Ever since Sam Zell took over the LA Times, mutiny's been in the air. First, those pesky staffers filed a lawsuit against their employer, who they claim is a huckster who is bilking the company out of millions, tax-free. Now, the new editor in charge, Eddy Hartenstein, is calling it treason for his staff to talk to blogs or other media sources. Because if there is one thing a newspaper shouldn't stand for, it is the truth from legitimate sources!
More crazy Yakov Smirnoff/ Orwellianisms from a LA Times watchdog blog after the jump:
And yet, solid sources have let me know that current Times leadership is unhappy enough (or paranoid enough) about stuff getting out to consider action against staffers. I don't know if Hartenstein is thin-skinned enough to retaliate — especially given Sam Zell's famously relaxed rule book — but he is throwing around the t-word. So take precautions — use your personal email, our PO box, or pick up the phone — and don't presume they aren't watching.
So Sam Zell has a "famously relaxed" policy when it comes to staffers opening their yap-traps (and even if he didn't, what could he do? They already have a lawsuit against the guy), but the new editor is calling it treason? Oh, the paradoxes! Off with their heads, everyone's heads!
Editorial Director
We've got to impose term limits on every incumbent running for Congress or the Senate in this election. They all deserve to be fired! We don't need a constitutional amendment to do this, just vote against every incumbent running, Democrat or Republican. Fire every one of them. Doing this could very well force whomever is elected President to sit down with all the new faces and come up with real solutions to the serious problems we're facing…and maybe even putting the long term interests of our nation first.