To: Dr. Patrick Soon-Shiong
CC: Norman Pearlstine, Scott Kraft and Kimi Yoshino
Thank you for seeing us and for hearing our voices. But most of all, thank you for agreeing to be a force for long-needed changes at The Los Angeles Times.
We were heartened to read your letter and learn that you have agreed to invest in diversifying our newsroom by hiring more Black journalists over the next 36 months. Just as important, we applaud your decision to provide equal pay and more pathways for Black journalists to advance our careers at The Times.
We are eager to help to reshape and expand coverage to include more underrepresented Black and Latino communities and, with your support, to root out the unconscious bias that too often pervades the framing of stories and headlines, driving away subscribers of color.
Moreover, it was encouraging to hear that you take accusations of misconduct, discrimination and harassment seriously. Like many of our Guild colleagues, we have been troubled by several serious allegations that have emerged in recent days, including some against former Food Editor Peter Meehan. We call on management to conduct a thorough and transparent investigation into what happened.
In short, we look forward to working with you to help The Times become a workplace that all of us can be proud of. One that is not only diverse and inclusive, but truly an environment of fairness, kindness and mutual respect.
In solidarity,
The Black Caucus of the L.A. Times Guild