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Getting an interview with, let alone answers from, upper leadership at the University of Virginia is an uphill battle for any news organization. The groups with the most access to UVA’s administration have increasingly been student outlets—particularly WUVA and The Cavalier Daily.
WUVA, the sole student broadcast news and culture outlet at the university (and, full disclosure, where this reporter began her career, overlapping with some players in this article), published an exclusive interview with interim President Paul Mahoney on October 12. Fourth-year Sophia Bangura, one of the student journalists who worked on the project, was terminated from the organization three days later for “insubordination” for asking followup questions during the interview and declining to apologize to the interim president’s office.
Bangura’s termination stands on its own merits as an example of the current media climate at UVA. Her involvement with the Mahoney interview began in September, when she and fellow project members Cameron Mottley and Samuel Shibu began drafting questions with the help of an advisor, David Mitchell.
“We had extensive conversations about what we wanted to get out of this interview, and there was a general consensus among all of us that we knew that this was going to be a tough interview with tough questions,” says Bangura. “I had also set up informal meetings with the student council and other student leaders around Grounds. … These original questions were a reflection of what I knew students who had involved themselves in the Charlottesville community wanted to get from the interim president.”
The evening prior to the interview, Bangura was allegedly told that the questions had been edited by Mottley, who served as the interviewer for the project.
A working document provided by Bangura lists questions which were omitted from the final interview, including: “Since the BOV dissolved the office of DEI in March, CIOs focused on the celebration of racial and ethnic groups say they have had to change their bylaws to exclude language promoting diversity, equity and inclusion to receive funding. What do you say to groups who fear this could be the end for cultural groups on Grounds?” and “UVA has a sizable international student population; what do you say to international students on Grounds fearing deportation?”
While a question about DEI at UVA was incorporated into the interview, it did not mention student organizations. No references to international students or immigration were included in the final interview.
When Mottley did not follow up on Mahoney’s responses, Bangura took it upon herself. She allegedly first spoke up after Mahoney said that organizations with concerns about the Board of Visitors should issue public statements. At the end of the interview, Bangura further alleges she asked Mahoney the omitted questions.
“Student Council has actually made several public statements, and has done press with some local news outlets, where they have identified their points of concern. I began listing them to him, and then posing the question to him again,” says Bangura. “At the end of the interview, I asked the questions that were omitted from the original document. President Mahoney answered them, and we went back to the studio to begin the editing process.”
Upon returning to the WUVA studio, Bangura was informed by Mottley that her conduct at the interview was inappropriate. It was then that Bangura learned that Mottley, WUVA’s current vice president and editor in chief, works for University Communications. This is corroborated by Mottley’s LinkedIn page, which lists her as a media relations intern as of October.
Bangura allegedly received a call from WUVA President Conwell Morris October 10, the same day as the interview, asking her to apologize to the president’s office. Upon speaking to WUVA alumni and UVA professors, who were reportedly critical of the push for an apology, she declined.
Bangura was terminated “for cause” from WUVA October 15. Her followups and additional questions are not included in the published interview.
In a November 10 comment to C-VILLE, Morris stated, “We require our staff to adhere to WUVA’s reporting and editing guidelines and to the direction, oversight, and decision-making of our editors and managing staff.”
As part of the organization structure, each student journalist has an assigned role, with Mottley having been designated the interviewer for the Mahoney exchange. Beyond initial questions, Morris said, “Followup questions are the province and responsibility of the designated interviewer. So established, each member of the crew is expected to carry out their designated assignment and to represent WUVA with politeness and professionalism in working with those we interview.”
Morris confirmed that “a particular fourth-year UVA student was part of the crew for WUVA’s interview with Mr. Mahoney and was not the designated interviewer for that assignment.”
C-VILLE obtained Morris’ followup email responding to Bangura’s request for clarification on her termination. An excerpt reads, “The reason for your termination can be summed up quite briefly: insubordination. Your repeated disregard for the customs and courtesies of our organization––and its structure––culminated in your poor behavior while conducting the interview with Interim President Paul Mahoney. This behavior is incompatible with our mission at WUVA. I do not have confidence in your ability to conduct yourself professionally within the organization, or with members of the community at large.”
Morris also cites Bangura declining a meeting about the apology to Mahoney. “If you require additional examples of the sort of behavior which resulted in your termination, your instinct to copy 14 people onto this email is a good start.” It concludes, “It would be best if this were our final correspondence. The hole is deep enough; you can stop digging.”
Bangura has not communicated with WUVA since October 16, when she was prompted by professors in the Center for Politics to share her termination at an event with Jim Acosta.
