Embattled Red and Black Hosting Open House on Aug. 17

With the walkout of top editorial staffers still unresolved, The Red and Black newspaper will host an "open house and discussion" on Friday amid a dispute with its board of trustees.

The student-run newspaper at the University of Georgia was thrust into turmoil this week when top editors walked out in a dispute over editorial policy and control. A draft memo from board members outlining some coverage matters was the source of the dispute.

What do you think will happen to The Red and Black? Do you agree with the student editors' response? Tell us in the comments below.

The online newspaper, which is a non-profit corporation that is independent of the university, also had recently hired an editorial adviser to assist in coverage.

Board members of The Red and Black met Thursday in Athens with the resigned editors, but that apparently did not go well, according to a report in onlineathens.com.

“I’m not sure we got anything resolved, but we’re keeping communication open,” editor Polina Marinova said after she and others met Thursday afternoon with Harry Montevideo, the paper’s publisher, and Ed Stamper, a member of the board of trustees and an unpaid consultant.

The recent editorial changes apparently were due to financial concerns. The newspaper went to a digital-first strategy in 2011, but a board member said that it was necessary to use financial reserves.

Charles Russell, a member of the Red and Black board, has posted about the situation on Facebook: 

"Last year, the leadership insisted—and the students embarked—on a bold move to digital-first. That move also included abandonment of the daily student newspaper that generations of UGA students, faculty and staff have come to expect; and a move to publication of a weekly format in print that was largely unsuccessful in filling that need. What we’ve done at the board level, is authorize significant new expenditures from reserves to more fully deliver on our training mission, by providing the support staff to help the students learn how to juggle multiple media initiatives successfully—all while staying focused on why they’re in Athens in the first place: to get their education."

Compiled by Steve Burns

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