Student editors, reports, designers and photographers at the Red & Black walked out Wednesday afternoon in response to what the top editor characterized as meddling by the independent University of Georgia paper's professional staff and board of directors.

Editor-in-chief Polina Marinova said on the blog redanddead.com that she had been replaced by advisor Ed Morales, who had previously only critiqued the newspaper's content after the fact but now has the power to approve content before it's published. [Full disclosure: Ed Morales is married to Kristen Morales, a Flagpole freelancer.] The paper has hired more than 10 permanent staff with veto power over students' decisions, she said.

Marinova also said editors have felt pressure to run more positive content, such as "grip and grin" photos. She quoted one member of the paper's board of directors as writing, "Content that catches people or organizations doing bad things, I guess this is 'journalism.' If in question, have more GOOD than BAD."

The walkout was the result of miscommunication, publisher Harry Montevideo said in a statement posted at redandblack.com. "The Red & Black does not plan to have these professionals assume the role of our student Editor in Chief," the statement says in part. "The editorial director is a counselor, teacher, mentor, coordinator and manager. The editorial director is charged with helping students make smart content decisions prior to publication, particularly on stories, which involve issues of libel or standards of quality and ethics. It is not, nor has it ever been the intention of the board to censor student content."

Kent Middleton, head of the UGA journalism department and a Red & Black board member, told Flagpole that he hopes the students work out their differences with management and come back. "As I think (the late journalism professor Conrad Fink) would say, journalism is too important to walk out on." Montevideo said in his statement that former student employees are welcome to attend an open house Friday at 2 p.m. at the paper's Baxter Street office.

The board wanted professional advisors to talk to students about stories before they were published to avoid bias or alienating readers, such as a perception that the paper is anti-Greek, but intended for the student editor-in-chief to retain final control, Middleton said. "It's a quality paper, but like all papers, it could be improved," he said.

The story quickly went viral on social media sites, with thousands of people rallying to student staffers' defense. "For what it's worth, as a UGA j-prof I support the staff revolution at The Red & Black," Barry Hollander tweeted.