Brandy Ayers
H. Brandt "Brandy" Ayers (born c. 1934; died May 3, 2020) was the chairman of Consolidated Publishing, publisher of the Anniston Star, Talladega Daily Home, The Cleburne News, The News-Journal and The St Clair Times.
Ayers was the son of Harry Ayers, founder of the Star. When he took over as publisher in 1965 the paper, already recognized for its progressive viewpoint on national politics, disabused itself of skepticism over racial integration and was one of the state's most prominent critics of George Wallace, who took to referring to the paper as "The Red Star".
Ayers has had a long interest in supporting the training of prospective journalists. He was a founder of the Alabama Press Association Journalism Foundation and established an Ayers Family Institute for Community Journalism in 2002. For that work he was presented with an "Editorial Leadership Award" from the American Society of Newspaper Editors.
In January 2018 Ayers was publicly accused of having spanked female reporters in the 1970s. He admitted to spanking one, citing his "youth" and a physician's advice as mitigating circumstances for the offense. He resigned from his chairmanship of the Consolidated Publishing Company, and was succeeded by his wife, Josephine.
Ayers died in May 2020.
References
- Lockette, Tim (January 4, 2018) "Star's former publisher acknowledges assault on reporter." Anniston Star
- Thornton, William (January 4, 2018) "H. Brandt Ayers, Anniston Star's former publisher, resigns following allegations." The Birmingham News
- Yurkanin, Amy (May 3, 2020) "Former Anniston Star publisher H. Brandt ‘Brandy’ Ayers dead at 85." The Birmingham News