Down at the University of Georgia, apparently in preparation for the new school year, the university decided to replace the upper management of the student newspaper with professional staff. That means that students will no longer have final say over editorial questions. Students object.
According to an article by Karah-Leigh Hancock in the Athens Banner-Herald:
The student editorial staff of the University of Georgia’s The Red & Black newspaper walked out Wednesday evening after a non-student was named editorial director with final say on all editorial content.
The Red & Black’s student editor-in-chief, Polina Marinova, along with other top student editors and staff members, walked out after Ed Morales, who had been the paper’s editorial adviser and then became editorial director, was given full editorial control of the newspaper.
Morales, a journalist formerly with the The Palm Beach Post and the Tallahassee Democrat, may not be the last only full-time staffer hired to run UGA’s “student” newspaper. Hancock reports that on Aug. 6, Kent Middleton, newspaper’s board of directors announced changes to the paper, including hiring professionals for marketing and product manager positions, a multimedia director position, and a business manager position. The creative director may also not be a UGA student.
The board also sent out this memo to students about how the publication should operate. The student newspaper should have a balance of good and bad. “Bad” means “content that catches people or organizations doing bad things. I guess this is ‘journalism.’ If in question, have more GOOD than BAD.’”
But what if there’s more good than bad stuff going on in Athens?
