Los Angeles Times

====Other controversies====
{{Further|Andrés Martinez (editor)#.22Grazergate.22 Controversy}}
In 1999, it was revealed that a revenue-sharing arrangement was in place between the ''Times'' and [[Staples Center]] in the preparation of a 168-page magazine about the opening of the sports arena. The magazine's editors and writers were not informed of the agreement, which breached the [[Chinese wall]] that traditionally has separated advertising from journalistic functions at American newspapers. Publisher Mark Willes also had not prevented advertisers from pressuring reporters in other sections of the newspaper to write stories favorable to their point of view.<ref>{{cite news |author=Elder, Sean |title=Meltdown at the L.A. Times |url=http://www.salon.com/media/log/1999/11/05/media/ |work=Salon.com |date=November 5, 1999 |access-date=March 26, 2007}}</ref>
[[Michael Kinsley]] was hired as the Opinion and Editorial ([[op-ed]]) Editor in April 2004 to help improve the quality of the opinion pieces. His role was controversial, for he forced writers to take a more decisive stance on issues. In 2005, he created a [[Wikitorial]], the first [[Wiki]] by a major news organization. Although it failed, readers could combine forces to produce their own editorial pieces. It was shut down after being besieged with inappropriate material. He resigned later that year.<ref>{{cite news |last=Naughton |first=Philippe |date=June 21, 2005 |title=Foul language forces LA Times to pull plug on 'wikitorial' |url=https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/foul-language-forces-la-times-to-pull-plug-on-wikitorial-gt3wpr3n5jq |work=[[The Times]] |access-date=October 12, 2020}}</ref>

In 2003, the ''Times'' drew fire for a last-minute story before the [[California recall election, 2003|California recall election]] alleging that [[gubernatorial]] candidate [[Arnold Schwarzenegger]] groped scores of women during his movie career. Columnist [[Jill Stewart]] wrote on the ''American Reporter'' website that the ''Times'' did not do a story on allegations that former Governor [[Gray Davis]] had verbally and physically abused women in his office, and that the Schwarzenegger story relied on a number of anonymous sources. Further, she said, four of the six alleged victims were not named. She also said that in the case of the Davis allegations, the ''Times'' decided against printing the Davis story because of its reliance on anonymous sources.<ref>{{cite news |author=Stewart, Jill |date=October 14, 2003 |title=How the Los Angeles Times Really Decided to Publish its Accounts of Women Who Said They Were Groped |url=http://www.jillstewart.net/php/issues/issue1014.php |work=jillstewart.net |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080201073120/http://www.jillstewart.net/php/issues/issue1014.php |archive-date=February 1, 2008 |url-status=dead}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |author1=Cohn, Gary |author2=Hall, Carla |author3=Welkos, Robert W. |date=October 2, 2003 |title=Women Say Schwarzenegger Groped, Humiliated Them |url=https://latimes.com/news/printedition/front/la-me-women2oct02001424,1,7931228,print.story?coll=la-headlines-frontpage |work=Los Angeles Times }}{{dead link|date=June 2020 |bot=medic}}{{cbignore|bot=medic}} [http://www.commondreams.org/headlines03/1002-01.htm Alt URL]</ref> The [[American Society of Newspaper Editors]] said that the ''Times'' lost more than 10,000 subscribers because of the negative publicity surrounding the Schwarzenegger article.<ref>{{cite news |title=ASNE recognizes Los Angeles Times editor for leadership |date=March 24, 2004 |url=http://www.asne.org/index.cfm?ID=5133 |work=ASNE.org |publisher=American Society of Newspaper Editors |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071115004604/http://www.asne.org/index.cfm?ID=5133 |archive-date=November 15, 2007}}</ref>

On November 12, 2005, new op-ed editor [[Andrés Martinez (editor)|Andrés Martinez]] announced the dismissal of liberal op-ed columnist [[Robert Scheer]] and conservative editorial cartoonist [[Michael Ramirez]].<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.democracynow.org/2005/11/14/la_times_fires_longtime_progressive_columnist |title=LA Times Fires Longtime Progressive Columnist Robert Scheer |work=Democracy Now! |access-date=October 15, 2018 |language=en}}</ref>

The ''Times'' also came under controversy for its decision to drop the weekday edition of the ''[[Garfield]]'' comic strip in 2005, in favor of a hipper comic strip ''[[Brevity (comic strip)|Brevity]]'', while retaining it in the Sunday edition. ''Garfield'' was dropped altogether shortly thereafter.<ref>{{cite news |author=Astor, Dave |title='L.A. Times' Drops Daily 'Garfield' as the Comic Is Blasted and Praised |url=http://www.editorandpublisher.com/eandp/article_brief/eandp/1/1000746277 |work=Editor & Publisher |publisher=Nielsen Business Media, Inc. |date=January 5, 2005 |access-date=March 26, 2007 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080919085345/http://www.editorandpublisher.com/eandp/article_brief/eandp/1/1000746277 |archive-date=September 19, 2008}} [http://www.n-philes.com/forums/printthread.php?t=9299 Alt URL] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071222045004/http://www.n-philes.com/forums/printthread.php?t=9299 |date=December 22, 2007 }}</ref>

Following the [[Republican Party (United States)|Republican Party]]'s defeat in the [[United States elections, 2006|2006 mid-term elections]], an Opinion piece by [[Joshua Muravchik]], a leading [[neoconservatism|neoconservative]] and a resident scholar at the conservative [[American Enterprise Institute]], published on November 19, 2006, was titled 'Bomb Iran'. The article shocked some readers, with its hawkish comments in support of more unilateral action by the United States, this time against Iran.<ref>{{cite news |author=Muravchik, Joshua |title=Bomb Iran |url=https://latimes.com/news/opinion/la-op-muravchik19nov19,0,1681154.story?coll=la-opinion-center |work=Los Angeles Times |date=November 19, 2006 |access-date=March 26, 2007}}</ref>

On March 22, 2007, editorial page editor [[Andrés Martinez (editor)|Andrés Martinez]] resigned following an alleged scandal centering on his girlfriend's professional relationship with a Hollywood producer who had been asked to guest-edit a section in the newspaper.<ref>{{cite news |author=Rainey, James |title=Editor Resigns over Killed Opinion Section |url=https://latimes.com/business/la-fi-andres23mar23,0,6732948.story?coll=la-home-headlines |work=Los Angeles Times |date=March 22, 2007 |access-date=March 26, 2007 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070325204025/http://www.latimes.com/business/la-fi-andres23mar23%2C0%2C6732948.story?coll=la-home-headlines |archive-date=March 25, 2007 |url-status=dead}}</ref> In an open letter written upon leaving the paper, Martinez criticized the publication for allowing the Chinese wall between the news and editorial departments to be weakened, accusing news staffers of lobbying the opinion desk.<ref>{{cite news |author=Martinez, Andrés |title=Grazergate, an Epilogue |url=http://opinion.latimes.com/opinionla/2007/03/grazergate_the_.html |work=Los Angeles Times |date=March 22, 2007 |access-date=March 26, 2007}}</ref>

In November 2017, [[Walt Disney Studios (division)|Walt Disney Studios]] blacklisted the ''Times'' from attending press screenings of its films, in retaliation for September 2017 reportage by the paper on [[Disney]]'s political influence in the Anaheim area. The company considered the coverage to be "biased and inaccurate". As a sign of condemnation and solidarity, a number of major publications and writers, including ''The New York Times'',  ''[[Boston Globe]]'' critic [[Ty Burr]], ''[[Washington Post]]'' blogger Alyssa Rosenberg, and the websites ''[[The A.V. Club]]'' and ''[[Flavorwire]]'', announced that they would boycott press screenings of future Disney films. The [[National Society of Film Critics]], [[Los Angeles Film Critics Association]], [[New York Film Critics Circle]], and [[Boston Society of Film Critics]] jointly announced that Disney's films would be ineligible for their respective year-end awards unless the decision was reversed, condemning the decision as being "antithetical to the principles of a free press and [setting] a dangerous precedent in a time of already heightened hostility towards journalists". On November 7, 2017, Disney reversed its decision, stating that the company "had productive discussions with the newly installed leadership at the ''Los Angeles Times'' regarding our specific concerns".<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.theguardian.com/film/2017/nov/07/disney-los-angeles-times-media-boycott |title=Disney's blackout of LA Times triggers boycott from media outlets |last=Carroll |first=Rory |date=November 7, 2017 |work=The Guardian |access-date=November 7, 2017 |language=en-GB |issn=0261-3077}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/act-four/wp/2017/11/06/why-i-wont-be-reviewing-the-last-jedi-or-any-other-disney-movie-in-advance/ |title=Why I won't be reviewing 'The Last Jedi,' or any other Disney movie, in advance |newspaper=The Washington Post |access-date=November 7, 2017}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.theguardian.com/film/2017/nov/07/disney-los-angeles-times-media-boycott |title=Disney ends blackout of LA Times after boycott from media outlets |last=Carroll |first=Rory |date=November 7, 2017 |work=The Guardian |access-date=November 7, 2017 |language=en-GB |issn=0261-3077}}</ref>