LAT-Trib Marriage On The Rocks

The rapidly deteriorating relations between the LATimes and ChiTrib are getting much, much worse as Trib just announced it's letting LAT publisher Jeff Johnson go. From the WSJ:

"Jeff and I agreed that this change is best at this time because Tribune and Times executives need to be aligned on how to shape our future," said Scott Smith, president of Tribune Publishing, in a press release.

In other words, all of Johnson's pleading to try to maintain some kind of editorial strength in LA has been four naught; profits, baby, profits.

I am reminded of my years in Kentucky (did you know that your humble scribe is a full-fledged Kentucky Colonel?), where the state legislature (at the time, anyway) only met every other year. Kentuckians like it that way; the legislators only screws up to half their potential.

So it could be at the LAT; fewer reporters, less biased, one-sided, liberal drumbeat reporters. That's really in jest ... if the paper is going to improve, it needs a base of good reporters. Having reporters who understand the connection between the quality of their work and profitability would be a major step in the right direction.

Related Tags: MSM, Media, Media bias, LA Times, Chicago Tribune, Tribune Corp.