INDY Week’s top editor is out after staff members criticize his handling of story tip
Jeffrey Billman is out as editor-in-chief at INDY Week newspaper.
In a statement released Thursday morning, Susan Harper, publisher of INDY Week, said Billman had been asked to leave. Arts & Culture Editor Brian Howe will serve as the INDY’s editor while the paper searches for a new editor-in-chief.
The move comes a day after the editorial and design staff of the Durham-based weekly paper released an open letter expressing frustration that Billman took no action after a woman came to him last year with allegations of sexual misconduct at Brewery Bhavana and Bida Manda restaurants in Raleigh.
The woman, a former Brewery Bhavana bookstore manager named Sara Dye, told her story on her Instagram account last week, and noted that she had told Billman about incidences at the restaurants in May 2019.
On Wednesday, Vansana Nolintha, the leader and co-owner of Bida Manda and Brewery Bhavana, said he will permanently step away from the restaurants because of the allegations.
Billman apologized in a column posted on the INDY website this week, saying he felt the paper “lacked the resources and personnel” needed to investigate the allegations made by Dye.
“I hoped to report it myself, but never found time to get to it,” he wrote. “At a minimum, I should have followed up with the person I spoke with in May (2019) and let her know the obstacles we subsequently ran into. I failed to do that, and I apologize.”
‘This negligence does not reflect our values’
The open letter signed by eight staff members and released Wednesday on the INDY’s official social media account called Billman’s explanation “insufficient.”
“We are a community newspaper and this negligence does not reflect our values,” the statement read. “We demand immediate action to address this failure and ensure no further harm comes to the community.”
Harper wrote in her statement, published on the INDY Week website, that the decision to ask Billman to leave came after discussions with staff.
“We had failed to pursue a significant news tip last year. Then, yesterday, after many difficult discussions with staff, I concluded I needed to ask our editor to leave,” Harper wrote.
“So while this has been seriously uncomfortable for all of us, it is my hope we can come through this stronger — especially when we all believe so fervently that our journalism has never been more important here.”
Harper denied rumors that advertising money from the Raleigh restaurants was linked to Billman’s decision not to pursue the story.
“The wall between our editorial and sales departments remains firm,” she wrote.
‘The community has listened’
Wednesday’s letter from INDY staff members also applauded Dye and others who reported misconduct: “We commend the bravery of the survivors who came forward to share their stories and hope that they can find peace knowing that the community has listened.”
Raleigh News Editor Leigh Tauss and Howe, both of whom signed the statement, told The News & Observer on Wednesday evening that the released statement was all they were prepared to say at this time.
In addition to Tauss and Howe, the INDY letter was signed by Sarah Edwards, deputy arts & culture editor; Annie Maynard, creative director; Sara Pequeno, digital content manager; Jade Wilson, staff photographer; Thomasi McDonald, staff writer; and Jon Fuller, graphics designer.
When reached by The News & Observer on Wednesday, Billman said he had not read the statement and was not prepared to talk about it.
