The Tribune company has pulled a page from Karl Rove's playbook and has forced out popular Los Angeles Times editor Dean Baquet today, according to the Wall Street Journal, knowing the disturbing news will be lost in the shadow of the mid-term election.
Baquet leaves a month after Tribune ousted the newspaper's publisher, Jeff Johnson, over his refusal to cut editorial staff. Baquet was seen as the last line of defense for the newspaper's editorial integrity. His removal is a sign that the hog butchers from Chicago will be slashing jobs in the newsroom of Los Angeles's only remaining major newspaper. Even as local suitors seek to purchase the newspaper from the company at a fair price.
It's time for subscribers of the Los Angeles Times to unite and take their newspaper back. Fax the Tribune company here. Demand that Baquet be reinstated with the planned editorial cuts rescinded or that the newspaper be sold to local owners before the end of the year. Warn you'll cancel your subscription.
Here's Baquet's memo to staff: "By now you've seen the Wall Street Journal story on L.A. Observed that I'll be leaving the paper. Believe me, I didn't want it to come out this way.."
This election day, unelect the Tribune management of the LA Times. It's shameful for a news organization to hide such serious news for Los Angeles in the maelstrom of election day coverage.
One alternative to distant corporate ownership is management by a nonprofit foundation or trust, which demands far less in profits than the Tribune Company. Examples include the St. Petersburg Times in Florida and The Day in New London, Connecticut. The Guardian in Britain and The Irish Times have similar ownership models. This is the type of management LA Times subscribers deserve. Chime in with the Tribune now, it's as vital as voting!
