Events at my hometown newspaper – the Los Angeles Times – are beginning to resemble a remake of the Marx Brothers’ Duck Soup with everyone firing (or being fired) at will. First Steve Wasserman is out at the Book Review, then John Caroll is “retired” as editor and now Michael Kinsley, the vaunted savior of the paper’s fusty opinion pages, is out after what feels like ten minutes, but must have been more like ten months. At first I thought Kinsley got the heave ho for running this nonsense, but then I read the following at Editor & Publisher:
In June, Kinsley sparked gossip and some anger among staffers when he left a copy of a power point presentation on a photocopy machine detailing editorial page shake-ups that had yet to be announced. Those included some staff changes and reassignments, plans for publication of opposing editorials, and more reader involvement.
Of course that “reader involvement” led to more troubles:
Most recently, the paper’s short-lived “wikitorial” experiment blew up in editors’ faces. The meltdown occurred after the wikitorial page on the Times Web site was infiltrated by online vandals who placed profane headlines and some pornography on the site, which led to its indefinite cancellation after just two days.
Well, at least somebody should be happy about Kinsley’s departure. Meanwhile, after the Times surfaces from all this restructuring, I have some advice for it – Become the Herald Examiner!
But are they keeping Ted Rall?
Please tell me they’re keeping Ted Rall!
As long as they publish Ted Rall, they’ll always be the LA Times I remember. Not one that I ever paid for, but that I’ll always remember…
But are they keeping Ted Rall?
Please tell me they’re keeping Ted Rall!
As long as they publish Ted Rall, they’ll always be the LA Times I remember. Not one that I ever paid for, but that I’ll always remember…–RMc
LOL.
Richard:
Rall is just the evil progeny of Robert Scheer. When they dump that relic of the Maoist Panther era you can assume that some real changes are coming.I still get the Times and maybe this bloodletting of the upper echelon of the LAT might wipe the smug condescending grins off their faces. I am especially glad about the Book review section. The political slant of that section made Kinsley look like a Reagan Republican. Who knows, maybe Robert Hilburn will write a music review where Springsteen and U2 are not included and they will fire T.J. Simers. I better not get my hopes up.
Kevin Peters
Anyone have an org chart? Way too many titles for me to comprehend, though I agree RM has identified the defining issue.
This is the beginning of the end of the L.A.Times. Nothing will be missed…move on folks, nothing to see here… (So long Ted)…
“I still get the Times”
Kevin,
But you write as if you were a sentient being… tell me it’s not true.
Rick:
I have luddite tendencies. I like newspapers.In my younger liberal days the LAT was my daily touchstone. Now it is a daily reminder of how stupid I was. I use it now to anticipate the arguments my remaining lefty friends will throw at me. I don’t remember the precise lyrics but the Steely Dan line in “Allentown” about reading the daily news and swearing by every word is so accurate of my friends arguments because they just parrot what the op-ed pages of the Times feeds to them. By the time they get to me I have my counter arguments laid out and frustrate the hell out of them. “I read your book you magnificent bastard”
Kevin Peters
Jeff Jarvis has more on the Kinsley unravelling: http://www.buzzmachine.com/index.php/2005/07/26/waaa-waaa-waaa/
Kinsley got all wound up about the wiki problem. It sounds like the sort of thing that would be an inconvience for a bit, but that the tech people should be able to handle. It’s clear that he’s having trouble with the “new” world of the internet and wants more control over everything than can be had (although editors should have control over the changes listed on his Power Point-just not leave it on copy machines).
KevinP ó T.J. Simers? Oh, come on. Anybody who pisses off so many overpaid jocks and team executives so thoroughly is worth keeping around.
Remember. the LAT is so clueless, they actually have separate listings in the Newswire for “jurisprudence” and “college football”
Besides, if they fire him, we’ll never see the day when some Dodger cold-cocks him…
Richard:
I enjoyed T.J. for the exact same reasons at first but his schtick is old and predictable. He is just the flip side of a homer and I don’t enjoy either style. One of these years the Angels and the Dodgers will have good seasons at the same time and he won’t be able to write his column. How many articles could he write about Horse Racing and his family?
Kevin Peters
P.S.- My bet is that Kent will unload on him. He makes enough money that he might just think that knocking him out would be worth a million in legal costs.
KevinP ó The Dodgers AND the Angels? No worries. He’ll give the LA Avengers hell if it ever comes down to that…
Kevin,
Examine your source. Michael Kinsley is a luddite. The NYT hires luddites by the sackfull. They would hire Ned Ludd as editor-in-chief in a NY second. You are made of much finer stuff and the arrival of the LAT at your doorstep of the morning should be greeeted (until it might be ended) with the same regard as an offering by a neighbor’s St. Bernard upon your lawn.
This may become a soteriological problem if not dealt with swiftly.
Rick:
I appreciate your concern but I have been learned that attachments to political parties and their organs of dis-information are no substitute for religion. I use the LAT like any cult deprogamer does to keep up on the latest trends. Plus I have left strict instructions to my two brothers if they ever see me in a “Free Mumia” or “Run Hilary Run” t-shirt to shoot me in the head and run a stake thru my heart. Silver bullets of course.
Kevin Peters
The Times should become the Herald-Examiner? Umm, I don’t live in L.A., but I saw the Her-Ex a few times in its last years _ and where is it now?
I would be happy to see Simers and Hilburn go too, along with Scheer and Rall. Please, from your lips to God’s Ear.
Ironically, the Business Section has been excellent. Coverage of the DVD sales for the studios (and how they cheat even DeNiro and Peter Jackson), along with the Port has been near-WSJ class. For the Times that’s pretty good.
Steve Lopez is OK as a columnist, if clueless about policing. Why the Times hasn’t reached out to make “Jack Dunphy” a regular columnist eludes me. That’s a no-brainer. Sports Section is pretty bad all around. OC Register has better coverage.
LAT COULD be a good paper again, if they chase after stories like heck KNBC-4. THAT station had coverage of the 65 year old woman shot while waiting for a bus, possible terrorist plots in LA (and Antonio Villaraigosa’s reaction). LA Times coverage? Nothing.
Re Jack Dunphey: I wonder if they have tried to find and approach him, and he won’t do it? I believe he’d be perfectly justified in thinking the LAT would blow his cover.
I loved the old Her-Ex when I lived in SoCal. I still mourn its demise.
Yes please fire Bill Plaschke & T.J. Simers
(I don’t mind J.A. Adande so much).
In their place hire Jon Weisman (http://dodgerthoughts.baseballtoaster.com/), bring back Scott Ostler form the SF Chronicle, and Aileen Voison from the Sac Bee, who actually is a Her-Ex alumnus.
Then you would have a lively Sports Section like the old HR.
And can we trade Robert Sheer for Cathy Siepp?
The LAT is a lost cause, no matter whom they hire. From Jack Nelson to Ron Brownstein, their reporters report opinions not facts. Rall and Scheer belong in The Nation, Mother Jones, or the Workers’ Daily, but not a mainstream daily. It blames Israel for every Islamist pathology and tries to foment race unrest in LA. And its boob-touching jihad against the Governator was way beyond the pale. It’s a rag, and unreadable at that.
…and now Michael Kinsley, the vaunted savior of the paper’s fusty opinion pages, is out after what feels like ten minutes, but must have been more like ten months.
A notch on Susan Estrich’s belt?
What is with LA anyway? The second largest market in the US yet it can support neither an NFL team nor a decent daily newspaper. Pathetic really.
Kyda ó Just because it’s a big market doesn’t mean they’ll buy just any piece of junk… but if it involved the Lakers and Staples Center, you can be sure the Times will be involved…