Posted on 11/01/2008 1:33:21 PM PDT by abb
This is a memo from a Los Angeles Times staffer to eight colleagues. At the source's request, I've deleted names
Sent: Fri 10/31/2008 2:29 PM From: [Name removed] To: [Names removed] Subject: The worst yet: Tea with Doyle [McManus, LAT DC bureau chief]
Gang, Well, let’s just say it's bad in every way it can be bad. Basically, the LAT no longer has a Washington bureau and we will be under the control of the Tribune Co., much like McClatchy is run. The much-touted 3-man committee was basically used to vote the LAT down 2-1 every time. The formal announcement will be made on Nov. 7, people will be informed they will be laid off on the 18th, and the new bureau begins on the 19th. Numbers are still fudgey, but 8 LAT layoffs seems to be the working number.
At the end of the session, Doyle basically put it simply: This was a well-orchestrated corporate campaign to sever the Washington bureau from the LAT. He appeared quite sheepish, since in hindsight this was all pretty clear...as he noted, Zell's rant in Feb. has pretty much come true. "It's not the LAT that is running this process. That has become increasingly clear."
Doyle said Tom McCarthy will not be the bureau chief, and it's unclear if he's going to want to stay in the new organization, which is still being worked out. Tom was the only person who didn't join us in the conference room. Doyle doesn't know who the new bureau chief will be, though Cissy Baker's name keeps getting mentioned. Some guy (gal?) named Kerry something, the national editor of the ChiTrib, has been mentioned, but Kerry claims he's heard no such thing.
The structure is basically going to be the same as McClatchy: 19 reporters & 5 editors as a core "national staff" 10 reporters as "regional reporters", divided this way: 2 from LAT 2 from ChiTrib 2 from BaltSun 1 from other small papers
...Schmitt asked whether decisions on who is staying were really made on merit. Doyle acknowledged that they weren’t. Basically Russ/Gerry/Gremillon came up with a list of beats, then moved reporters into slots. "The names that were left over were left over." He said the people making the decision largely were making judgments about "people they don't know and who’s work they've never read." Doyle added that the decisions were "somewhat arbitrary."
Schmitt then asked why they couldn't say who was going to be laid off, and Doyle said he'd been forbidden from telling people. Asked why, Doyle said, "Basically, to be inhumane." He said corporate types don’t want to have to answer questions from people who are laid off, so announcing layoffs on the 18th was the most pain-free for them. Though he also noted that the LAT is telegraphing these, and if you want to talk in any more detail, Tom & Doyle will likely tell you what your future is. If you're not on the list, and you want to volunteer to leave, it would be good to tell Doyle by Nov. 13, so he can fill your spot with another LAT body.
I asked some questions about how the LAT leadership feels about no longer having a DC bureau, and he said they were upset. I tried to press him on whether this means we no longer have any protection from L.A., and he basically said that's the case. We’re run by Chicago, though he said if Chicago really wanted to make the DC bureau any smaller, they could have done it this time (though he also noted that the only place the LAT won anything at all in this discussion was preventing Chicago from making the bureau even smaller).
So as I said: bad, bad, bad in every way. Everyone came out shell shocked.
Enjoy your weekend!
Agreed...for Obama/Soros to do what they want to do they will need control of the media. Talk Radio will be gone, so will opposition tv and newspapers...be interesting to see what they try to do with the net...bet it will be some kind of congressional/FCC oversight...we will be responsible for opinions...I mean legally.
Everyone of them is a Gore voter so I really dont care how bad it was/is for any of them. Sorry.
Just die already, you turds.
The Times, they are a changin’...
Bias = Layoffs. I just hope Sam doesn’t lose his shirt before his employees figure that out.
They could release a transcript of the tape with no harm done at all to their source.
That indicates conclusively it’s not protecting their source they’re worried about, it’s what those attending the dinner were saying.
“We’re run by Chicago.” Yes, we may all soon have that experience.
Imagine what it will be like for the Federal government to be run by the most notoriously corrupt and thuggish political machine in the United States.
“We’re run by Chicago.” Yes, we may all soon have that experience.
Imagine what it will be like for the Federal government to be run by the most notoriously corrupt and thuggish political machine in the United States.
Might as well kick them off the 0bama plane, right? Oh wait...
This just means that they’ll be manufacturing the news close to home, business as usual. Of course, it’s always good news when one of the Jurassic Times orginazations makes cuts like this.
Agreed...for Obama/Soros to do what they want to do they will need control of the media. Talk Radio will be gone, so will opposition tv and newspapers...be interesting to see what they try to do with the net...bet it will be some kind of congressional/FCC oversight...we will be responsible for opinions...I mean legally.
As long as the Kennedy court (i.e., 4 on each side and Kennedy in the middle, so that whatever Kennedy decides is how SCOTUS rules) sits- and so long as the court is not intimidated by fascist threats by the Executive branch - the Fairness Doctrine will not pass muster.
You are much more optimistic than I am.....the Dems blame Talk Radio and Fox for their defeats in ‘94, ‘00 and ‘04...they will go after these outlets without letup.
I thought Heller would win 7-2 last spring...it only survived 5-4. One more appointment and free speech could be about over.
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