s Grady College of Journalism and Mass Communication has become a DISGRACE to good journalism with their actions in this matter?
Dr. John Trotter
August 16th, 2012
2:06 am
Prior restraint, huh? I am not sure that Henry W. Grady would be proud of the decision to come down upon a free press, even if it does have ties to the University. Grady was a pretty free-spirited journalist with his pen. He came down to Atlanta from Rome, Georgia at age 22 to become the Editor of The Atlanta Daily Herald, a very “sprightly” journal, as it has been called. My great, great grandfather, Robert A. Alston, was the publisher, and he and Grady often fretted how to keep it going and free and independent, even mortgaging Grady’s mother’s home on Prince Avenue in Athens. But, my point is that they wanted to keep the newspaper free and independent. A newspaper that is not free is not really part of the Fourth Estate.
Dr. John Trotter
August 16th, 2012
2:07 am
@ Beverly Fraud: It is eerie how we often think alike.
Norcross
August 16th, 2012
2:08 am
UGA is a joke of a school. Take the best and brightest from a state ranked 49th in secondary education, and you get…a football team.
Newschick
August 16th, 2012
2:48 am
Here are the names of the board as listed on the Red and Black website…. Are there any working journalists among them? My Google search was not exhaustive but I see one retired journalist and it looks like at least three are on the business, non-editorial side of media — not journalists. Perhaps AJC reporters can poll the group to see whether they voted on this and who supported the takeover and who did not:
Elliott Brack, President, Chairman of the Board, Norcross, GA
Melita Easters, Vice President, Atlanta, Georgia
Chris Stone, Secretary, Nolensville, Tennessee
Don Carter, Sea Island, GA
Carroll Dadisman, Tallahassee, Florida
Amy Glennon, Atlanta, GA
Bill Krueger, Raleigh, North Carolina
Ron Lane, Athens, Georgia
Kent Middleton, Athens, Georgia
Harry Montevideo, Treasurer, Publisher
Burgett Mooney, Rome, Georgia
Charles Russell, Atlanta, Georgia
Alexis Scott, Atlanta, Georgia
Ed Stamper, Norcross, Georgia
Patricia Templeton, Atlanta, Georgia
Liz Thorington, Atlanta, Georgia
Mutual Respect
August 16th, 2012
4:30 am
@ BehindEnemyLines
I think the argument can be made that they should not have walked
out, but the students did have a responsibility to fight for professional
standards of journalism since they are in training to be future journalist.
A similar incident happened with a newspaper in Santa Barbara,California
where reporters complained to the National Labor Relations Board about
accusing the owner of exercising excessive oversight and retaliation toward
employees.
Link Below
http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/lanow/2011/08/newspaper-publisher-retaliated-against-former-reporters-board-rules.html
UGA Student
August 16th, 2012
6:10 am
Good riddance to the staff! If they call themselves journalists, then I MUST be a genius. During the first month of attendance at UGA I picked up a copy of Red & Black, only to see their front page news was how to become a sugar baby. REALLY?! Of course, I’m sure the “nail in their coffin” was a supposed tongue & cheek piece about how to catch a husband while attending UGA. This young lady managed to catch the spotlight nationally while fending off attacks from both demographics. Yeah, journalism at its best….You won’t see me shedding a single tear over their departure or the lack of this “newspaper”.
mountain man
August 16th, 2012
6:35 am
The original break from the University happened in 1980 because of exactly the same thing: censorship by the controlling editors (then it was the University). Ever heard of the term “free press”. Guess not.
mountain man
August 16th, 2012
6:36 am
Norcross – I just wish we had a football team (actually I wish we had a Coach).
Miss Priss!
August 16th, 2012
7:18 am
Well maybe ol’ Monica can whip them back into shape! She sure does have some nice clothes!
Rodney
August 16th, 2012
7:21 am
This is sad because now the University has started a new more powerful blogging force that they wont be able to even advise on! Watch out if anyone has anything to hide who had a hand in this surpression of speech!
redweather
August 16th, 2012
7:26 am
Here’s a link https://docs.google.com/file/d/0B3jBKFhghgZzMjNEa2pUd04xRWM/view?pli=1&sle=true to the new editorial director’s memo.
Leigh
August 16th, 2012
7:48 am
I worked for my college newspaper for 4 years. I understand where the students are coming from and I totally agree. I would have walked out as well.
catlady
August 16th, 2012
7:50 am
This is a battle that has been fought before. You’d think we have this settled. The job of the R and B is to report all things of interest. The president’s office has PR staff to provide all the bright and shinies.
To those who say they should just follow the boss’ orders–this is why we have a free press!
Newschick
August 16th, 2012
8:33 am
Check out the Red and Black website “About Us” link for the names of the non-student board members who apparently sanctioned this takeover. Most of them are not journalists.
Theron Sapp
August 16th, 2012
8:33 am
Mountain Man @ 6:35 is right. The R&B separated from the university in 1980. The R&B is a corporation, and this is a dispute between the student staff and their corporate board, which has installed non-student management (contrary to the spirit and mission of a student newspaper, in my view). This has nothing to do with UGA, the president or the journalism school.
An Observer
August 16th, 2012
8:36 am
So how does this problem get resolved. Do the students now go back to work having won no concessions, or do the editors and permanent staff fully take over and start writing the articles?
University Diaries » “Morales had no comment.” LOL!!!
August 16th, 2012
8:38 am
[...] Did you expect better than this from a draft memo written by one of the new overseers of the newspaper? In a draft outlining the “expectations of editorial director at The Red & Black,” a member of The Red & Black’s Board of Directors stated the newspaper needs a balance of good and bad. Under “Bad,” it says, “Content that catches people or organizations doing bad things. I guess this is ‘journalism.’ If in question, have more GOOD than BAD.” [...]
Solutions
August 16th, 2012
8:45 am
Hmmmm, where Cindy Lou goes, trouble is sure to follow……..
Solutions
August 16th, 2012
8:47 am
I suggest the students start a new, renegade on-line only newspaper! Defy authority, always works for me…….
Howard Finkelstein
August 16th, 2012
8:47 am
The students/malcontents who walked out, should be expelled.
jim satterly
August 16th, 2012
9:17 am
Newschick, Melita Easters began working for the AJC in 1979, with the DeKalb Extra. Her desk was in front of mine. I don’t think she was there for more than a couple of years. Alexis Scott worked in various editorial and management positions for years, and was highly regarded. A Ron Lane was a teacher in the journalism school when I was there (1967-71), and if it’s the same guy he’d have to be well into his 70s.
bootney farnsworth
August 16th, 2012
9:35 am
what likely happened…
Adams and Co started not liking what they saw in R&B. an envoy from the PR office went over and had a meeting with management, where management was informed in a very round about way that UGA does lots of business with advertisers who support R&B.
the rest is pretty simple.
Adams and Co don’t seem like the kind who would shy away from intimidation.
Follow the Course
August 16th, 2012
9:38 am
Good lesson for the Kiddies who walked out … they can make their point so well from the sidewalk … good lesson that “change” can only be made for working from the “inside”.
Point made … “throw one hands-up … pout” … Kiddies there is nothing truly equal, really fair … and Oh … Guaranteed
bootney farnsworth
August 16th, 2012
9:38 am
funny to read some of these posts about them being malcontents, needing to be expelled, ect.
the greatest people in US history fall into that category.
but hey, why stop there? how about yellow armbands and patches on their shirts?
Richard Simmons
August 16th, 2012
9:40 am
Howard Finkelstein: Expelled? For what reason? The R&B is not part of the university, it is an independent, non-profit newspaper. You sound like a good little NAZI, just do your job and shut up, who needs ethics, right?
bootney farnsworth
August 16th, 2012
9:40 am
agree with it or not, they took a stand for what they believed in.
those kids already showed more character and courage than most of the participants of this blog ever have or will.
bootney farnsworth
August 16th, 2012
9:43 am
@ observer
it ultimately depends who UGA fears more. the regional press or the local community.
LawDawg
August 16th, 2012
9:45 am
BehindEnemyLines : What the hell are you talking about? This is not a paid gig and the board is not supposed to be their “bosses”. Otherwise what you said . . . still really does not make any sense.
bootney farnsworth: exactly right. The comment about requiring “grip and grin” photos and stories says it all. The University is trying to turn the venerable R&B into a propaganda tool for the Administration.
LawDawg
August 16th, 2012
9:47 am
Follow the Course: Ellipses are not a substitute for making a coherent point.
Howard Finkelstein
August 16th, 2012
9:49 am
“but hey, why stop there? how about yellow armbands and patches on their shirts?”
Good Idea!! Yellow armbands to match Mayor Kasim Reeds yellow teeth.
ugastudentlawyer
August 16th, 2012
9:49 am
The publication has gone down the tubes recently anyways. The anti-greek opinion pieces and 150 word arrest reports about freshmen who get arrested for underage possession, I have a hard time really feeling sorry for their lack of “journalistic” (and I use that word very loosely) freedom.
bootney farnsworth
August 16th, 2012
9:55 am
having just read the memo redweather posted, the meat of it is in a small line about balancing good & bad. this is screaming code for spinning the news in the direction UGA / Adams wants it to go.
not being a UGA alum, I’ve rarely read the R&B, but I can make some guesses; unflattering stories -about the football team
-about Adams heavy handedness
-crime stats UGA doesn’t want public
-the heavy handed, Rambo like behavior of the Athens police
-student binge drinking
-not having the “proper” racial balance in stories and photos
-rampant wasteful spending by Adams on pet projects
-examples of how monies which should be spend on education were spent everywhere but
bootney farnsworth
August 16th, 2012
9:57 am
@ follow the course
sorry, that line of thinking is
1-dead wrong
2-the preferred line of dictators, tyrants, and tin pot despots the world over.
historically real change only occurs when exterior forces compel it.
Follow the Course
August 16th, 2012
9:58 am
LawDawg … and your point from a “students” prospective?
GaBlue
August 16th, 2012
10:00 am
GOOD FOR THEM! Brave young people with integrity. POWER TO THE PEOPLE!
bootney farnsworth
August 16th, 2012
10:02 am
in any industry, when all your top people walk out, it is a major signal something is very wrong.
Alphare
August 16th, 2012
10:06 am
UGA cannot manage a little newspaper, Georgia unemployment rate goes up…
And the whole state is in the hands of republicans…
It’s all Obama’s fault! LOL.
Amazed
August 16th, 2012
10:06 am
There are UGA students that are literate now? Wow.
Follow the Course
August 16th, 2012
10:07 am
bootney … “top people walk out” is the key … then they must start anew, create their own … the “top people” quitting gave up any “ownership” they had … whether “something (is) very wrong” or not … they quit … they (may) have proved their point … but what have they changed …
only “ownership” wins
bootney farnsworth
August 16th, 2012
10:10 am
Rodney makes an excellent point.
in these days/times, this trick will not succeed as hoped. there are too many ways to get information out around. this may work for awhile, but will bite them in the long haul
bootney farnsworth
August 16th, 2012
10:11 am
@ follow
history and human nature is not on your side
Inman Park Boy
August 16th, 2012
10:12 am
I have a former student who is currently a writer for the Red and Black. He walked out. I trust his judgment. Stand together kids!
Follow the Course
August 16th, 2012
10:15 am
bootney – you must live longer and read different books … the ones that UGA has not introduced. You are an interesting type …
Pardon My Blog
August 16th, 2012
10:17 am
I am not sure we have any “true” journalists anymore that report the real news and gives us all the facts by which we can form our own opinions. Whether in print or on television, it appears that the so-called journalists pick and choose the facts to fit their own bias if they report the story at all.
bootney farnsworth
August 16th, 2012
10:17 am
here’s what happens in real life
drive off your best and brightest and (as a whole) land on their feet. usually in a better situation.
and with an ax to grind with the idiots who created the issue in the first place.
“ownership” ends up with the least talented, least qualified, least motivate, but biggest rear kissers who (as a whole) do inferior work with much less passion or motivation. quality goes down, reputation goes down, clientele go down.
Craig Fowler
August 16th, 2012
10:18 am
Good luck conforming to, or following, any future policies required by any journalistic related employer after graduation.
bootney farnsworth
August 16th, 2012
10:20 am
I have never claimed any affiliation to UGA.
my favorite place is this amazing thing called the local library. books of all kinds with all different points of view.
bootney farnsworth
August 16th, 2012
10:21 am
@ Craig
how do you figure?
Auntie Christ
August 16th, 2012
10:22 am
Good for these students, they’ve shown more integrity than any of the so-called ‘journalists’ who infest the MSM today, insulting the memory and legacy of people like Edward R Murrow, Walter Cronkite, William Paley, and others who actually reported on and investigated the machinations of government and industry. Today we have the likes of john king, who almost came to tears under newt gingrich’s castigation for asking a legitimate question regarding gingrich’s extra-marital dalliances; or any of the talking head news readers who dare not ask a penetrating question of those in power lest they lose their access to power, and risk their comfortable positions and salary, who won’t investigate or report on the corruption of our government by the moneyed class and the corporations, lest it jeopardize ad revenues for their corporate owners.
So here’s to you, student journalists hold to your journalistic integrity while you can, before you join the ranks of the sold out, bought-and-paid for, lazy cohort known as the MSM, and become beholden to the likes of rupert murdoch, the cox family or the board of the tribune corporation.
Follow the Course
August 16th, 2012
10:28 am
Bootney … you are making my point for me … “drive off your best and brightest and (as a whole) land on their feet. usually in a better situation.” …
Whom is saying that these are the “best and the brighest” … those are opinions in the minds of the beholders (you) … you have a dog in this fight … you are not thinking logically …
Dawg67
August 16th, 2012
10:30 am
I think everyone here needs to understand that the Red and Black is an independent student newspaper, and UGA has no control over this entity at all. UGA does not fund it, dictate what is written, etc. While there are some UGA people on the board of the paper, this is not due to them being at UGA, but because they are in the journalism field, are in Athens, etc. But again, this is an independent paper, not a UGA publication.
real world
August 16th, 2012
10:34 am
To sum this up, you have now learned the golden rule of adulthood– He who has the gold, makes the rules. Learn it, live it, love it.
Craig Fowler
August 16th, 2012
10:34 am
@ bootney You’re right….these guys will never have to work for anyone in the future? Maybe they can start their own news organization.
Tag
August 16th, 2012
10:36 am
Sounds like censorship to me!
New Man
August 16th, 2012
10:40 am
@ bootney farnsworth
You speak the truth! Have you considered a career in politics? You speak w/ conviction and clarity.
Shame on UGA!
August 16th, 2012
10:42 am
After reading the “memo” from the Board Member with its grammatical mistakes, juvenile statements and just, quite frankly, nonsense, I am not surprised the students quit! My impressions of the Board at this moment: unprofessional, uneducated, power-hungry, misguided, and unfocused. My question would be: who is pulling the Board’s strings? If I were the students, I would demand who, why and where all of this embarrassing mess came from. The answers may not surprise us and would prove to be even more embarrassing for UGA. Here is hoping the advertisers take their money elsewhere!
Follow the Course
August 16th, 2012
10:47 am
Auntie … funny … hopefully tongue & cheek … ah, the view from the ivory tower … these “J-school types” are interesting
RC_K
August 16th, 2012
10:48 am
Until the R&B Board removes journalist such Kent Middleton these issue will persist. The UGA school of journalism has been atypical micro-management school writing since the 1980’s.
zeke
August 16th, 2012
10:52 am
what do you expect with repubs in charge?
Dawg67
August 16th, 2012
10:54 am
Shame on UGA: Again, this is not a UGA publication, but an independent paper, so why should this be embarrassing for UGA?
bu2
August 16th, 2012
10:59 am
Sounds like a bunch of spoiled children. They didn’t get to do whatever they wanted without review so they walked out. Those linked standards sound pretty reasonable. Basically, they want a paper that has an audience and sounds like it was written by adults, not a bunch of junior high kids.
Phil Osopher
August 16th, 2012
11:01 am
This die was cast in 1980 when the Red & Black split from UGA and the J-school. When you have Elliott Brack in charge, the result is not going to be journalism. But, it’s not the fault of UGA or the Grady college. Except for letting them leave in the first place.
Shame on UGA!
August 16th, 2012
11:12 am
Dawg67 – if this is “not” a UGA publication, where is all of this coming from? The R & B is a paper which services the University of Georgia community. Do I really have to explain how newspapers are influenced by outside sources? Really? Don’t get me started. Don’t fool yourself! I again call for the students to find out exactly why the Board has done this. Most times something good can come out of something bad. I am personally hoping that the “good” that comes out of this is a return to a student run newspaper!
Dan Beeson
August 16th, 2012
11:12 am
Newschick – Alexis Scott IS a working journalist, editor-in-chief of one of the nation’s oldest, and largest, African-American owned newspapers, the Atlanta Daily World. Do your homework.
Grady Class of 73
August 16th, 2012
11:15 am
The students work at the Red and Black for real world experience.
Part of the real world is the corporateownership with real world business interests that will seek to influence the content of the paper.
It is a constant pressure applied by both sides.
The students will be better educated for having experienced this during their tenure at the Red and Black.
I do agree with the concept of ever changing to keep current with emerging technology so the publication can remain viable. Newspapers that failed to do that since the advent of the internet are no longer in business.
joe in tucker
August 16th, 2012
11:15 am
maybe the students need guidance as to the difference between a tabloid and a newspaper.
Auntie Christ
August 16th, 2012
11:26 am
@follow the course: Please do “follow the course” i.e follow the course of treatment your MD has laid out for you, take your meds, get some rest, maybe then your comments will have some coherency instead of a random stream of consciousness….. interspersed by……ellipses…signifying nothing…
Shame on UGA!
August 16th, 2012
11:29 am
The students may need direction on how to improve the newspaper. Nothing is perfect and they are still students. Why not take the money the Board used to hire all of these new employees/overlords and use it to send the students to seminars, continuing education classes, meetings with journalists, graphic designers, etc … from the AJC and other newspapers. Help the students to become better, not insist they get permission.
Prof
August 16th, 2012
11:31 am
I have no connections with UGA save a few faculty friends there, not in Journalism. But as I read this story, a few questions occurred to me.
I agree that it does seem that the R&B’s Board of Directors think its articles are too negative and reflect badly on UGA. R&B may have no direct connection with UGA, but how many on this Board are UGA alumni?
I agree with Bootney Farnsworth, 9:35 am, and LawDawg, 9:45 am. It seems as if there have been some behind-the-scenes talks between the UGA administration, its Public Relations office, and the R&B Board of Directors. This is exactly the way such pressure to maintain a University “image” works. It works even better if the newspaper IS independent of UGA, for then there are unlikely to be many faculty repercussions. They tend to be noisy about “academic freedom.”
My other question: could there be some connection to the fact that UGA President Adams is on his way out? Is the dirty work of getting the R&B to become more “respectable” and “positive” being done before the new President arrives next year?
For I’m quite sure there will be more drastic changes coming with this new President.
SLB
August 16th, 2012
11:32 am
It would greatly shock me if it were not in large part connected to the fact that Cynthia Tucker is now at UGA.
Follow the Course
August 16th, 2012
11:32 am
Auntie … thanks for your advice … and FUNNY again … you were actually being serious I take it? that makes it even better … Sorry for your lack of a sense of humor and your “special view” …
UGA Grad '83
August 16th, 2012
11:33 am
The Board of this non-profit corporation has the legal right to run their organization however they see fit, but they should not call the Red & Black a “student newspaper” if the students don’t run it, any more than a McDonald’s franchise should call themselves a “student restaurant” if students work the counters and assemble the hamburgers, but adults really manage the place. The Red and Black is now just another commercial newspaper in Athens, which uses some student labor to keep its costs down. I hope the staff seizes this opportunity to start a true student newspaper – which will be the only one in Athens after yesterday. They may not have the nice offices and the salaries (at least not for a while), but they will definitely learn more.
Mountain Man
August 16th, 2012
11:43 am
If the Board wants to run the R&B that way – let them. Students (and others)will soon quit reading it. The students who walked out should start a REAL student newspaper with real journalistic integrity.
The only reason the editorial board should kill a story is if it exposes the paper to legal action or if its truth is in question.
Teacher's Son
August 16th, 2012
12:03 pm
@Dawg67: Been drinking the Koolaid long? You probably think Adams is the greatest thing since sliced bread, too. smh….
Big Al
August 16th, 2012
12:09 pm
Walking off the job? That won’t look good on their resumes.
Ted
August 16th, 2012
12:13 pm
Children,
God forbid you have to take a “grip and grin” and put it in the paper.
I laud your devotion to ethics, but we all know most of the things covered in the R&B are mindless stories, like one of the previous commenters mentioned. It’s not hard-hitting journalism.
Most of you won’t be working for “They Gray Lady,” so get used to doing things people like your publisher or paper’s owner want to see in print. That part’s called the real world.
Dawg67
August 16th, 2012
12:18 pm
Shame on UGA and Teacher’ Son: I would suggest you review the background of the Red and Black, and understand what it is and is not, as this is clearly not a paper run by UGA. As well, prior to throwing insults, please learn about the issues and then comment, not the other way around. The R&B has done some very tough stories on UGA and the administration for 30+ years, and the Admin has never been able to make any dent in the items reported before, so why would this change now? Any attempt would actually make a great story for the R&B. This is an independent paper, and UGA has no control over it. Would Adams have let stories be printed about the cost of his office furniture, allow for a photo to show him in a Where’s Waldo hat for Where’s Mikey?, etc. Stop throwing out your guesses and assumptions, and deal with the facts. Do I really have to explain how an independent company works to you?
GradyAlum
August 16th, 2012
12:37 pm
@Big Al, yes, it will. Having stood up for journalistic ethics to the point that you would walk out will look very good on a writer or editor’s resume. And @Ted, your reference to the Times as the pinnacle of journalism shows how little your know about newspapers today. The R&B is often the only reporter of incidences like the one last year when a diversity scholarship was axed to give Adams a raise. Sure, some pieces are fluff, but that’s true for any publication. On the front page of the Wall Street Journal’s online edition today, there’s a link to a story about collecting old gas pumps.
Follow the Course
August 16th, 2012
12:43 pm
Auntie Christ … I see you have taken the second semesters 201_J-school class … “if your position is not being supported … name-call, stomp your feet and holler louder” class.
Bottom line Auntie … these folks had a “choice” … they made their decision … and your opinion does not matter. Nothing matters except their “choice”. You can try to support and defend “their choice” …
You mention the “Murrow, Cronkite and Paley, I didn’t realize “they” worked in/with the R&B … since you are the “expert” … how many times did Murrow, Cronkite and Paley quit, walked out because their “Editor” told them to “temper” their reporting … time to put your “big girl pants” on Auntie.
PS … You have to see, understand, feel and hear the other views.
drew
August 16th, 2012
12:44 pm
Kudos to the kids !
Now, if only student athletes would walk out in protest of a school which makes millions off them.
Merrill Guice
August 16th, 2012
12:56 pm
It reminds me a lot of the dad who buys his son a train for Christmas and then spends the rest of the day playing with it himself. The publisher of this independent newspaper makes $175,000 a year. With that kind of bread on the line, it’s hard to blame him for wanting to take it over himself. But you have to condemn it because he’s violating the charter and the trust that was given him. Meanwhile, UGA now has a mess, with national news people descending on the story. Maybe they should have just agreed to let it be independent onky as long as Conrad Fink was alive.
Shame on UGA!
August 16th, 2012
1:01 pm
Dawg67 – As a business degree graduate of UGA, you do not have to explain to me how an independent company works. Thanks anyway! Also, since I have been out of UGA for over 30 years now, I have quite a lot of real world business experience as well. While I wish you were right about your assumptions, my experience tells me you are probably not. If this was all about improving the quality of the R&B, then the Board should have sat down with the staff, voiced their concerns and then worked with the students to create a plan to improve. That did not appear to have happened. Instead, the students received a “draft” of a poorly, mis-spelled memo that was so unprofessional that it should now be used in journalism/english schools everywhere as to what not to do! Unfortunately for this Board, they do not appear to know how to run an independent company. Maybe it is the Board that needs to be replaced, not the students. We will see and again, I reiterate my hope that this independent company will once again be run by the students. I would also like an answer to your question “so why would this change now?”
Shame on UGA!
August 16th, 2012
1:05 pm
@Merrill Guice – $175,000 a year? I am so in the wrong business!
Prof
August 16th, 2012
1:12 pm
@ Dawg67 and Grady Alum. The sort of “negative” administrative exposes by R&B that you note are just the sort of stories that a red-blooded University administration would like to prevent being printed. This is especially so in a time of disappearing budget support from the state legislature and declining student enrollment, when the great majority of Regents are UGA alumni. What better time to do this than during the transitional time between Presidents? No central figure to blame.
Dawg67
August 16th, 2012
1:12 pm
Shame on UGA: The Board of R&B does not represent UGA, so in your view (and most likely in many people now), it is just a poorly run board of an independent company, but that does not make it a UGA entity. If you as a business person are on the board of a company that makes a bad decision, that does not mean that your company is a bad company, only that you as an individual had a part in a bad decision. You have actually made my point for me, so thank you. As for why would this change now, I would guess that the independent company would have to change, but again, since it has no governance by UGA, the University should not be lumped in with an independent company. As for my “assumptions”, they are not assumptions, as they are specifically spelled out by the company: “The Red and Black Publishing Company, Inc. – Governing Statement : Who we are: The Red and Black Publishing Company, Inc. is an independent, private, not-for-profit corporation established in 1980.” That is the fact, and as such, it is independent. UGA has not had control or power over it for 30+ years, so I believe it is your assumption that needs to be reviewed.
Shame on UGA!
August 16th, 2012
1:17 pm
@Dawg67 – Alrighty then! LOL
RC_K
August 16th, 2012
1:19 pm
Shame on UGA, @Merrill is only reporting what is on record, but the so-called publisher is actually pulling down much more than 175K a year.
Prof
August 16th, 2012
1:21 pm
@ Mountain Man, August 16th, 11:43 am: “If the Board wants to run the R&B that way – let them. Students (and others)will soon quit reading it. The students who walked out should start a REAL student newspaper with real journalistic integrity.”
And where will the funding for this new student newspaper come from? The costs include more than salaries for the students.
Beverly Fraud
August 16th, 2012
1:21 pm
The students are wrong of course. You know this because OVERWHELMING numbers of legitimate journalists have spoken out in support of the director board, expressing ZERO concern about the integrity of their actions.
That HAS happened, right?
Beverly Fraud
August 16th, 2012
1:22 pm
Maureen this is YOUR area of expertise…what say YOU?
MortalWombat
August 16th, 2012
1:28 pm
As long as the crossword puzzle is still in the back, no one is really going to notice a difference.
Hillbilly D
August 16th, 2012
2:01 pm
And where will the funding for this new student newspaper come from? The costs include more than salaries for the students.
They’d have to convince somebody to foot the bill, at least for the start-up costs. Is that doable? I haven’t a clue.
Boys From North Ave
August 16th, 2012
2:33 pm
Go Jackets!……that said, this seems bad, very bad. I dont like the smell of this and I HATE Georgia. Let me know who to write to, where to complain, and who to yell at. Im on ur side Red and Black staff!
JacketFan
August 16th, 2012
2:35 pm
This R&B alum is firmly behind the students who walked out yesterday. Harry Montevideo pulled some junk when I was a writer there, but this one takes the cake. If they are trying to push out the students, then that leaves them in direct competition with William Morris and the Banner Herald. Good luck with that.
When I was a writer there, the great thing about the paper is that we, the student writers, were able to learn by doing. We weren’t writing the fluff pieces or institutional propaganda usually associated with a student paper (most of which are funded by an institution). We were never afraid to publish a “negative” story about U(sic)GA, its athletic programs, etc. We were encouraged to practice unbiased, journalistic integrity. That’s as it should be.
SM
August 16th, 2012
2:43 pm
So, let me get this straight. Because this is an independent newspaper, it’s impossible for anyone at UGA to influence the board or the way the stories are reported? THAT is the definition of naive.
Atlanta Native
August 16th, 2012
2:57 pm
Let me take the “other” side of this issue. I have been a journalist myself, so I speak from some knowledge. A few months back, an editorial appeared in the Red and Black newspaper, presumedly written by a staff reporter or editor, that was a blathering, idiotic, poorly written piece of drivel about the merits of male masturbation for college students. In one word, it was a piece of s___. If supervising such crap before it appears in print as representative of UGA students (although I realize that the paper is independently funded and not formally associated with UGA), then having an independent editorial board may be a good thing. And perhaps the aforementioned article is what is being referred to as “bad” by the Board. Any literate person who read the offensive piece stated above would know it should have been yanked. In situations like this, it’s never one-sided – but I do think the Board should have, out of respect for budding young journalists, hashed this out with the newspaper staff mutually.
Admiral
August 16th, 2012
3:07 pm
A couple of things need to be set straight here.
1) Ed Morales is not new at the Red & Black. The board has simply changed his “title” – which, as I understand it, is not even something he asked for. He’s been the editorial “adviser” for years, and has positively influenced the lives of countless aspiring journalists who passed through the Red & Black. He is an exceptional leader who is revered by his staff (including those who walked out, I promise you that).
2) HE DID NOT WRITE THAT MEMO. A board member did, and thus far everyone (including the editors who walked out, though maybe they don’t know) is too cowardly to say which board member.
There is clearly a problem in the upper management of the paper at the moment – but that problem is not Ed Morales.
Also, for those who want to poke fun at The R&B and/or UGA (read: unemployed, bitter Tech grads), do a little research. The Red & Black is highly decorated and consistenly rated as one of the top college newspapers in the country, thanks recently in small part to – you guessed it – Ed Morales.
JacketFan
August 16th, 2012
3:11 pm
@Atlanta Native
Do these things not happen at a “regular” paper? I’ve written for a few in my day too and they were all full of mistakes and not immune to editorial gaffs. We had our issues while I was at the R&B and those issues were dealt with by the STUDENT editorial staff and our professional editorial advisor. It’s how student journalists – be they writer, photographer, editor, or columnist – learn and improve. If the R&B Board and Publisher no longer wish the R&B to be a student newspaper, then so be it. Have fun with Morris. However, if they expect to keep the R&B student-run, then they need to back off.
Atlanta Native
August 16th, 2012
3:28 pm
To “jacketfan”: As you said, “We had our issues while I was at the R&B and those issues were dealt with by the STUDENT editorial staff and our PROFESSIONAL EDITORIAL ADVISOR.” Exactly. As I said, a professional journalist with editorial experience should be monitoring poorly written, juvenile, and graphic articles on such things as the merits of male masturbation as appeared in the R&B awhile back, before they get in print — and thus maintaining a modicum of professionalism at the paper. I’m all for free and independent speech, but some things do cross the line. And why do they need so many people on the Board? Two or three professionals could do the job.
Prof
August 16th, 2012
3:59 pm
Good question, Atlanta Native. As I asked earlier, how many of those 16 Board members are UGA alumni? The 2 recent R&B stories cited so far about the joys of male masturbation and the axing of a diversity scholarship to fund President Adam’s raise could well have been the last straws for the University’s PR Office.
Just my speculations of course. But I’ve heard quite a bit from my UGA faculty friends about how President Adams operates. I know how my own school would regard such tidbits being posted in a student newspaper not officially connected with my school but definitely associated with it. Bring all the pressure to bear that you can so that it won’t happen again for the new President coming in.
123 Jackson Street
August 16th, 2012
4:06 pm
For those of you complaining about the poor state of journalism I bet the walkouts would agree with you. Newspapers (R.I.P) cease to become relevant when outside sources have a say in the editorial content. e are many reasons the industry has sunk to where it is now and this is one of them. TherAs a former R&B’er I support these students and I wish more professional journalists would stand up to people trying to exert their influence on the media. Go R&B!
123 Jackson Street
August 16th, 2012
4:07 pm
hey, where’s my copy editor?
curious
August 16th, 2012
4:29 pm
Hang in there. Your principles are worth fighting for. Once a journalist, I walked when “questionable” content was edited. Reality: if a story offended advertisers, it was out. If you think the issue is only at UGA, think again. How many articles are based on press releases? Notice the planted questions at Obama’s press conferences? The problem at UGA is spreading fast. I, for one, appreciate these students taking a stand.
P.S. When I went to college, my priority was finding a wife.
Beverly Fraud
August 16th, 2012
4:33 pm
Sounds like the students who walked out need to do some Open Records request to see what shakes out.
Dawg09
August 16th, 2012
4:41 pm
Jacket Fan,
In referencing editorial “gaffs” in your post, I was wondering to which of the following definitions you might have been referring.
1. an iron hook with a handle for landing large fish
2. the spur on a climbing iron, especially as used by telephone linemen
3. Nautical . a spar rising aft from a mast to support the head of a quadrilateral fore-and-aft sail (gaff sail)
4. a metal spur for a gamecock
Interesting writing from someone using the tired Techism of U(sic)GA and invoking an appeal to authority as a current or former “journalist”.
Joke of a School
August 16th, 2012
4:42 pm
“The newspaper has always been a student-run operation”
Yeah, I don’t think so given that the students were just ignored/over-ridden due to their ongoing juvenile writing.
It is so sad that so much associated with UGA/Dawg-nation is an embarrassment. Athletic directors drunk and with panties, today coach indicted for Ponzi scheme, coaches teaching bogus courses, teachers having to sue the school to bring to light failings, the UGA foundation(s) not getting along with the university, fans pee-ing on each other, fans taking dumps in public and trashing the property, athletes constantly breaking the law, star athletes making statements after they have left the school about how stupid their fans are, hiring of Cynthia Tucker …..
Follow the Course
August 16th, 2012
4:50 pm
Curious … did you?
Grizzard's Ghost
August 16th, 2012
4:59 pm
I’m turning over in my grave…
Vanessa Curry
August 16th, 2012
5:09 pm
As a former student newspaper adviser I am always surprised by officials in institutions of high education who believe they have a right to stomp all over the First Amendment. As for good news or bad news … journalists should only consider news value. Is it newsworthy or not newsworthy?
curious
August 16th, 2012
5:13 pm
Yes. 42 years and counting. I love her a lot more than any diploma.
No one has noticed???
August 16th, 2012
5:45 pm
The board member who wrote the memo said that they will not tolerate “liable” not “libel”. I guess being legally obligated to do anything is out of the question…but they’ll print as many false statements as they want to in this new regime. No wonder the entire staff walked out.
Archie
August 16th, 2012
5:49 pm
“I would rather live in a country without government but with newspapers, than a country with a government but no newspapers.” -Thomas Jefferson
Hummon
August 16th, 2012
5:57 pm
As someone said earlier, Brack’s name at the head of the board might tell you a lot about why this is happening. Suburban-Atlanta-chamber-of-commerce-friendly-journalism.
ww
August 16th, 2012
6:07 pm
I always like the Red and Black and GT’s newspaper. They were paper written by students for students. When I went to UNF, in Jacksonville, Florida, the paper is written by students for the faculty and staff. One day the paper would say students love the nature preservation that the university is built on, then next day the paper would say that the students love the fact that the land is being cleared for development of new buildings. The paper is just a propaganda tool for the University, paid for by the students.
Kno
August 16th, 2012
6:08 pm
Having read the “internal memo” filled with dog-whistle terms like “our audience” — read; upper-middle class white people, sorority and frat boys — while using terms like “burr-headed” in reference to Black people & making any “non-English headlines” off-limits, not only does the person or people responsible for drafting it deserve to be excused from whatever position they hold over the Red & Black or Grady in general, but they deserve to be publicly laughed at, castigated and belittled in front of the entire world of journalism.
What we have here is a old White, Conservative male going absolutely nuclear after one too many “Liberal Interest” stories written by students with “body piercings” (Really? That set you off? What is it — 1954?) and then attempting to flex his new-found muscle to make a student run newspaper conform to some imaginary corporate rules. No more “journalism” — their quotations, not mine — and more fluff pieces about Rush Week! Hurray Fourth Estate!
ww
August 16th, 2012
6:10 pm
Should be “liked”. Should say “built on; the next.”
Beverly Fraud
August 16th, 2012
6:45 pm
Why do we PRETEND?
If there were sophomoric musings about self gratification but they were balanced out by GLOWING articles about Michael Adams and all things UGA, is there ANY doubt this director power play never would have happened?
Who are we kidding; who ARE we kidding?
JacketFan
August 16th, 2012
7:07 pm
@Dawg09 – I’m a Tech fan who attended Georgia and worked for the R&B for two semesters. I’m typing on an iPad. Gaffes happen
Dawg67
August 16th, 2012
7:10 pm
Again, the UGA administration has no control over the R&B, so please stop bashing UGA for what it cannot actually do! Adams has been there for 15 plus years with no action against the R&B, and now you are saying he suddenly gets a whim to shut down the student reporters? The R&B is a private company and UGA has no control over it. Look at the board and fuss, or look at the memo and wonder about the editors/reporters reaction, but leave the University out of it, as they have no say in this battle.
Beverly Fraud
August 16th, 2012
7:20 pm
University out of it, as they have no say in this battle
We are to believe the University has say, AT ALL in this?
HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA
Just like Vince McMahon has no say in who the WWE Champion is?
beowulf
August 16th, 2012
7:24 pm
in related news, the UGA glee club has added ten professional singers to provide a more polished performance. Students are of course still welcome to sing along. UGA Intramural bowling has added ten professional bowlers because the students’ scores were just not up to par…
As someone who spent an alarmingly high percentage of his undergraduate years on a daily newspaper run by students, I am amazed that the R&B thinks it needs professionals on the editorial side at all. We certainly had none. We were 100% independent of the University, had a great and supportive board of directors and 100 years of tradition, but it was 100% student run, from top to bottom. Did we make mistakes? Sure, but so does the New York Times. That’s how you learn (well maybe not the NYT) But we also graduated a number of folks who later got Pulitzers and national bylines. Students got more responsibility than they would see again for ten years after graduation. Although I wouldn’t be caught dead in a journalism career, being on the paper was nonetheless one of the formative experiences of my life.
It sounds like the R&B has evolved into something very different from what a student newspaper should be all about. If it’s just a means of providing part-time jobs and resume credit to journalism students, then maybe it’s time to start fresh.
I am acquainted with Miss Marinova and think she is an impressive young lady. I wish her all the best in her future pursuits. I wish the R&B’s board of directors luck as they reap what they have sown.
Dawg67
August 16th, 2012
7:26 pm
BF: Go to the R&B website, review the history of the paper, look at the information about the publisher and staff, then tell me why we should assume that UGA has any part in this when the R&B has been independent for over 30 years, gets no funds from UGA, the University has no oversight of the paper, and the building it is run out of is not even on the campus. How can you make assumptions when the paper and the reporters take pride in being independent of the University? At least do some research first.
curious
August 16th, 2012
7:36 pm
The R&B is not part of UGA. Really? Paper offers real world experience for UGA students; Journalism faculty involved; content revolves around campus life. No connection? No motivation for UGA power structure to control R&B?
Try this: come to Athens; open a paper; give these students a forum. Why, I bet no one will ever try to pressure you.
Dawg67
August 16th, 2012
7:44 pm
I suggest you research the paper first, then read the latest article about it from the AJC, then rethink your ideas. It is in Athens, so of course there will be UGA J. students as a part of the paper. As for any UGA press on the board, they are there along with a number of others, including an AJC person, based on their journalism ties. Would you suggest the AJC is trying to control it? It is independent, and prides itself on being independent. The students have complained about the board and the publisher, but not UGA. Why, because UGA is not a part of this fight. Proximity does not mean involvement.
Dawg67
August 16th, 2012
7:47 pm
profs, not press
curious
August 16th, 2012
7:53 pm
You seem informed. Tell me, where is the paper printed? What’s the source of the ink, print stock? Where is the paper distributed? If it’s on campus, does every private business have the same access?
Dawg67
August 16th, 2012
8:03 pm
Curious: Really? Well if you must know, I have no background in papers or printing, so I could not tell you about the ink or print stock. As for the R&B company, it is on Baxter Street, off campus (as I stated earlier), and I would think it is printed right there, as it is a sizable building that can handle the whole process. Again, please read and review their site and the new article, then comment, as the AJC now states multiple times in the new article that it is independent and UGA has no control of it. Now why don’t you give me facts that show any oversight by UGA (and just saying that the Board has some UGA grads or profs on it is not oversight by the University).
Prof
August 16th, 2012
8:52 pm
@ Dawg67. All I can say is that you don’t seem to know much about the world of academic politics, if you can write: “Again, the UGA administration has no control over the R&B, so please stop bashing UGA for what it cannot actually do! ”
Have you ever been a faculty member who knows administrative politics from the inside? Your name suggests you only know UGA from the student’s point of view. There’s a whole other world of University politics. Of course the UGA administration has control over R&B, just not openly or directly.
Beverly Fraud for one seems to see this… what exquisite timing for the R&B to run that story on axing a diversity scholarship to use the funds for President Adams’ raise, when all faculty have had frozen salaries for 4 years, tuition is being raised, and UGA is criticized for its low number of African-American and Hispanic students. Did they think there would be no consequences for them?
For a moderate idea of academic politics, read Machiavelli’s “The Prince” or, better yet, “The Art of War” by 6th C. BC military strategist Sun Tzu.
Tabitha
August 16th, 2012
9:07 pm
The red and black staffers are ready for working in the field of journalism… they are unemployed.
Dawg67
August 16th, 2012
9:17 pm
Prof: Actually, I do know about higher ed administrative politics from the inside, so you are incorrect in your assumption. If possible, can you please explain to me using facts how you know that “of course the UGA administration has control over the R&B” as you stated. BF did not have facts, and neither has anyone else, yet you act like it is okay to use a logical fallacy statement to prove a point. Again, proximity does not equal control. I suggest you read the latest article by the AJC and then respond.
Prof
August 16th, 2012
10:03 pm
Of course I don’t have facts to show that some in the UGA administration might have had a little private conversation with members of the R&B Board of Directors about the necessity of getting some sort of prior control over what R&B published. It needn’t even have been President Adams, who at this point is a lame duck who would probably like to be free of UGA politics once and for all. One never does have facts about “personal diplomacy” in public politics.
All one can do to read the weather is to look at the external signs. UGA (really, the Regents) has been under heavy criticism for giving the Presidents of the USG research universities extremely high raises this year (50% in some cases) when faculty and regular staff have had frozen salaries for 4 years. The Regents came under even heavier criticism for the special bonus they’re giving Adams for leaving.
Meanwhile, there’s been a storm about higher tuition rates in the face of declining HOPE funds for students.
Plus, UGA has always been touchy about the low number of African-American students (and faculty) it has, especially in contrast to nearby Georgia State.
So no, I have no facts to show that possibly some sort of reining in the free-wheeling R&B has been decided by UGA administration or even the Regents. But from several decades of experience with administrative politics, I can state that this conclusion fits the rule of Occam’s Razor: the simplest of two competing theories is preferable and one should try to explain something in terms of what is already known.
Ron Simmons
August 16th, 2012
10:05 pm
Hats off to those students who had the guts to stand up for what is right. Those individuals who are trying to suppress their right to free expression make me feel ashamed that I went to UGA. Their attempts at censorship are out of order! Unfortunately, football and the so-called “Greeks” are all that matter at UGA.
Beverly Fraud
August 16th, 2012
10:09 pm
BF did not have facts, and neither has anyone else,
Nope, can’t say that I do.
Also didn’t have the facts when I said, on the FIRST day the SACS/APS story came out, that the APS board could be dancing on a stripper pole en masse at Magic City, the video could be uploaded to YouTube and STILL, there is no way that SACS takes APS accreditation.
Just like this situation, it’s just the simple recognition of a HAM-FISTED political power play.
Dawg67
August 16th, 2012
10:18 pm
So you are okay with ignoring the information given by the R&B (both the company and the students) that it is an independent company (see last article) and that UGA has no control. You are also comfortable referring to an article (diversity scholarship) that was run over a year ago as somehow impacting what has just occurred. In addition, you are okay lumping the BOR and UGA together as seemingly one entity when they are clearly not always on the same page. How do you balance out some of the criticism of the R&B& B by UGA faculty about this action? I would assume the easiest path, if UGA, the R&B, the students involved, and the AJC say that the R&B is independent of UGA would be to assume that it is independent. You are making assumptions not based on facts, but on what I assume is your previous issues with college administrators, but that does not make your view correct.
bootney farnsworth
August 16th, 2012
10:30 pm
@ dawg67
you are welcome to your opinion, but it is at best misguided, at worse a willful shill.
UGA dominates everything, and I mean everything which occurs in Athens.
and in the top 5 plays in almost every presidential playbook is to silence or make irrelevant all critical media. and the R&B has often been very critical of UGA and Adams in the past.
while, like Beverly, I’m not privy to all the facts, I have swum in these seas for a very long time. this is an attempt to subvert the paper, or the stupidest management move possible.
bootney farnsworth
August 16th, 2012
10:33 pm
@ Prof
ham handed as he is, Adams isn’t flat out stupid. if his fingerprints were found on this, SACS would have a field day with it.
this, like so many other things involving Adams & co, is classic backroom politics.
Dawg67
August 16th, 2012
10:36 pm
Bootney: So you have no facts, but you are okay making wild assumptions? If that is how choose to do business, so be it, and I will not bother you with discussion. Not a shill, just someone who believes in facts and logic, not pre-determined judgement.
Beverly Fraud
August 16th, 2012
10:39 pm
Well I say this Dawg67.
I could be flat out wrong. But look at it this way. Did the Metro Chamber of Commerce act in any “official” capacity when it came to operating APS schools or the school board?
Do we then surmise they didn’t have any influence during the cheating scandal?
Same principles involved. HAM-FISTED political power play.
curious
August 16th, 2012
10:44 pm
FYI
http://corp.sos.state.ga.us/corp/soskb/Corp.asp?610405
bootney farnsworth
August 16th, 2012
10:50 pm
on a purely business note:
the R&G has been successful exactly because it was an independent student voice. it dealt with issues important to students and the UGA community from their POV without having to deal with direct UGA censorship.
and as anyone who’s ever worked in higher ed knows, student issues very often are very different than what admin thinks they are or wants them to be. much as been made about the article concerning husband hunting (my term, not R&Bs) anyone who wishes to think that a LOT college kids don’t have a goal of landing an MRS or related degree as part of their college experience should contact me later. I have bridges to sell you, and prime beachfront property on the moon just waitin’ for ya.
in the past the R&B has dealt with issues UGA didn’t like, but nothing could be done since it was all student labor. now that the R&B is suddenly paid “professional” labor intensive, it suddenly is concerned about “balance” in coverage, with the hope of erring on the good stuff. and suddenly it is concerned about the “professionals” inserting themselves upstream more than ever before.
instead of making sure the R&B is functionally correct, the new boys in town want to make sure it is at the correct function. this turns the independent student voice into ….just another local rag.
Dawg67
August 16th, 2012
10:50 pm
BF: So because of the APS issue, I should now distrust everyone and ignore facts? Curious: Thanks, this shows that the R&B is a private, non-profit company that is not on the UGA campus and has a CEO and CFO that are not a part of UGA.
Dawg67
August 16th, 2012
10:59 pm
As Huxley wrote, “Facts do not cease to exist just because they are ignored.” As no facts have been given lately, I bid you goodnight.
bootney farnsworth
August 16th, 2012
10:59 pm
@ Dawg,
I already told you I’ve swum in these seas a very long time. And I’ve been a part of the game from every angle possible.
myself and others here have laid out fact after fact after face regarding how Adams and this circus is run. you choose for whatever reason to ignore them. I can’t help the willfully ignorant.
did you see Lincoln get shot? personally? have you seen Japan today? personally? there are things in life logic, experience, and practicality teach a willing student they exist, even if seen first hand.
having reviewed your posts, you should practice what you preach
bootney farnsworth
August 16th, 2012
11:01 pm
something I learned in Sunday School.
I believe in the sun, even when its cloudy.
Beverly Fraud
August 17th, 2012
8:16 am
They said they wanted GOOD news. They didn’t say they wanted the TRUTH.
Pretty much shows where the directors’ priorities are.
Prof
August 17th, 2012
11:36 am
I can’t say much more to convince someone like Dawg67 who takes everything stated at face-value and seems naive about the possibility of, as Bootney Farnsworth put it, “backroom politics.” For it can certainly be true that “the R&B is a private, non-profit company that is not on the UGA campus and has a CEO and CFO that are not a part of UGA” AND that UGA–or some other administrative entity–would wish to change R&B policy and use their clout to do so.
By the way, when R&B ran that story a year ago connecting the end of UGA’s diversity scholarship and the sudden raise to President Adams’ salary, did they produce substantial evidence showing that the connection was more than just coincidence? For after all, presidential raises are determined by the Regents, not by University administrations.
Thinking more about all this, I find it a distinct possibility that it was the Regents who quietly put pressure on the R&B Board to make these changes, not the UGA administration. Ten of the 18 Regents are UGA graduates, and most of the 18 are business people. The issues here of the free press and the academic freedom of the students are usually respected by University administrators, though they may grit their teeth. But the Regents….??
dawgs67
August 17th, 2012
11:49 am
boot: I still need facts about this situation, and you have given none. Prof: From my memory, I believe they gave facts, but that it turned out later to be the case that the scholarship funding was just being changed to being given by a different source of revenue, not being cut out. For who is responsible, I still believe it is the R&B Board and the publisher, as they seemed to be getting negative feedback from their audience (mostly UGA students) and wanted more stories that the students would be truly interested in and more accuracy (based on the memo). If you look at how they compared the stories above the fold R&B vs AJC, it seems they wanted to pick up interest for the stories inside.
bootney farnsworth
August 17th, 2012
4:21 pm
@ Prof
the regents want two things above all right now.
1-peace and quiet – they’ve been made to look like incompetent fools of late
2-support the Dawgs above all else
Pride and Joy
August 18th, 2012
8:20 am
I champion these students. UGA has no right to dictate or even suggest what the newspaper should publish.
Prof
August 18th, 2012
11:06 am
I was so glad to read the news story, “R&B Board Apologizes,” this morning that tells of the capitulation of the R&B Boards of Directors. It’s clear that the immediate media publicity had much to do with this: “The outpouring of support was immediate, with Red & Black alumni and some professional journalists taking to social media to back the students.” And I would include this blog as lending some publicity too.
If there WAS any sort of outside pressure on the Board, it’s not likely to happen again.
There’s nothing like sunshine. That’s why newspapers remain so important for our society.
Pride and Joy
August 18th, 2012
10:31 pm
Prof said it best “There’s nothing like sunshine. That’s why newspapers remain so important for our society.”
Journalists, real journalists are the watchdogs of our government. They are not meant to be public relations agents. The UGA administration and board should resign over this debacle. This is freedom of the press, a right that is sacred to our society.