Alan Judd gets fired, again: AJC sacks controversial journalist in wake of nine-page UGA response [Report]

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution (AJC) fired writer and investigative reporter Alan Judd for "violating the organization's journalistic standards." The firing comes on the heels of the University of Georgia issuing a nine-page response to a story by Judd. The response was sent on July 11th by Georgia attorney Michael M. Raeber.

The University of Georgia requested the article be retracted, but rather than retracting the piece, the AJC issued corrections to the report. While the AJC claims they found no fabrications in the story, they did find two elements in the story that did not meet their "organization's journalistic standards."

The Editor-In-Chief, Leroy Chapman, said that the pattern of players accused of sexual misconduct could not be substantiated by AJC's internal review.

How did the Atlanta Journal-Constitution edit the original publishing?

2023 CFP National Championship - TCU v Georgia

To the Atlanta Journal-Constitution's credit, upon receiving the letter from the University of Georgia, they acted promptly. The AJC assigned a team of lawyers and editors to review every claim the university made in its nine-page response.

In their own words: "We identified errors that fell short of our standards, and we corrected them."

Why the number 11 is significant?

2023 CFP National Championship - TCU v Georgia

One of the article's focal points was 11 players remaining on the team following the allegations. The "precise count of 11 players" could not be substantiated, and due to this, the AJC determined that removing and altering several paragraphs of the article was the proper course of action.

Editor-in-Chief Leroy Chapman further explained: "We must hold ourselves to this same standard and acknowledge when we fall short, which we have here."

The AJC also apologized to the University of Georgia and its readers.

What happens to Alan Judd now?

2023 CFP National Championship - TCU v Georgia

Alan Judd was one of the leading voices in the Atlanta area as a reporter for the Atlanta Journal-Constition for 24 years. Judd's work over the last two decades included exposing slumlords, suspicious deaths in psychiatric facilities due to neglect, and helping uncover a teacher scandal.

"I am proud of the work I have done for the AJC for the last 24 years, and I am grateful for the opportunity to serve the community," Judd said in a statement.

Judd faced similar allegations in 1988. He resigned from the Louisville Courier-Journal amidst backlash from a story where he misquoted sources. There is no word at this time of Judd's future.