The Tribune Company's Trimming of the L.A. Times

Cuts in personnel have become a way of life at the LA Times. Since Chicago-based Tribune Co. bought the paper in 2000, the newsroom has shrunk more than 20%, from about 1,200 people to roughly 940. Last year, the paper's much-respected editor John Carroll, left amid disagreements with the owners over their bottom line priorities. In September 2006, the company asked for another 100-plus in staff reductions, but employees of the paper and prominent Los Angeles citizens came back with a simple reply, “No.”

That same month, a group of 20 civic leaders wrote a letter to Tribune Co. chair Dennis FitzSimons arguing against further reductions and suggesting “perhaps a different mode of ownership would better serve Los Angeles.” In an extraordinary public statement in their own paper, Times Editor Dean Baquet, joined by publisher Jeffrey Johnson, were quoted flatly disagreeing with Tribune about further cutbacks. In early October, Johnson was ousted by the Tribune Co. while Baquet is staying on, at least for now. In the meantime, the Tribune Co. continues to debate whether and how to restructure.

The following articles have been collected by PEJ to chronicle the chain of events and reactions at the Los Angeles Times and its parent company. This list will be updated over time.

Chicago Ties Link Tribune Directors
Thomas S. Mulligan, Los Angeles Times, October 10, 2006

No Slick Way Out for Tribune
Jon Fine, BusinessWeek, October 9, 2006

Forget the L.A. Times; How About a National Tribune?
Michael Kinsley, Los Angeles Times, October 8, 2006

Superman I'm not, says former L.A. publisher
Phil Rosenthal, The Chicago Tribune, October 8, 2006

Tribune Tightens Grip on L.A. Times
Thomas S. Mulligan and James Rainey, Los Angeles Times, October 7, 2006