Janice R. Andrews
Unprecedented instability has emerged at Dr. Patrick Soon-Shiong’s Los Angeles Times, as senior editorial leaders abruptly resign and there are looming significant layoffs. A historic one-day walkout by the employee union and the abrupt departure of executive editor Kevin Merida have caused turmoil in the largest newsroom in the western United States as the new year gets underway.
According to reports, management may be considering eliminating up to 20% of the newsroom, or about 100 jobs; however, sources believe that things may be “much worse” than they seem. The recent departures of two managing editors, Sara Yasin and Shani Hilton, have further upended the already unstable editorial leadership, which was already in turmoil following Merida’s departure.
In the midst of this chaos, Julia Turner, one of the managing editors still in place, said via email on Monday that she and Scott Kraft would be in charge of day-to-day editorial operations, attempting to bring some stability to the struggling newsroom. “Scott and I are now responsible for all editorial operations, and we’re advocating for editorial interests in conversations with the company about the financial crisis we face,” Turner said, frankizing about the dire situation.
“financial crisis”:
There are concerns over Soon-Shiong’s efforts to calm things down, and the unrest goes beyond the newsroom. The biotech millionaire, who spent about $1 billion to buy The Los Angeles Times in 2018 and change its course, is now accused of leading the publication into a severe “financial crisis.”
As a result of the difficulties, Soon-Shiong has not said much, and among the rank-and-file, who have not heard from him since Merida left, worries are mounting. In reaction to the turmoil, Soon-Shiong highlighted the necessity of teamwork in order to create a long-lasting company, realising the ongoing difficulties and the necessity of expansion and creativity.
The Los Angeles Times problem occurs against a backdrop of pervasive difficulties in the news media sector, where layoffs are now commonplace. With the country approaching elections, the timing is especially crucial. Ten Democratic members of Congress have expressed concern about the proposed layoffs in a letter to Soon-Shiong. They urged alternate solutions that would maintain the integrity and vitality of the LA Times newsroom, stressing the critical role that news organisations play in providing factual information during elections.
Soon-Shiong defended his large newspaper investments in response to the congressional letter and urged lawmakers to act to support journalistic organisations that are severely short on funding. He said, “All we are asking for is the opportunity for our newspaper and hardworking journalists to be fairly compensated, and for the L.A. Times to have a fair chance to become a self-sustaining institution.” The Los Angeles Times’s future is still up in the air as things continue to develop.
