PressEthic

During an age when journalists are being jailed for protecting their sources, our own democratic government is attempting to block shield laws and our President and his administration are some of the most taciturn in history - it is refreshing to read an article about someone who took a risk in defense of the journalist.

Too bad he may lose his job over it.

An article in The New York Times chronicles the conflict between The Los Angeles Times and its corporate parent, the Tribune Company. Publisher, Jeff Johnson and editor, Dean Baquet defied the Tribune when they refused to accept demands to make staff and budget cuts – and announced so publicly.

The request for cuts comes less than a year after Johnson complied with demands to cut $10 million from the paper’s budget and eradicated hundreds of jobs. Johnson declared the second round of cuts a drastic and deficient attempt at a solution to the paper’s problems, problems that plague the industry in general.

His defense of the paper has earned the praise of the LA Times newsroom.

Jeff has really emerged as a hero to a lot of us in the newsroom, said Mark Z. Barabak, a reporter who covers state and national politics. You’d expect your editor to stand up and fight for the editorial integrity of the paper, but it was surprising and inspiring and courageous that the publisher stood alongside of him.

Johnson is a businessman by pedigree and education and is not deemed by most to have acted irrationally in his defiance. Amidst the paper’s increasing costs and decreasing revenue Johnson agreed to millions in cuts last year and fought against the editor in favor of ad space on section fronts. He is being lauded as “business minded but with a moral compass.”

Jeff has never said that we don’t need to make intelligent cost cuts, said Jack Klunder, senior vice president for circulation at The Los Angeles Times. The challenge is, How do you grow your business when you have years of a stagnant or even declining revenue picture? You can’t grow your business just by cutting costs.

”Here is a guy who really understands the business side of the business and has a tremendous respect for the product," said Matt Toledo publisher of the Los Angeles Business Journal.

The question is, will he still have a job?

Because of his seemingly heroic, undoubtedly brave (some might argue stupid) move, Johnson and Baquet were both called into a meeting in Chicago with the Tribune.

According to an article in the International Herald Tribune, while over 400 members of the LA Times editorial staff petitioned on Johnson’s behalf, only time will tell just how detrimental his defensive position will prove to be for his career.

The remarkable thing about the meeting, to Johnson's colleagues back in Los Angeles, was that he was not fired…Colleagues said Johnson returned to Los Angeles and told them that he had reached "an understanding" with Chicago, at least for now. "Let's focus on running the business," he told them…This latest development has led some at the newspaper to hold out hope that Johnson and Dean Baquet, the top editor, who also defied Tribune, may be able to keep their jobs.

I find the controversy this situation caused to be alarming because it sets a vastly negative precedent. How will evidence of such drama in the face of defiance speak to other editors and publishers when inevitably faced with a similar dilemma amid industry chaos?

What will become of the journalist and the product when one is forced to become constantly aware of the imminent threat of jail or job loss due to any attempt to defend ones craft and integrity?

(*UPDATE: Johnson did lose his job. Discussed in Nieman Watchdog article.)