Los Angeles Times Warning: You are not logged in. Your IP address will be publicly visible if you make any edits. If you log in or create an account, your edits will be attributed to your username, along with other benefits.Anti-spam check. Do not fill this in! ===Modern era=== [[File:1984-Newspaper-Vending-Machine.jpg|thumb|A ''Times'' [[newspaper vending machine]] featuring news of the [[1984 Summer Olympics]]]] [[File:Los Angeles Times building El Segundo California 2023-06.jpg|thumb|The newspaper's current headquarters in [[El Segundo, California]]]] The ''Los Angeles Times'' was beset in the first decade of the 21st century by a change in ownership, a [[bankruptcy]], a rapid succession of editors, reductions in staff, decreases in paid circulation, the need to increase its Web presence, and a series of controversies. The newspaper moved to a new headquarters building in [[El Segundo, California|El Segundo]], near [[Los Angeles International Airport]], in July 2018.<ref>{{cite news |last=Chang |first=Andrea |date=April 17, 2018 |title=L.A. Times will move to 2300 E. Imperial Highway in El Segundo |url=https://latimes.com/business/la-fi-la-times-el-segundo-address-20180416-story.html |work=Los Angeles Times |access-date=July 19, 2018}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |date=June 18, 2018 |title=Biotech billionaire takes control of the LA Times, names new executive editor |url=https://www.ocregister.com/2018/06/18/biotech-billionaire-takes-control-of-the-la-times/ |work=Orange County Register |agency=Associated Press |access-date=July 19, 2018}}</ref><ref name="LAT3">{{cite news |last1=Curwen |first1=Thomas |title=For a brief, shining moment, Times Mirror Square was L.A.'s Camelot |url=https://latimes.com/local/california/la-me-times-mirror-square-20180720-htmlstory.html |access-date=July 21, 2018 |work=Los Angeles Times |date=July 20, 2018}}</ref><ref name="LAT">{{cite news |last1=Miranda |first1=Carolina |title=Ugly carpets and green marble: The design of the Los Angeles Times buildings changed along with the city, though not always gracefully |url=https://latimes.com/entertainment/arts/miranda/la-et-cam-architecture-los-angeles-times-building-20180717-story.html |access-date=July 21, 2018 |work=Los Angeles Times |date=July 17, 2018}}</ref> ====Ownership==== In 2000, [[Times Mirror Company]], publisher of the ''Los Angeles Times'', was purchased by the [[Tribune Company]] of [[Chicago]], Illinois, placing the paper in co-ownership with the then WB-affiliated (now [[CW Television Network|CW]]-affiliated) [[KTLA]], which Tribune acquired in 1985.<ref name=Tribune>{{cite news |title=Tribune called on to sell L.A. Times |url=https://money.cnn.com/2006/09/18/news/companies/latimes/index.htm |access-date=June 19, 2012 |publisher=[[CNN]] |date=September 18, 2006}}</ref> On April 2, 2007, the Tribune Company announced its acceptance of real estate entrepreneur [[Sam Zell]]'s offer to buy the ''[[Chicago Tribune]]'', the ''Los Angeles Times'', and all other company assets. Zell announced that he would sell the [[Chicago Cubs]] baseball club. He put up for sale the company's 25 percent interest in [[Comcast SportsNet]] Chicago. Until shareholder approval was received, Los Angeles billionaires [[Ron Burkle]] and [[Eli Broad]] had the right to submit a higher bid, in which case Zell would have received a $25 million buyout fee.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.suntimes.com/news/metro/324173,CST-NWS-Trib03.article |title=Tribune goes to Zell |work=[[Chicago Sun-Times]] |date=April 3, 2007 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080918204150/http://www.suntimes.com/news/metro/324173%2CCST-NWS-Trib03.article |archive-date=September 18, 2008}}</ref> In December 2008, the Tribune Company filed for [[bankruptcy protection]]. The bankruptcy was a result of declining [[advertising revenue]] and a debt load of $12.9 billion, much of it incurred when the paper was taken private by Zell.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://articles.latimes.com/2008/dec/09/business/fi-tribune9 |title=Owner of L.A. Times files for bankruptcy |author1=James Rainey |author2=Michael A. Hiltzik |name-list-style=amp |date=December 9, 2008 |work=Los Angeles Times}}</ref> On February 7, 2018, [[Tribune Publishing]], formerly Tronc Inc., agreed to sell the ''Los Angeles Times'' and its two other southern California newspapers, ''[[The San Diego Union-Tribune]]'' and ''[[Hoy (American newspaper)|Hoy]]'', to billionaire biotech investor [[Patrick Soon-Shiong]].<ref>{{cite web |url=https://latimes.com/business/hollywood/la-fi-ct-los-angeles-times-sold-20180207-story.html |title=Billionaire Patrick Soon-Shiong reaches deal to buy L.A. Times and San Diego Union-Tribune |last2=Koren |first1=Meg |last1=James |first2=James Rufus |website=Los Angeles Times |date=February 7, 2018 |access-date=February 8, 2018}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.wsj.com/articles/tronc-in-advanced-talks-to-sell-flagship-los-angeles-times-1517958557 |title=Tronc in Talks to Sell Flagship Los Angeles Times to Billionaire Investor |date=February 6, 2018 |access-date=February 6, 2018 |first1=Lukas I. |last1=Alpert |website=The Wall Street Journal }}</ref> This purchase by Soon-Shiong through his Nant Capital investment fund was for $500 million, as well as the assumption of $90 million in pension liabilities.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.wsj.com/articles/tronc-pushes-into-digital-future-after-los-angeles-times-sale-1518017136 |title=Tronc Pushes Into Digital Future After Los Angeles Times Sale |date=February 7, 2018 |access-date=February 7, 2018}}</ref><ref name="LAT move">{{cite news |url=https://latimes.com/business/hollywood/la-fi-ct-la-times-el-segundo-20180413-story.html |title=Patrick Soon-Shiong plans to move Los Angeles Times to new campus in El Segundo |newspaper=Los Angeles Times |first1=Meg |last1=James |first2=Andrea |last2=Chang |date=April 13, 2018 |access-date=April 13, 2018}}</ref> The sale to Soon-Shiong closed on June 16, 2018.<ref name=":0">{{cite news |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2018/06/18/us/norman-pearlstine-los-angeles-times.html |title=Norman Pearlstine Named Editor of The Los Angeles Times |last=Arango |first=Tim |date=June 18, 2018 |work=[[The New York Times]] |access-date=June 18, 2018 |language=en}}</ref> ====Editorial changes and staff reductions==== In 2000, [[John Carroll (journalist)|John Carroll]], former editor of the ''[[Baltimore Sun]]'', was brought in to restore the luster of the newspaper.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.theguardian.com/media/2015/jun/14/john-carroll-baltimore-sun-los-angeles-times-dies|title = John Carroll, former Baltimore Sun and Los Angeles Times editor, dies at 73|website = [[TheGuardian.com]]|date = June 14, 2015}}</ref> During his reign at the ''Times'', he eliminated more than 200 jobs, but despite an operating profit margin of 20 percent, the Tribune executives were unsatisfied with returns, and by 2005 Carroll had left the newspaper. His successor, [[Dean Baquet]], refused to impose the additional cutbacks mandated by the Tribune Company. Baquet was the first African-American to hold this type of editorial position at a top-tier daily. During Baquet and Carroll's time at the paper, it won 13 [[Pulitzer Prize]]s, more than any other paper except ''The New York Times''.<ref>{{cite news |author=Pappu, Sridhar |title=Reckless Disregard: Dean Baquet on the gutting of the Los Angeles Times |url=https://www.motherjones.com/news/feature/2007/03/reckless_disregard.html |work=Mother Jones |date=March–April 2007}}</ref> However, Baquet was removed from the editorship for not meeting the demands of the Tribune Group—as was publisher Jeffrey Johnson—and was replaced by James O'Shea of the ''Chicago Tribune''. O'Shea himself left in January 2008 after a budget dispute with publisher [[David Hiller]]. The paper's content and design style were overhauled several times in attempts to increase circulation. In 2000, a major change reorganized the news sections (related news was put closer together) and changed the "Local" section to the "California" section with more extensive coverage. Another major change in 2005 saw the Sunday "Opinion" section retitled the Sunday "Current" section, with a radical change in its presentation and featured columnists. There were regular [[cross-promotion]]s with Tribune-owned television station KTLA to bring evening-news viewers into the ''Times'' fold. The paper reported on July 3, 2008, that it planned to cut 250 jobs by [[Labor Day]] and reduce the number of published pages by 15 percent.<ref>{{cite news |last=Hiltzik |first=Michael A. |title=Los Angeles Times to cut 250 jobs, including 150 from news staff: The newspaper cites falling ad revenue in economic slowdown |url=https://latimes.com/business/printedition/la-fi-times3-2008jul03,0,1545512.story |work=Los Angeles Times |date=July 3, 2008}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last=Politi |first=Daniel |title=Today's Papers: "You Have Been Liberated" |url=http://www.slate.com/id/2194811/ |work=Slate |date=July 3, 2008}}</ref> That included about 17 percent of the news staff, as part of the newly private media company's mandate to reduce costs. "We've tried to get ahead of all the change that's occurring in the business and get to an organization and size that will be sustainable", Hiller said.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.wsj.com/articles/SB121503420966124113|title=Los Angeles Times to Cut Staff|work=[[The New York Times]]|author=Shiva Ovide|date=July 3, 2008|access-date=July 17, 2020}}</ref> In January 2009, the ''Times'' eliminated the separate California/Metro section, folding it into the front section of the newspaper. The ''Times'' also announced seventy job cuts in news and editorial or a 10 percent cut in payroll.<ref>{{cite web |last=Roderick |first=Kevin |url=http://www.laobserved.com/archive/2009/01/los_angeles_times_kills.php |title=Los Angeles Times kills local news section |publisher=LA Observed |date=January 30, 2009 |access-date=August 8, 2016}}</ref> In September 2015, [[Austin Beutner]], the publisher and chief executive, was replaced by [[Timothy Ryan (newspaper publisher)|Timothy E. Ryan]].<ref name = NYT9915 >{{cite news |author=Somaiya, Ravi |title=Austin Beutner Ousted as Los Angeles Times Publisher |work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2015/09/09/business/media/publisher-is-being-dismissed-from-los-angeles-times.html |agency=The New York Times |date=September 8, 2015}}</ref> On October 5, 2015, the [[Poynter Institute]] reported that "{{'}}At least 50' editorial positions will be culled from the ''Los Angeles Times''" through a buyout.<ref>{{cite web |last=Mullin |first=Benjamin |url=http://www.poynter.org/news/mediawire/376841/tribune-publishing-ceo-announces-buyouts/ |title=Tribune Publishing CEO announces buyouts |publisher=Poynter |date=October 5, 2015 |access-date=August 8, 2016 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151208222816/http://www.poynter.org/news/mediawire/376841/tribune-publishing-ceo-announces-buyouts/ |archive-date=December 8, 2015}}</ref> In June 2009, with foresight, the ''Los Angeles Times'' reported, "For the 'funemployed,' unemployment is welcome."<ref>{{cite news |url=https://latimes.com/local/la-me-funemployment4-2009jun04-story.html |title=For the 'funemployed,' unemployment is welcome |newspaper=LA Times |date=June 4, 2009 |access-date=August 8, 2016}}</ref> Nancy Cleeland,<ref name="buyout">{{cite news |author=E&P Staff |title=Pulitzer Winner Explains Why She Took 'L.A. Times' Buyout |url=http://www.editorandpublisher.com/eandp/article_brief/eandp/1/1003591028 |work=Editor & Publisher |publisher=Nielsen Business Media, Inc. |date=May 28, 2007 |access-date=May 28, 2007}}</ref> who took O'Shea's buyout offer, did so because of "frustration with the paper's coverage of working people and organized labor"<ref name="huffington">{{cite web |author=Cleeland, Nancy |title=Why I'm Leaving The ''L.A. Times'' |url=https://huffingtonpost.com/nancy-cleeland-/why-im-leaving-the-l_b_49697.html |publisher=Huffington Post |date=May 28, 2007}}</ref> (the beat that earned her Pulitzer).<ref name="buyout"/> She speculated that the paper's revenue shortfall could be reversed by expanding coverage of [[economic justice]] topics, which she believed were increasingly relevant to [[Southern California]]; she cited the paper's attempted hiring of a "celebrity justice reporter" as an example of the wrong approach.<ref name="huffington" /> On August 21, 2017, [[Ross Levinsohn]], then aged 54, was named publisher and CEO, replacing [[Davan Maharaj]], who had been both publisher and editor.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://latimes.com/business/hollywood/la-fi-ct-los-angeles-times-20170821-story.html |title=Ross Levinsohn is named the new publisher and CEO of the L.A. Times as top editors are ousted |first=Meg |last=James |date=August 21, 2017 |access-date=August 21, 2017}}</ref> On June 16, 2018, the same day the sale to Patrick Soon-Shiong closed, [[Norman Pearlstine]] was named executive editor.<ref name=":0" /> On May 3, 2021, the newspaper announced that it had selected [[Kevin Merida]] to be the new executive editor. Merida is a senior vice president at [[ESPN]] and leads ''[[The Undefeated (website)|The Undefeated]]'', a site focused on sports, race, and culture. Previously, he was the first Black managing editor at The Washington Post.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Robertson |first1=Katie |title=Los Angeles Times Hires Its Next Top Editor: Kevin Merida, of ESPN |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2021/05/03/business/media/Los-Angeles-Times-Kevin-Merida.html |access-date=May 3, 2021 |work=The New York Times |date=May 3, 2021}}</ref> The Los Angeles Times Olympic Boulevard printing press was not purchased by Soon-Shiong and was kept by the original Tribune before being sold to developers in 2016, who plan to build sound stages on the property.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Yee |first=Gregory |date=November 4, 2022 |title=The Times' downtown L.A. printing facility will shut down in 2024 |url=https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2022-11-03/los-angeles-times-olympic-printing-plant-closure |access-date=July 12, 2023 |website=Los Angeles Times |language=en-US}}</ref> It was opened in 1990 and could print 70,000 96-page newspapers an hour.<ref>{{Cite web |last1=Curwen |first1=Thomas |last2=Molina |first2=Genaro |date=March 10, 2024 |title=Storied presses print L.A. Times for the last time as production moves to Riverside |url=https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2024-03-10/olympic-plant-last-day |access-date=March 10, 2024 |website=Los Angeles Times |language=en-US}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title= Times-Mirror Company, Los Angeles Times Olympic Printing Plant, Los Angeles, CA |url=https://pcad.lib.washington.edu/building/1865/ |access-date=July 12, 2023 |website=PCAD |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230712063317/https://pcad.lib.washington.edu/building/1865/ |archive-date=July 12, 2023 }}</ref> In preparation for the closure and editorial reasons for refocusing sports coverage, daily game and box score coverage was eliminated on July 9, 2023. The sports section features less time sensitive articles, billed as similar to a magazine.<ref>{{Cite web |date=July 11, 2023 |title=L.A. Times makes changes to printed sports section |url=https://www.sportsbusinessjournal.com/Daily/Issues/2023/07/11/Media/la-times-sports-new-york-athletic-sports-desk-switch.aspx |url-access=subscription |access-date=July 12, 2023 |website=Sports Business Journal |language=en |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230712063317/https://www.sportsbusinessjournal.com/Daily/Issues/2023/07/11/Media/la-times-sports-new-york-athletic-sports-desk-switch.aspx |archive-date=July 12, 2023 }}</ref> The change caused consternation from the [[History of the Jews in Los Angeles|Los Angeles Jewish community]], who often found reading box scores in the morning a [[Shabbat]] ritual.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Keene |first=Louis |date=July 10, 2023 |title=New LA Times sports section has Sabbath-observant fans feeling boxed out |url=https://forward.com/news/sports/553712/times-sports-section-change-boxes-out-jewish-fans/ |access-date=July 12, 2023 |website=The Forward |language=en}}</ref> The last issue of the Times printed at Olympic Boulevard was the March 11, 2024, edition.<ref>{{Cite web |date=March 11, 2024 |title=Photos: The day the presses stopped running {{!}} A farewell to the Los Angeles Times Olympic plant |url=https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2024-03-11/photos-the-day-the-presses-stopped-running-a-farewell-to-the-los-angeles-times-olympic-plant |access-date=March 14, 2024 |website=Los Angeles Times |language=en-US}}</ref> The ''Times'' will be printed in [[Riverside, California|Riverside]], at the [[Southern California News Group]]'s ''[[The Press-Enterprise|Press-Enterprise]]'' printer, which also prints Southern California editions of the ''New York Times'' and ''Wall Street Journal.''<ref>{{Cite web |last=Wolf |first=Scott |date=July 9, 2023 |title=It's The End Of An Era In Los Angeles |url=https://insideusc.blog/2023/07/09/its-the-end-of-an-era-in-los-angeles/ |access-date=July 12, 2023 |website=InsideUSC with Scott Wolf |language=en}}</ref> On January 23, 2024, the newspaper announced a layoff that would affect at least 115 employees.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Taylor |first1=Sarah Grace |title=LA Times slashes newsroom as paper struggles under billionaire owner |url=https://www.politico.com/news/2024/01/23/los-angeles-times-cuts-newsroom-washington-00137301 |website=Politico |access-date=January 26, 2024}}</ref> It named Terry Tang its next executive meditor on April 8, 2024.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Kilkenny |first=Katie |date=2024-04-08 |title=Los Angeles Times Officially Names Terry Tang Its Executive Editor |url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/business/business-news/los-angeles-times-names-terry-tang-executive-editor-officially-1235868891/ |access-date=2024-04-08 |website=The Hollywood Reporter |language=en-US}}</ref> ====Circulation==== [[File:AbandonedLosAngelesTimesVendingMachine2011.jpg|thumb|An abandoned ''Los Angeles Times'' vending machine in [[Covina, California]], in 2011]] The ''Times'' has suffered continued decline in distribution. Reasons offered for the circulation drop included a price increase<ref>Shah, Diane, "The New Los Angeles Times" ''Columbia Journalism Review'' 2002, 3.</ref> and a rise in the proportion of readers preferring to read the online version instead of the print version.<ref>Rainey, James, "Newspaper Circulation Continues to Fall", ''Los Angeles Times'' May 1, 2007: D1.</ref> Editor Jim O'Shea, in an internal memo announcing a May 2007, mostly voluntary, [[reduction in force]], characterized the decrease in circulation as an "industry-wide problem" which the paper had to counter by "growing rapidly on-line", "break[ing] news on the Web and explain[ing] and analyz[ing] it in our newspaper."<ref>{{cite news |author=E&P Staff |title=California Split: 57 More Job Cuts at 'L.A. Times' |url=http://www.editorandpublisher.com/eandp/article_brief/eandp/1/1003590597 |work=Editor & Publisher |publisher=Nielsen Business Media, Inc. |date=May 25, 2007 |access-date=May 28, 2007}}</ref> The ''Times'' closed its [[San Fernando Valley]] printing plant in early 2006, leaving press operations to the Olympic plant and to [[Orange County, California|Orange County]]. Also that year the paper announced its circulation had fallen to 851,532, down 5.4 percent from 2005. The ''Times''{{'}}s loss of circulation was the largest of the top ten newspapers in the U.S.<ref>{{cite news |author=Lieberman, David |url=https://www.usatoday.com/tech/news/2006-05-08-newspaper-circulation_x.htm |title=Newspaper sales dip, but websites gain |work=[[USA Today]] |date=May 9, 2006}}</ref> Some observers believed that the drop was due to the retirement of circulation director Bert Tiffany. Others thought the decline was a side effect of a succession of short-lived editors who were appointed by publisher Mark Willes after publisher [[Otis Chandler]] relinquished day-to-day control in 1995.<ref name="mcdougal"/> Willes, the former president of [[General Mills]], was criticized for his lack of understanding of the newspaper business, and was derisively referred to by reporters and editors as ''The Cereal Killer''.<ref>{{cite web |author=Shaw, David |url=https://articles.latimes.com/1999/dec/20/news/ss-46240/26 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151024050929/http://articles.latimes.com/1999/dec/20/news/ss-46240/26 |url-status=dead |archive-date=October 24, 2015 |title=Crossing the Line |work=Los Angeles Times |access-date=October 3, 2016}}</ref> Subsequently, the Orange County plant closed in 2010.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Koren |first=James Rufus |date=February 18, 2016 |title=Former L.A. Times plant in Costa Mesa may become creative office space |url=https://www.latimes.com/socal/daily-pilot/tn-dpt-me-0218-la-times-building-20160217-story.html |access-date=July 15, 2023 |website=Daily Pilot |language=en-US}}</ref> The ''Times''{{'}}s reported daily circulation in October 2010 was 600,449,<ref>{{cite web |author=Bill Cromwell |url=http://www.medialifemagazine.com/artman2/publish/Newspapers_24/Newspaper-circ-declines-lessen-again.asp |title=Like Newspaper Revenue, the Decline in Circ Shows Signs of Slowing |publisher=editorandpublisher.com |date=April 26, 2010 |access-date=April 26, 2010 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101027210836/http://www.medialifemagazine.com/artman2/publish/Newspapers_24/Newspaper-circ-declines-lessen-again.asp |archive-date=October 27, 2010}}</ref> down from a peak of 1,225,189 daily and 1,514,096 Sunday in April 1990.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://latimes.com/la-mediagroup-times-history-htmlstory.html|title=The Los Angeles Times' history|work=Los Angeles Times|access-date=May 15, 2017|language=en-US|issn=0458-3035}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |author=As told to RJ Smith |url=http://www.lamag.com/featuredarticle.aspx?id=1050 |title=Ripped from the headlines - Los Angeles Magazine |publisher=Lamag.com |access-date=January 12, 2009}}</ref> ====Internet presence and free weeklies ==== In December 2006, a team of ''Times'' reporters delivered management with a critique of the paper's online news efforts known as the Spring Street Project.<ref name="Spring Street Transcript">{{cite news |last=Saar |first=Mayrav |title=LAT's Scathing Internal Memo. Read It Here. |url=http://www.mediabistro.com/fishbowlLA/on/lats_scathing_internal_memo_read_it_here_51895.asp |work=FishbowlLA |publisher=mediabistro.com |date=January 26, 2007 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071030082632/http://www.mediabistro.com/fishbowlLA/on/lats_scathing_internal_memo_read_it_here_51895.asp |archive-date=October 30, 2007}}</ref> The report, which condemned the ''Times'' as a "web-stupid" organization,<ref name="Spring Street Transcript" /> was followed by a shakeup in management of the paper's website,<ref name="Spring Street Hiller Memo">{{cite news |last=Roderick |first=Kevin |title=Times retools on web — again |url=http://www.laobserved.com/archive/2007/01/times_retools_on_web_agai.php |publisher=LA Observed |date=January 24, 2007}}</ref>and a rebuke of print staffers who were described as treating "change as a threat."<ref name="Spring Street O'Shea Speech">{{cite news |last=Welch |first=Matt |title=Spring Street Project unveiled! |url=http://opinion.latimes.com/opinionla/2007/01/spring_street_p.html |work=Los Angeles Times |date=January 24, 2007}}</ref> On July 10, 2007, ''Times'' launched a local [[Metromix]] site targeting live entertainment for young adults.<ref>{{cite news |title=Metromix Makes Cool Debut |url=https://latimes.com/services/newspaper/mediacenter/releases/la-mediacenter-2007-0710,0,6705328.story |work=Los Angeles Times |date=July 10, 2007 |access-date=October 3, 2013}}</ref> A free weekly [[tabloid (newspaper format)|tabloid]] print edition of Metromix Los Angeles followed in February 2008; the publication was the newspaper's first stand-alone print weekly.<ref>{{cite news |last=Ives |first=Nate |title=Los Angeles Times Launches Free Weekly |url=http://adage.com/article/media/los-angeles-times-launches-free-weekly/125060/ |publisher=[[Advertising Age]] |date=February 13, 2008 |access-date=October 3, 2013}}</ref> In 2009, the ''Times'' shut down Metromix and replaced it with ''Brand X'', a [[blog site]] and free weekly tabloid targeting young, [[social networking]] readers.<ref>{{cite news |title=Editor announces weekly tabloid aimed at social-networking readers |url=http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/readers/2009/03/editor-announce.html |work=Los Angeles Times |date=March 25, 2009 |access-date=October 3, 2013}}</ref> ''Brand X'' launched in March 2009; the ''Brand X'' tabloid ceased publication in June 2011 and the website was shut down the following month.<ref>{{cite news |last=Roderick |first=Kevin |title=L.A. Times folds Brand X |url=http://www.laobserved.com/archive/2011/06/la_times_folds_brand_x.php |publisher=LA Observed |date=June 29, 2011 |access-date=October 3, 2013}}</ref> In May 2018, the ''Times'' blocked access to its online edition from most of Europe because of the European Union's [[General Data Protection Regulation]].<ref>{{cite news |url=https://money.cnn.com/2018/05/25/media/gdpr-news-websites-la-times-tronc/index.html |title=LA Times takes down website in Europe as privacy rules bite |first=Alanna |last=Petroff |publisher=CNN}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.nbcnews.com/tech/tech-news/chicago-tribune-los-angeles-times-block-european-users-due-gdpr-n877591 |title=Chicago Tribune, Los Angeles Times block European users due to GDPR |last=Newcomb |first=Alyssa |date=May 25, 2018 |access-date=June 8, 2018 |work=[[CBS News]] |publisher=[[NBC Universal]]}}</ref> ====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> Summary: Please note that all contributions to Christianpedia may be edited, altered, or removed by other contributors. 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