Here’s a little more follow-up from what I wrote in Wednesday’s newsletter about Kevin Merida stepping down as executive editor of the Los Angeles Times after only two and a half years. The news caught some media observers by surprise, but it probably shouldn’t have.

Merida said he made the decision after consulting with the Times’ owner, Dr. Patrick Soon-Shiong. And Soon-Shiong called it a “mutual decision.”

If you read between the lines, you can tell Merida and Soon-Shiong were not on the same page. And both acknowledged that to the Los Angeles Times’ Meg James.

In an interview with James, Soon-Shiong said, “We mutually agreed that he perhaps was not the right fit. It is time for us to have a fresh look at the organization … (and) for a new generation of leadership.”

Meanwhile, Merida told James, “I came to my decision based on a number of factors, including differences of opinion about the role of an executive editor, how journalism should be practiced and strategy going forward. I wish Patrick well in finding the right editor for him.”

The part of that quote that really stands out to me: “how journalism should be practiced.”

The New York Times’ Benjamin Mullin reported, “In recent months, Mr. Merida has been at odds with members of the Soon-Shiong family on a variety of matters, including editorial decisions and business priorities, according to two people with knowledge of the situation. Mr. Merida and the Soon-Shiong family have clashed over his decision to restrict journalists who signed a letter condemning Israel’s response to the Oct. 7 attacks from covering the conflict in Gaza, the people said.”

Mullin added, “Budgeting for 2024 has also led to conflicts, according to the people.”

The Times’ struggles to attract digital subscribers are well documented. And if one of the nation’s more respected editors is out after conflicts over “budgeting,” as Mullin reported, that could make good candidates a little squeamish about taking the job.

Then again, it’s the Los Angeles Times, which remains, at best, still one of America’s great newspapers or, at worst, a sleeping giant. But it feels as if the future isn’t as bright — or as hopeful — as it was when Soon-Shiong bought the publication in 2018.

Controversial firings at a Houston startup

Houston Landing, a nonprofit local startup, fired its founding editor-in-chief and a Pulitzer Prize-winning investigative journalist this week only seven months after launching. Mizanur Rahman, the editor-in-chief, and Alex Stuckey, the prize-winning investigative reporter, were both let go.

My colleague Angela Fu wrote about this for Poynter. Fu wrote, “The terminations are part of the company’s push to become a ‘truly digital enterprise-driven news operation’ and were not caused by financial pressures, said CEO Peter Bhatia. Houston Landing, a digital outlet that ‘seeks to strengthen democracy and improve the lives of all Houstonians one story at a time,’ launched in June 2023 with more than $20 million in funding.”

Bhatia said, “I made a decision that we needed to make changes to achieve our goal of being a truly digital enterprise-driven news operation serving Houston. This was my decision and mine alone. I regret having to do so; these are good people and outstanding journalists. None of this was driven by financial considerations. We are in great shape heading into 2024 and are beginning a search for an editor-in-chief.”

So what happened?

Rahman posted on X, “I was not given a clear reason for this decision other than our CEO saying we needed a more ‘digital first’ direction. This is confusing because we are digital only.”

Stuckey tweeted, “Today, as part of what the @Hou_Landing CEO called a company ‘reset,’ I was fired. This is not what I wanted. When I asked why, I was given no conclusive answer.”

Stuckey told Nieman Lab’s Sophie Culpepper that she was stunned by the firing because just last month she had received a 3% raise after a “stellar” performance review.

The journalists of Houston Landing sent a letter to the board of directors saying they were in “confusion and dismay” and that they were “blindsided” by the firings. They praised the work of Rahman and Stuckey and said that nothing justified the dismissal of “two, senior, trusted and well-respected members of the newsroom.”

The letter added, “We now risk significant damage to employee retention and recruitment. Further, the optics of such a massive restructuring during a moment of forward momentum will hurt our fundraising and financial efforts.”

Bhatia told Culpepper, “It is my belief that we need new ideas to execute our mission … effectively in the digital space. Our coverage needs to be more original, distinctive and not available elsewhere.”

Check out Fu’s story for more details.

Expanded coverage of Minnesota

Optimistic headline on a story from Star Tribune CEO and publisher Steve Grove: “In 2024, Star Tribune has big plans for breaking news, expanded statewide coverage.”

At a time when so many news organizations are cutting back on coverage, it’s always good to see the words “expanded coverage,” especially from a local outlet.

Grove wrote, “To move toward that vision in 2024, we’re doing a lot of things differently. First, we’re doubling down on our commitment to breaking news. A new ‘Today Desk,’ launching later this month, will bring a new team together to track breaking and trending news so that you can stay on top of all that’s unfolding every day in Minnesota.”

Grove also announced The Star Tribune is adding to the newsroom. It has posted jobs for reporters in north central and southwest Minnesota — places where The Star Tribune admits there have been gaps in coverage. It also is adding to reporting teams in St. Cloud and Rochester. And, most interestingly, it will hire a greater Minnesota columnist to travel throughout the state and write about issues outside of the Twin Cities. Grove writes, “This columnist will have a special focus on issues in rural Minnesota, shedding light on the broader American rural landscape at a dynamic time in our country.”

The Star Tribune also is hiring to help with fundraising and consumer growth.

Rodgers is taking a much-needed break

NFL quarterback Aaron Rodgers, shown here on the sidelines at a game last month. (Brad Penner/AP Images for Panini)

That breeze outside might be from ESPN executives breathing a major sigh of relief. Aaron Rodgers will no longer appear on Pat McAfee’s show … well, for the rest of the NFL playoffs.

McAfee’s show, which airs on ESPN, has been in the news for all the wrong reasons lately. Rodgers seemingly suggested that ABC late-night host Jimmy Kimmel was associated with sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. Kimmel snapped back through a tweet and monologue. Rodgers backed away from his Kimmel-Epstein comment, but never apologized, saying he was misunderstood and a victim of cancel culture and censorship.

Somewhere in all of that, McAfee called out a senior ESPN executive for supposedly trying to sabotage his show, while ESPN chairman Jimmy Pitaro reportedly was trying to smooth things over with Kimmel.

So, for now anyway, ESPN doesn’t have to hold its breath every Tuesday. Rodgers, according to the New York Post’s Andrew Marchand, was supposed to appear on McAfee’s show for the rest of the playoffs, but McAfee announced on air Tuesday that Rodgers was done for the season.

“So ‘Aaron Rodgers Tuesday’ season 4 is done,” McAfee said. “There are going to be a lot of people that are happy with that, myself included, to be honest. The way it ended, it got really loud, really loud. I’m happy that that is not going to be my mentions going forward, which is great news.”

McAfee said that the past week and Rodgers’ controversies have given his detractors “a lot of stuff to get mad about and become loud about.” He added, “We have messed up in that particular aspect.”

Then McAfee said one of the smartest things he could say: “We live in a country that has freedom of speech. But also you’re gonna have to deal with the consequences of your freedom of speech.”

Rodgers has said plenty of out-there things on McAfee’s show, including about COVID-19, vaccines and other conspiracy theories. And that never stopped his appearances. But once Rodgers started going in on people such as Kimmel and another ESPN executive, that’s when there were problems.

To be clear, McAfee owns his show and has total creative control over its content. But he’s in partnership with ESPN and it would be smart of him to keep the peace with a company that gives him massive exposure. Taking a break from Rodgers is good business for McAfee. And, honestly, wouldn’t McAfee’s fans rather hear talk about the NFL playoffs and coaching firings and actual games than Rodgers drone on and on about science and whatever other goofball things that pop into his head? Frankly, Rodgers’ act wore thin a long time ago.

McAfee went on to say how lucky he has been to have Rodgers on his show but admitted that Rodgers says things that make people angry. That leaves McAfee to deal with the fallout.

“I’m pumped that that is no longer going to be every single Wednesday of my life, which it has been for the last few weeks,” McAfee said.

No word on whether Rodgers will return next season, but the guess is he will. For now, however, ESPN surely is pleased that one headache is going away — for the time being, anyway.

TV’s next big star

Legendary Alabama football coach Nick Saban retired Wednesday. I bring this up because there’s a good chance he will end up in broadcasting.

And wherever he decides to go — in the booth at games or, more likely, as a studio analyst on ESPN’s “College GameDay” or Fox’s “Big Noon Kickoff” — he will be a star. Check that, he will be a broadcasting superstar.

Then again, he could decide to spend his weekends fishing off a quiet dock somewhere.

Media tidbits

• Los Angeles Times television critic Lorraine Ali with “Aaron Rodgers and Donald Trump both represent a dangerous war on accountability.”
• Eric Larsen has been named executive editor of The Indianapolis Star. He comes from the USA Today Network’s Coloradoan, where he had been executive editor.
• Vanity Fair’s Charlotte Klein with “Washington Post newsroom is rattled by buyouts.” Klein reports on how the research team at the Post was gutted with three of the most researchers accepting buyouts. Klein wrote, “Stress over the research buyouts speaks to broader anxiety inside the Post, which heads into this election year with less manpower and lingering uncertainty around both business and editorial strategy.”
• Also in Vanity Fair, Tom Kludt with “‘The Taylor Swift Season’: How Football Writers Made Peace With Covering Travis Kelce’s Love Life.”
• The New York Times announced Kathleen McGrory, a Pulitzer Prize-winning investigative reporter, has been hired as an editor for the Local Investigations Fellowship program. McGrory joins the Times from ProPublica. Before that, she worked at the Tampa Bay Times, where she and colleague Neil Bedi won the 2021 Local Reporting Pulitzer for coverage of a sheriff who started a secretive intelligence operation that harassed citizens and tried to use school grades and child welfare records to profile schoolchildren.
• Entrepreneur, philanthropist and author Sheila Johnson has been named to the PBS Foundation board of directors. Along with her then-husband Robert Johnson, she co-founded Black Entertainment Television in 1980. (They sold BET to Viacom in 1999.) Johnson also is the founder and CEO of the Salamander Collection, which operates luxury properties centered around unique destinations in the U.S. and the Caribbean.

Hot type

• This came out last week, but it’s a fun read: Wall Street Journal sports columnist Jason Gay with “The Hero Maniac Who Played 580 Rounds of Golf in One Year.”
• For The Washington Post, Christopher Cameron with “Behind the push for padel, pickleball’s posher, privileged cousin.”
• For The Atlantic, Tajja Isen with “Seven Books That Earn Your Tears.”

More resources for journalists

• Lead with Influence 2024 (Seminar) — Apply by Jan. 12, for the February program. Also, offered in June and Oct. 2024.
• Transforming Local Crime Reporting Into Public Safety Journalism (Seminar) — Apply now.
• Delve more deeply into your editing skills with Poynter ACES Intermediate Certificate in Editing. Start anytime.
• Empower your storytelling skills with Beat Academy 2024 (Webinar series) — Feb. 1-Sept. 26. Enroll now.

Have feedback or a tip? Email Poynter senior media writer Tom Jones at tjones@poynter.org.

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