When he joined The Los Angeles Times as its top editor nearly three years ago, Kevin Merida was hailed as a leader who would restore calm to a newsroom that had been buffeted by cost-cutting and corporate ownership battles. Now, he’s exiting with little warning, an abrupt departure that leaves the largest news organization in the West in a state of flux. Mr. Merida told staff members on Tuesday that he was stepping down “after considerable soul-searching about my career.”He did not specify exactly why he was leaving, but he did say that his last day would be on Friday. Patrick Soon-Shiong, the biotechnology billionaire who owns The Times, said in a note to the newspaper’s staff that he and Mr. Merida had “mutually agreed” that Mr. Merida should leave.

Source: Los Angeles Times January 09, 2024 20:04 UTC