Los Angeles Paper Ousts Top Editor (Over Refusal to Cut Staff)

[NashVegas]

Dean Baquet, the editor of The Los Angeles Times, who defied orders from his corporate bosses to cut jobs, was forced out of his own job yesterday, shocking the newsroom just as it was gearing up to cover election returns.
..
Mr. Baquet’s departure follows that of the paper’s publisher, Jeffrey M. Johnson, who openly objected to cuts ordered by the Tribune Company in September and was fired last month.

David Hiller, who succeeded Mr. Johnson as publisher, said in a statement yesterday that he had had discussions with Mr. Baquet about staffing levels. While the company maintained its position that further cuts might be necessary, Mr. Baquet still considered them excessive.
..
Colleagues of Mr. Baquet said the firing had less to do with a dispute over job cuts than his vocal resistance to them, made plain in a speech last month in New Orleans, in which he encouraged editors at other newspapers to “push back” against owners who wanted to cut newsroom staffs. In fact, when Mr. Hiller addressed the newsroom yesterday, he said he expected no job cuts, at least for the rest of the year, and he told editors it was still possible that any further cuts could be reached through attrition, according to people at the paper.

http://www.nytimes.com/2006/11/08/business/media/08paper.html?_r=1&ref=business&oref=slogin

Now. I wanna see Dems do something about all these FREAKING undemocratic media mergers!

[Dogmudgeon]

1. The Philadelphia Inquirer is under similar pressure

It was just bought by a couple of real estate tycoon wingnuts (the Toll family), and cuts of up to 35% were announced late last week.

They want to make it profitable so they can have a mouthpiece for the next 50 years. Little do they know that newspapers are NOT cash cows -- like the real estate market is becoming.

--p!

[NashVegas]

2. Toll Family - As in Toll Brothers?

They're in the news too, today - see the real estate article I just posted.