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One of the main pieces in Good magazine's new issue on Los Angeles is Dave Greene's examination of the L.A. Times after a decade of Tribune ownership and four years of Sam Zell. He notes the paper's shrinkage in size and stature, but is generally upbeat about the present and future: "The near-death of the Los Angeles Times—or more precisely, its systematic dismemberment, like the limbless Black Knight in Monty Python and the Holy Grail—is yesterday’s news." I'm quoted, along with ex-LAT Pulitzer winner Dan Neil and longtime Calendar contributor Steve Hochman. From the story:
Then there’s the argument that if ever there were a city that could be best served by an online-only paper, sprawling L.A. is it. Unlike The New York Times and Washington Post, which are woven into the fabric of their namesake cities, the L.A. Times has never really been tied to the landscape and rhythms of Los Angeles. An electronic version, beamed free to every cell phone in the Southland, might finally make it so.
It’s impossible to separate the fate of the L.A. Times from that of big-city newspapers in general. With so many local, national, and international news sources available online, the traditional function of a daily paper—delivering the news on dead trees—is thoroughly obsolete. But the issues of quality, authority, and diversity have never been more important. For a democratic society to flourish, critical thinking must thrive. So whether it shows up on your iPad or your front steps, a robust and opinionated news source speaking from, and to, the largest U.S. metropolis west of the Mississippi is crucial to the health of the nation. A great city still needs a great newspaper.Never mind that the worst-case scenarios are the likeliest: That the Los Angeles Times and Tribune Company will be scooped up by a consortium of investors who will stretch resources even thinner; or, they’ll be homogenized into another newspaper syndicate, losing local flavor entirely. For those who wish good things for the L.A. Times, the sweetest time to dream is while waiting for the other shoe to drop.