Los Angeles Times Executive Editor Kevin Merida Resigns ‘After Considerable Soul-Searching’
variety.comValerie Wu Intern Los Angeles Times Executive Editor Kevin Merida has resigned from his position after two-and-a-half years.
His last day will be Friday. Dr. Patrick Soon-Shiong, owner of the Times, is now launching a search for Merida’s successor. In the meantime, members of the paper’s senior leadership team — Julia Turner, Sara Yasin, Scott Kraft and Shani Hilton — will be managing the newsroom in Merida’s absence.
Merida, who joined the organization in 2021, made the announcement to the staff in a note on Tuesday. “Today, with a heavy heart, I announce that I am leaving The Times,” wrote Merida, according to the Times. “I made the decision in consultation with Patrick, after considerable soul-searching about my career at this stage and how I can best be of value to the profession I love.” “I am proud of what we accomplished together during my tenure here, and grateful to Patrick Soon-Shiong and family for the opportunity to help transform The Times into a modern, innovative news media company for a new generation of consumers,” he continued. ”We’ve made tremendous progress toward that goal, and I am hopeful that progress will continue.” A longtime journalist, Merida was previously chairman of ESPN’s editorial board and spent 22 years at the Washington Post, becoming managing editor there and sustaining the publication’s subscriber growth.
His departure comes after the Times failed to make its revenue projections. In recent years, the Times has also faced other struggles, such as missing its digital subscribers goal and facing backlash from its decision to cut back on sports listings. “Our commitment to the L.A.
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