Update: Less than a month after Elecia R. Dexter took on the role as the new editor and publisher of Alabama’s Democrat-Reporter newspaper, she resigned on March 15. Dexter said in an interview with the New York Times that her predecessor was getting in the way.
Here’s what went down last month:
In February, an Alabama newspaper received backlash for publishing an opinion article that called for the Ku Klux Klan to make a comeback. This week an African-American woman was named their new publisher.
The weekly newspaper—ironically named the Democrat-Reporter—printed an essay earlier this month (yes, during Black History Month) from their then publisher Goodloe Sutton titled “The Klan Needs to Ride Again.” The article suggested that the hate group should head to the country’s capital to lynch lawmakers.
After the piece hit the internet with unflattering reviews, the paper dumped Sutton and named Elecia R. Dexter as their new editor and publisher.
Congratulations to Elecia R Dexter has become the new editor of the Alabama Democrat-Reporter newspaper after the former editor resigned after his controversial editorial. We were wondering what your thoughts were on this? #greatness #networkingevent #networking #creative #… pic.twitter.com/UnSiIYrAIY
— BYP Network (@BYPNetworkApp) February 24, 2019
Dexter’s LinkedIn page shows she doesn’t have any journalism background but had a career in human resources. She was previously the paper’s front office clerk, the Washington Post reported.
According to Essence, this wasn’t the first time Sutton and the paper had been called out for questionable editorial decisions. In 2017, during the beginning stages of NFL players taking a knee, in protest, during the National Anthem, the paper was hypercritical and in 2016 it referred to former (we wish he still was) President Barack Obama as “the Kenyan King.”
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Wow!!! I’m really questioning why in what good mind would approving such an article enticing KKK would be okay.
This story is wow… okay lol Black History Month has been a little rough this year