INDY Week staffers say editor was negligent in not investigating misconduct story tip
The editorial and design staff of the INDY Week newspaper are demanding action after the newspaper’s editor-in-chief, Jeffrey Billman, wrote a column this week saying that he didn’t follow up on a story tip involving allegations of sexual misconduct at two acclaimed Raleigh restaurants.
Billman apologized in the column, saying he didn’t have the resources to follow up on the allegations made by former Brewery Bhavana bookstore manager Sara Dye a year ago involving conduct by managers at Brewery Bhavana and Bida Manda.
A statement signed by eight staff members on the INDY’s official social media account Wednesday expressed frustration that the matter was not investigated and 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.”
Raleigh News Editor Leigh Tauss and Arts & Culture Editor Brian 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.
Richard Meeker, owner of INDY Week, told The News & Observer on Wednesday that he is taking the comments of the staff very seriously.
“I really appreciate the commitment of the staff to the INDY, and we’re listening to them,” Meeker said.
When reached by The News & Observer on Wednesday night, Billman said he had not read the statement and was not prepared to talk about it.
In Billman’s apology on the INDY Week site this week, he said he felt the paper “lacked the resources and personnel” needed to investigate the story.
“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.”
The allegations involving Brewery Bhavana and Bida Manda — as well as the efforts to get INDY Week interested in reporting it — surfaced this week when Dye told her story on her Instagram account.
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. In an email to staff members at the restaurants, Nolintha said he will divest his ownership stake in the companies, step down as managing partner and have no role in the restaurants’ future.
The comments from INDY staff members 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.”
This story was originally published June 10, 2020 at 6:38 PM.
