Regarding Dean Baquet's decision to remain editor of the Los Angeles Times, which Nikki Finke called gutless in the wake of Tribune's ouster of publisher Jeff Johnson...

I wanted to give you a different take on Nikki Finke's idea that Dean Baquet is "gutless" for not following Jeff Johnson out the door. Dean is staying and continuing the good fight on behalf of the Los Angeles Times and its readers. There is no guarantee that he won't eventually leave, if he and the new publisher don't see eye-to-eye. But he will do his best to help the publisher understand Los Angeles, as well as the strengths and weaknesses of this newspaper. His obligation is to the paper, to the readers and to the staff he leads. I am one of those staff members, and I cannot overstate the damage that would be done if Dean had chosen differently. I applaud him for his courage and leadership in staying.

Susan Denley
Denley is Director of Editorial Hiring and Development at the Times