For more than 100 years, the Los Angeles Times has been inexorably linked with the growth of Los Angeles, reflecting and shaping this sprawling city. Along the way, the Times has become one of the nation’s great newspapers.
It is with great sadness and concern that we learn that the Times will be purchased by a media conglomerate located more than 1,000 miles away. Los Angeles is an amazingly complex, rich and diverse city; it deserves a locally owned newspaper.
Newspapers have a unique responsibility to the cities in which they are located. They are part of the fabric of the community. They are powerful–and they must wield that power carefully.
Most of all, they know that their future is bound up in the future of their readers.
We’re relieved to hear that the Tribune Co. has promised to maintain the editorial independence and integrity of the Times. We hope that will be the case, and that the paper’s commitment to its hometown will not waver.
Still, the sale of the Times is a loss. We are losing part of our city, and part of our identity.
