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☆ L.A. Times Names Terry Tang as Executive Editor
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-08 | by ( Katie Robertson | More About Katie Robertson | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

She had previously worked as director of publications and editorial at the American Civil Liberties Union and as an editor at The New York Times for 20 years. “Terry is truly the best candidate to lead the Los Angeles Times’s journalism organization now and we’re fortunate she accepted the role,” said Chris Argentieri, the president and chief operating officer of The Los Angeles Times. Tensions between him and Mr. Merida rose before Mr. Merida’s departure, strained partly because of an incident over reporting about a wealthy doctor and his dog. Dr. Soon-Shiong tried to dissuade Mr. Merida from having the newsroom pursue the story, according to people with knowledge of their interactions. The company has said that Dr. Soon-Shiong had made a request for “truthful, factual reporting” on the story.

Persons: —, Tang, “ Terry, ”, Chris Argentieri, Patrick Soon, Merida’s, Shiong, Mr Organizations: American Civil Liberties Union, The New York Times, Los Angeles Times Locations: Angeles, Merida

Pitchfork announced it was no longer a freestanding music site, after digital publications BuzzFeed News and Jezebel disappeared last year. Even The Washington Post, whose subscriptions boomed during the Trump administration, has seen a falloff, leading its management to acknowledge that it was too optimistic in expansion plans and needed to cut costs. THE PATH FORWARD IS JUST AS BUMPYSome of the troubled outlets also have unique issues that contributed to their problems. “We need journalists in society, and we will find a way to fill that need,” he said. But in the short run, it's going to be ugly.”___David Bauder covers media for The Associated Press.

Persons: —, tacos, Jezebel, Conde, walkouts, ”, Didier Saugy, Gray, Jeff Jarvis, ” Jarvis, “, Trump, Jeff Bezos, Patrick Soon, Jarvis, Aileen Gallagher, that's, Elon Musk's, ” Gallagher, Jim VandeHei, haven't, Tara Dublin, Steve Reilly, you've, ___ David Bauder Organizations: National Press, Los Angeles Times, Business, Time, Washington Post, Pitchfork, Washington Post , New York Daily News, Conde Nast, Press Club, Northwestern University, New York Times, Hollywood, Philanthropy, Associated Press, MacArthur Foundation, Knight Foundation, ” Tech, Syracuse University, Google, Publishers, Facebook, Twitter, Sports, Axios, Politico Locations: Washington, Washington Post , New, United States

When Dr. Patrick Soon-Shiong, the billionaire owner of The Los Angeles Times, hired Kevin Merida to be the newspaper’s top editor nearly three years ago, he hailed the journalist as someone who would maintain the publication’s high standards and journalistic integrity. Their relationship was strained in part by an incident in December when Dr. Soon-Shiong tried to dissuade Mr. Merida from pursuing a story about a wealthy California doctor and his dog, three people with knowledge of the interactions said. The previously unreported incident occurred as The Los Angeles Times, the largest news organization on the West Coast, struggled to reverse years of losses amid a difficult market for newspapers. Mr. Merida resigned this month. It is not unheard-of for the owner of a publication to be consulted on sensitive reporting, particularly if it could jeopardize the newspaper legally or financially.

Persons: Patrick Soon, Kevin Merida, Shiong, Mr, Dr, Merida Organizations: Los Angeles Times Locations: Merida, California, West Coast

☆ News industry off to brutal 2024 start as mass layoffs devastate publishers, raising questions about future of journalism
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-25 | by ( Oliver Darcy | Jon Passantino | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +8 min

The recent round of layoffs, while pronounced, are part of a much larger and unrelenting storm battering the journalism industry. Over the past 18 months, most news organizations have been forced to make difficult decisions to reduce their workforces. “I am sorry to say that I do not see turning around most legacy outlets,” Jeff Jarvis, the Leonard Tow Professor of Journalism Innovation at the Craig Newmark Graduate School of Journalism, told CNN. Dan Kennedy, a journalism professor at Northeastern University, noted some local news outlets have found financial sustainability. “There are reasons to be optimistic given the hundreds of independent local news organizations that have sprouted up in recent years,” he said.

Persons: Condé Nast, ” Jay Rosen, “, Jeff Jarvis, Craig Newmark, ” Jarvis, ” Rosen, Steve Bannon’s, Margaret Sullivan, Sullivan, ”, ” Sullivan, Jeff Bezos ’, Patrick Soon, Dan Kennedy, Shiong’s, Jeff Bezos, ” Kennedy, Rosen Organizations: CNN, Los Angeles Times, Business, Condé, Forbes, The New York Daily News, Washington Post, NPR, Vice Media, Sports, Vox Media, NBC News, CNBC, Gannett, Netflix, Columbia University, Google, Meta, New York University, Craig Newmark Graduate School of Journalism, America, Guardian, The Washington Post, The New York Times, “ Democracy, Jeff Bezos ’ Washington Post, Northeastern University, “ Billionaire, Minneapolis Star Tribune, Boston Globe, Journalists Locations: Covid, Jeff Bezos ’ Washington

☆ Los Angeles Times slashes more than 20% of newsroom staff as the paper confronts a ‘financial crisis’
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-23 | by ( Oliver Darcy | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

The cuts will impact at least 115 journalists, a person familiar with the matter told CNN, or slightly more than 20% of the newsroom. A spokesperson for The Times, which is owned by biotech billionaire Dr. Patrick Soon-Shiong, did not immediately comment. “Today’s decision is painful for all, but it is imperative that we act urgently and take steps to build a sustainable and thriving paper for the next generation,” Soon-Shiong told James. Soon-Shiong told James on Tuesday, however, that he had lost the confidence of Merida and some high-ranking editors he had appointed. The owner also pushed back against the characterization that the newspaper is in trouble, telling James, “We are not in turmoil.

Persons: ”, Matt Pearce, Pearce, Patrick Soon, Shiong, Meg James, “, James, Kevin Merida Organizations: CNN, Los Angeles Times, The Times, Times, Democratic, Monday, LA Times, . Locations: Merida, California

☆ The Los Angeles Times plunges into ‘chaos’ as brutal layoffs loom and senior editors call it quits
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-23 | by ( Oliver Darcy | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

New York CNN —The Los Angeles Times is in disarray. The Dr. Patrick Soon-Shiong-owned newspaper, which houses the largest newsroom in the western U.S., has been thrown into a state of mayhem as severe layoffs loom and senior editorial leaders abruptly call it quits. “I cannot overstate the level of chaos,” one staffer, who requested anonymity because they were not authorized to speak publicly, candidly told me on Monday. Then, news of forthcoming mass layoffs ensued, prompting the employee’s union to stage a historic one-day walk out on Friday. “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.”

Persons: Patrick Soon, “, ”, Kevin Merida, Meg James, — Julia Turner, Sara Yasin, Scott Kraft, Shani Hilton —, alums Hilton, Yasin, Turner, “ Scott, Shiong Organizations: New York CNN, Los Angeles Times, BuzzFeed, alums, Kraft, Tribune Publishing, LA Times, LA Times Studios, Democratic, California, . Locations: New York, U.S

The announcement ends uncertainty about the extent of the cuts, after negotiations were held between the union and Times management. Dr. Soon-Shiong wrote in a note to staff that he and Mr. Merida had “mutually agreed” that Mr. Merida should leave. News of the layoffs — which will shrink the newsroom to the size it was when Dr. Soon-Shiong bought it — was delivered on Tuesday in a brief email to affected employees. “We are saddened to have to take this step and thank you for your work for the Los Angeles Times,” the email said. The cuts affected many departments at The Los Angeles Times, including its business desk, its Washington bureau and its “Fast Break” desk, which covers breaking news.

Persons: Kevin Merida, Shiong, Merida, Shani Hilton, Sara Yasin, — Organizations: The Times, Times, The New York Times, Los Angeles Times Locations: Merida, Washington

LOS ANGELES (AP) — The Los Angeles Times plans to lay off 94 newsroom employees — one-fourth of its newsroom staff — starting Tuesday, a number that is substantial but less than feared, the head of the journalists union said. The announcement comes after the LA Times Guild walked off the job last Friday to protest the imminent layoffs, the first newsroom union work stoppage in the newspaper’s 143-year history. Matt Pearce, president of the Media Guild of the West, which encompasses the Times' union, called it a “dark day.” He said the layoffs represent one-fourth of the Times Guild's entire membership. “Many departments and clusters across the newsroom will be heavily hit,” Pearce said in a statement Tuesday. Pearce said the union's bargaining committee would meet with Times management on Wednesday to start discussions about the layoffs as set out by the contract.

Persons: Matt Pearce, ”, ” Pearce, Gray, Dr, Patrick Soon, Kevin Merida, Pearce Organizations: ANGELES, Los Angeles Times, LA Times Guild, Media Guild, Times, Washington Post, NPR, CNN, Vox Media, LA Times, Tribune Co Locations: Challenger

☆ Tensions Erupt at Los Angeles Times as Owner Weighs Deep Cuts
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-22 | by ( Benjamin Mullin | Katie Robertson | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Around twilight on Thursday, Los Angeles Times journalists gathered at Flora, a rooftop bar not far from the paper’s headquarters, to toast their departing editor, Kevin Merida. In the days since, internal negotiations between the company and the employee union have included talk of about 100 job cuts, or about 20 percent of the newsroom, according to two of the people, who also have knowledge about the discussions. It has put journalists at The Times at odds with their owner, the biotechnology billionaire Patrick Soon-Shiong. Those relations reached a nadir on Friday when employees walked off the job, in the newsroom’s first union-organized work stoppage in the 142-year history of the newspaper. The tensions escalated even further on Monday, after several of the state’s congressional representatives sent Dr. Soon-Shiong a letter raising concerns about the scope of the cuts and employees received a note informing them that two other senior editors had departed.

Persons: Kevin Merida, Patrick Soon Organizations: Los Angeles Times, The Locations: Flora, Merida

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Guild members of the Los Angeles Times walked off the job Friday to protest what it says are imminent layoffs, the first newsroom union work stoppage in the newspaper's 143-year history. The guild said members would also protest in other cities. Dr. Patrick Soon-Shiong, a biotech billionaire, acquired the Times in 2018, returning it to local ownership two decades after it was sold to Tribune Co. Political Cartoons View All 253 ImagesA Times' representative told the paper that revenue projections were under review and expenses were being carefully examined. “We need to reduce our operating budget going into this year and anticipate layoffs,” spokeswoman Hillary Manning said in a statement.

Persons: Patrick Soon, Hillary Manning Organizations: ANGELES, —, Los Angeles Times, Times, Tribune Co Locations: LA

There’s an old saying about the news business: If you want to make a small fortune, start with a large one. As the prospects for news publishers waned in the past decade, billionaires swooped in to buy some of the country’s most fabled brands. Jeff Bezos, the founder of Amazon, bought The Washington Post in 2013 for about $250 million. Dr. Patrick Soon-Shiong, a biotechnology and start-up billionaire, purchased The Los Angeles Times in 2018 for $500 million. Marc Benioff, the founder of the software giant Salesforce, purchased Time magazine with his wife, Lynne, for $190 million in 2018.

Persons: Jeff Bezos, Patrick Soon, Marc Benioff, Lynne Organizations: Amazon, Washington Post, Los Angeles Times

☆ Another Billionaire Finds It's Hard to Run a Newspaper
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-09 | by ( Peter Kafka | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Another billionaire is having a hard time with his newspaper. That's because the LA Times is owned by billionaire Patrick Soon-Shiong, and it is losing money; even though Soon-Shiong is a billionaire, even billionaires have limits. Asked for comment, an LA Times spokesperson said that company leaders "don't generally make forward-looking statements about staffing levels and aren't able to comment further at this time." In 2021, The Wall Street Journal reported that Soon-Shiong was considering selling the LA Times itself , but Soon-Shiong said that was not the case. Last fall, for instance, The Washington Post — owned by Amazon founder Jeff Bezos — one of the richest men in the world — underwent giant staff cuts .

Persons: Patrick Soon, Jeff Bezos's Washington, Warren Buffett, —, Kevin Merida, Patrick, Shiong Axelle, Bauer, Griffin, It's, Shiong, doesn't, Jeff Bezos —, Warren Buffett — Organizations: Los Angeles Times, Jeff Bezos's Washington Post, Service, LA Times, LA, San Diego Union, Tribune, Street Journal, Washington Post, Amazon, Omaha, Alden Global Capital Locations: Merida, San Diego, Berkshire

"The situation is already very bad for dollar-based funds to invest in China's tech sector. There isn't much room for things to get worse," said Beijing-based China Growth Capital partner Wayne Shiong. Biden's move will likely make China-focussed venture capital firms feel more urgency to raise yuan funds from Chinese investors, he said. In response to Biden's executive order, China's commerce ministry said it was "gravely concerned" and reserved the right to take countermeasures. But the executive order is barely going to do anything, and China escalating would risk turning a molehill into a mountain."

Persons: Florence Lo, Joe Biden's, Donald Trump, Weiheng Chen, Wilson Sonsini, Biden, Chen, Wayne Shiong, Biden's, Yuan, Pan, Trump, Derek Scissors, Kane Wu, Michael Martina, Roxanne Liu, Ziyi Tang, Yantoultra, Sumeet Chatterjee, William Mallard Organizations: REUTERS, U.S, Reuters Graphics Reuters, China Growth Capital, Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, TECH, Hua Hong Semiconductor, Analysts, American Enterprise Institute, Thomson Locations: China, U.S, HONG KONG, WASHINGTON, Beijing, Washington, Shanghai, Hong Kong, Singapore, Bengaluru

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