Los Angeles Times’ Top Editor Kevin Merida Exits

Alex Weprin
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The Los Angeles Times is making a change atop its newsroom.

Kevin Merida, who has been executive editor of the storied newspaper for the last three years, told staff Tuesday that he would be leaving the company, according to a memo viewed by The Hollywood Reporter.

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“Today, with a heavy heart, I announce that I am leaving The Times,” Merida wrote. “I made the decision, in consultation with Patrick, after considerable soul-searching about my career at this stage and how best to be of value to the profession I love.”

The news caught the Times newsroom off-guard, according to one source.

Merida joined the Times from ESPN in 2021, with owner Patrick Soon-Shiong saying at the time that the editor had “a clear understanding of the rigor necessary for independent journalism and how to translate that journalism to multiple platforms.”

A newsroom veteran, Merida had led ESPN’s The Undefeated since 2015, and before that had a long run at The Washington Post, where he was managing editor.

In a separate email, Soon-Shiong added that the news organization is “conducting an internal and external search for his successor” and that “In the near term, the newsroom’s senior leadership team, Julia Turner, Sara Yasin, Scott Kraft and Shani Hilton, will be overseeing the newsroom, with Terry Tang continuing to lead Opinion.”

Dear Colleagues,

It has been an honor being executive editor of the Los Angeles Times for the last two-and-a-half years. Ours is a fierce, resilient, superbly talented newsroom, and I am proud to have belonged to it.

Today, with a heavy heart, I announce that I am leaving The Times. I made the decision, in consultation with Patrick, after considerable soul-searching about my career at this stage and how best to be of value to the profession I love.

I am proud of what we accomplished together during my tenure here, and grateful to Patrick and the Soon-Shiong family for the opportunity to help transform The Times into a modern, innovative news media company for a new generation of consumers. We’ve made tremendous progress toward that goal, and I am hopeful that progress will continue. 

I am happy that I came to L.A. for this exciting challenge during the Covid summer of 2021, and have no regrets. I still believe in The Times and its potential. 

My last day will be Friday. There will be more to come soon about newsroom leadership going forward. In the meantime, I’ll just say: Thank you. Working with all of you has been one of the signature experiences of my career. 

With gratitude,
Kevin

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