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A swipe from back east today shows that the NY Times couldn't help but point out the frequency the LA Times names a new head honcho; a headline in today's paper reads: "New Top Editor for Los Angeles Times, the 4th in 3 Years." Ouch! (Hey, we noticed our own local Daily News getting snarky in their headline last night!)
The announcement that Russ Stanton, who has been running the paper's website, came three weeks after his successor, James O'Shea, was "forced out" for not supporting staff cuts.
So do the staffers dig their new main main? The NY Times reports that "recently some of Mr. Stanton’s colleagues have taken the extraordinary step of going to [Times publisher David D. Hiller] to ask him not to choose Mr. Stanton" and that "reporters and editors have said that Mr. Stanton does not have the stature or broad experience to run one of the nation’s most important newspapers."
Missing from Stanton's resume are credentials often sought in head editors of major papers, such as working overseas or in the nation's capital--although he does have "an extensive collection of Los Angeles Dodgers bobble-head dolls in his office."
All eyes are on Stanton now, as he steps into a precarious--and for many, a short-lived--role in the spotlight. It will take more than a "quirky" sense of humor to bring the paper out of its doldrums and the tremendous pressure from the higher ups at its parent company, Tribune--led by Samuel Zell, recently known for his colorful language.
Good luck, Mr. Stanton.
