The Red & Black’s board of directors retreated to a posh St. Simons Island resort this summer to approve a controversial restructuring plan that it later abandoned when student editors walked out in protest.
Board members have said they approved the plan—which called for more feel-good news and putting editorial control in the hands of professionals, not students—because readership is declining, ad revenue is down, the newspaper was on track to lose money this year for the first time and reserves are projected to dwindle. They unanimously approved the strategic plan, drafted by board member Ed Stamper, who has since resigned, during a meeting at The King and Prince, according to the Fulton County Daily Report. The hotel’s summer rates start at $209 a night, and the paper covers expenses for meetings requiring overnight travel.
The board backed away from the plan earlier this month after the walkout drew widespread publicity, agreeing to rehire the paper’s two top student editors, leave content in their hands and put students on the board.
The board’s bylaws call for the editor-in-chief and advertising manager, both students, to sit on the board, but no students have served for years. “I don’t remember what happened,” vice chairwoman Melita Easters told the Daily Report. “It just fell by the wayside.”
Although the board agreed to student representation, directors plan to meet in September without any students present. “The board needs to come to grips with itself because we were divided about bringing the editors back,” Easters said.
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