L.A. media types are talking about...

I've received a lot of emails since Friday repeating a sarcastic exchange between former Daily News reporter Val Kuklenski, who left in the newsroom thinning a month ago, and Dave Butler, the ex-Daily News editor who's now editorial chief of Dean Singleton's California newspapers. The subject is last week's putsch of Ron Kaye as DN editor, first reported here at LA Observed. Butler reportedly came to town last Monday, summoned Ron Kaye (his successor and onetime protege) to a Valley restaurant, and told him he was out as DN editor.

In her first email, Kuklenski calls Butler "the worst newsman I've ever known."

Sent: Friday, April 04, 2008 10:43 AM
To: Butler, Dave

Dave:

When you took over the San Jose Mercury News, I bemoaned the loss of a great paper to the hands of the worst newsman I've ever known. The one who ran Bush's 2000 convention nomination acceptance speech on page 1 with a Bush byline. The one who thought "Big Brother" was worth round-the-clock coverage just because it was being shot in the Valley.

The one who paid for the most pandering and least probing interview with the president ever published anywhere, with cleaned-up quotes to boot.

The one who was giddy as a schoolgirl over the fact that the Daily News scored a photo op with the president and vice president. Woohoo. This week I can say with certainty that you are also the worst boss I ever have worked for, and with my long and varied career that puts you at the top of a very long list.

I had my differences with Ron [Kaye], but I appreciated that he was trying to make the paper different and more accessible to an ever-changing audience, unlike his predecessor who held an endless number of brown-bag meetings in the zebra lounge that amounted to absolutely nothing. "We need to do something different" was about the most concrete guidance you ever offered.

Making him let go 22 employees, which clearly took an emotional toll, so you could return just four weeks later and do the same to him (I suspect without batting an eye) is very low indeed. I have learned since that the newsroom was informed of the change by laobserved.com because you apparently lack the cojones to face the staff in person and inform them of what you did.

There is some cathartic pleasure for me in being able to be so blunt with you, and I feel certain at least some of my former colleagues share my views. I have nothing to lose by expressing them because I can say with great conviction that I will never again, under any circumstances, work for someone as incompetent, arrogant, self-serving and heartless as you. Life is too short.

Very sincerely,
Valerie Kuklenski

Shot over the bow! Butler responds after the jump, then they reload: