Changes at Los Angeles Times

Received a note that Randy Harvey has been bumped up to assistant editor at the LA Times. No word yet on who might be replacing him as sports editor.

 

Here are some details: http://www.laobserved.com/archive/2009/07/pre-holiday_putsch_at_lat.php#more

 

Randy's a good guy, and I worked with Arthur. Good, traditional newsman and decent man who had expressed some dislike of the way things are going, so frankly, I'm not that shocked that he's gone, and in fact, might simply be surprised it didn't happen sooner.

 

What gets me about the editor's memo is that the executive editor has to leave because he and the editor disagree about how to do things. I've never understood why agreement is a condition of employment. Willingness to carry out an order, yes. Agreement, why? If the editor is secure about his ability, he should want a deputy who sometimes will disagree with him about the most important issues, especially now when everyone is failing to pin the tail on the donkey. After reading his memo, I would find it incredibly difficult to have any personal or professional respect for the LAT editor. But I suppose it would be wise to hide that, wouldn't it?

 

Frank, there's some history there involving the whole transition from Tribune to Zell Tribune, and Arthur, I think, has played the good soldier for a long time.

I think their differences probably just reached the irreconcilable stage.

 

We fill our newsrooms with people who are encouraged, even obliged, to question authority, to be highly skeptical of bureaucracy and groupthink, and we make our livings based on freedom of expression. But by God you better not do anything of those things within our walls or our ranks.

Newsrooms used to be fascinating places full of amazing people with all sorts of ideas, opinions and vivid personalities. Now that sort of stuff will get you laid off or run out. Biggest problem, the folks making the decisions aren't secure in their own competency so they cling to their titles and bits of power.

Just my two cents of psychology. We in Sports get good at that stuff.

 

It's really even simpler than that, Joe. Everything the Times has tried under Zell has failed, spectacularly. My guess is, the former number two predicted most if not all these innovations would fail. No number one in any organization can afford to have a number two who's righter than he is hanging around.
Easy enough to go to the publisher and say "this guy thinks you and Sam are morons."

 

The thought the explanation for Arthur's move was relatively honest. At least it didn't say he "wanted to explore new opportunities."

 

According to LA Observed, Mike James is the new SE. Note says he's only the seventh Times sports editor since 1928.

 

Great news for Mike, one of the nicest and most grounded guys I've worked with, ever.