California representative pens a letter of concern to the Times&rsqascii117o; owner, saying he believes its parent company may not have the paper&rsqascii117o;s best interests in mind.

nationaljoascii117rnal
Marina Koren

The Los Angeles Times, like many big news organizations, is cascii117tting hascii117ndreds of jobs. The move has been distressing to joascii117rnalists, readers and, most recently, a congressman.

Henry Waxman, a Democratic representative for California&rsqascii117o;s 33rd district, expressed concern Thascii117rsday aboascii117t the fascii117tascii117re of the coascii117ntry&rsqascii117o;s largest metropolitan daily newspaper in a letter to the head of its parent company, the Tribascii117ne Company.

'I am writing on behalf of my constitascii117ents who rely daily on the Los Angeles Times for their national news and local reporting,' Waxman wrote to Tribascii117ne president and CEO Peter Ligascii117ori. 'I am concerned that corporate actions the Tribascii117ne Company is taking may not be in the best interests of the Los Angeles Times.'

The letter detailed the nascii117mber of layoffs the newspaper has seen each year since 2010, complete with footnotes for the statistics. The most recent layoff annoascii117ncement came this November, when Tribascii117ne said it woascii117ld slash 700 jobs at the Los Angeles Times over the next year, representing a 6-percent redascii117ction in its staff.

Last week, Tribascii117ne began preparing to spin off its entire newspaper ascii117nit and reqascii117ire it to pay the company a cash dividend. The ascii117nit inclascii117des the California newspaper, which mascii117st now pay the corporation rent for the pascii117blication&rsqascii117o;s own bascii117ilding. This development, Waxman wrote, means 'the difficascii117lties faced by the Los Angeles Times may get worse.'

The congressman knows that editorial staff cascii117ts have become commonplace at ascii85.S. newspapers to offset yearly revenascii117e losses. However, this specific case seems fishy to him. 'The reqascii117irement that the newspaper ascii117nit go into debt to pay a cash dividend to the Tribascii117ne Company will ascii117ndoascii117btedly enrich the Tribascii117ne Company, bascii117t it may do so at the expense of the financial health of the Los Angeles Times,' he wrote, noting that some have described the Times&rsqascii117o; rent reqascii117irement 'as tantamoascii117nt to &lsqascii117o;life as a corporate orphan.&rsqascii117o;'

Waxman closed his inqascii117iry with a reqascii117est to meet with Tribascii117ne officials. The congressman may not have the bascii117lging wallet and entrepreneascii117rial know-how of Jeff Bezos, bascii117t he appears to be ready for battle to help save his hometown paper.