Los Angeles Times
The Los Angeles Times first appeared on the 4th of December 1881. Nathan Cole Jr. and Thomas Gardiner published the paper under that name. They printed it at the Mirror printing plant owned by Jesse Yarnell and T. J. Caystile. The founders could not pay their printing bill and turned the operation over to the Mirror Company. S. J. Mathes joined the firm and insisted they continue publication. Harrison Gray Otis moved from Santa Barbara in July 1882 to become editor. He purchased a one-quarter stake for $6,000 mostly secured on a bank loan. Otis built a reputation as a businessman capable of manipulating politics and public opinion for his own enrichment. His editorial policy centered on civic boosterism. The paper extolled the virtues of Los Angeles and promoted its growth. It supported efforts to expand the city's water supply by acquiring rights to the distant Owens Valley.
Labor union opposition to the newspaper culminated in a bombing of its headquarters on the 1st of October 1910. The explosion killed 21 people. Two union leaders named James McNamara and Joseph McNamara were charged with the crime. The American Federation of Labor hired noted trial attorney Clarence Darrow to represent the brothers. They eventually pleaded guilty. Otis fastened a bronze eagle atop a high frieze of the new Times headquarters building designed by Gordon Kaufmann. This structure proclaimed anew the credo written by his wife Eliza: Stand Fast, Stand Firm, Stand Sure, Stand True. Historian Kevin Starr wrote that Otis was a businessman capable of manipulating the entire apparatus of politics and public opinion for his own enrichment. The bombing marked a turning point in the paper's relationship with organized labor.
Harry Chandler took control as publisher after Otis died in 1917. He was Otis's son-in-law and the paper's business manager. Norman Chandler succeeded him in 1944 during rapid growth following World War II. Norman's wife Dorothy Buffum Chandler became active in civic affairs and led efforts to build the Los Angeles Music Center. Her name now adorns the main concert hall. Harry Chandler declared the new Art Deco building a monument to progress. The newspaper moved there in 1935 and added facilities until occupying an entire city block known as Times Mirror Square. Otis Chandler held the position from 1960 until 1980. He sought legitimacy for his family's paper often forgotten in Northeastern power centers due to geographic distance. He remade the paper like The New York Times and The Washington Post. In 1962 the paper joined with The Washington Post to form the Los Angeles Times, Washington Post News Service. Otis increased staff size and pay believing the newsroom was the heartbeat of the business. During the 1960s the paper won four Pulitzer Prizes more than its previous nine decades combined.
The Tribune Company purchased Times Mirror in 2000 placing the paper in co-ownership with KTLA. Sam Zell offered to buy the Chicago Tribune, the Los Angeles Times, and all other company assets on the 2nd of April 2007. Tribune filed for bankruptcy protection in December 2008 resulting from declining advertising revenue and a debt load of $12.9 billion. Patrick Soon-Shiong bought the paper through his Nant Capital fund for $500 million plus assumption of $90 million in pension liabilities. The sale closed the 16th of June 2018. On the 21st of July 2025, Soon-Shiong announced he would take the paper public within a year. John Carroll eliminated over 200 jobs during his reign as editor from 2000 to 2005 despite an operating profit margin of 20 percent. Dean Baquet refused additional cutbacks mandated by Tribune but was removed for not meeting demands. He became the first African-American to hold that editorial position at a top-tier daily. The paper reported plans to cut 250 jobs by Labor Day 2008 reducing published pages by 15 percent.
In October 2024 owner Patrick Soon-Shiong told executive editor Terry Tang the newspaper must not endorse a candidate in the 2024 United States presidential election. Instead it should print factual analysis of all positive and negative policies by each candidate. The editorial board rejected this alternative after preparing to endorse Kamala Harris. Mariel Garza editor of the opinion section resigned in protest along with Robert Greene and Karin Klein. Two hundred staff signed a letter condemning how the non-endorsement was handled while thousands cancelled subscriptions. Walt Disney Studios blacklisted the Times from film press screenings in November 2017 following reportage on Disney's political influence in Anaheim. The National Society of Film Critics declared Disney films ineligible for their awards unless the decision reversed. Disney reversed its stance on the 7th of November 2017 stating they had productive discussions with newly installed leadership. In 1999 revenue-sharing arrangements between the Times and Staples Center breached traditional separation between advertising and journalism. Publisher Mark Willes failed to prevent advertisers from pressuring reporters to write favorable stories.
The Los Angeles Times reported daily circulation of 600,449 in October 2010 down from a peak of 1,225,189 daily and 1,514,096 Sunday in April 1990. By 2024 print circulation stood at 79,000. Editor Jim O'Shea characterized the decrease as an industry-wide problem requiring rapid online growth. The paper closed its San Fernando Valley printing plant in early 2006 leaving operations to Olympic plant and Orange County. The Timess loss of circulation was largest among top ten U.S. newspapers. Some observers blamed retirement of circulation director Bert Tiffany while others cited short-lived editors appointed by publisher Mark Willes after Otis Chandler relinquished control in 1995. Willes former president of General Mills was derisively called The Cereal Killer. On the 23rd of January 2024, the newspaper announced layoffs affecting at least 115 employees including senior editorial positions. As of 2022 it had 500,000 online subscribers making it fifth-largest among U.S. newspapers.
As of 2024 the Times has won 41 Pulitzer Prizes including four in editorial cartooning. John L. Gaunt Jr.'s photo Tragedy by the Sea won the 1955 Pulitzer Prize for Photography published the 3rd of April 1954. It showed a young couple beside Pacific Ocean in Hermosa Beach minutes before their 19-month-old son Michael disappeared. The Los Angeles Times received the 1984 Pulitzer Prize for Public Service for its Latinos series. Sportswriter Jim Murray won a Pulitzer in 1990. Investigative reporters Chuck Philips and Michael Hiltzik won the 1999 prize exposing corruption in music business. David Willman won 2001 Investigative Reporting for exposing seven unsafe prescription drugs approved by FDA. Bettina Boxall and Julie Cart won 2009 Explanatory Reporting on wildfire costs across western United States. Barbara Davidson earned 2011 Feature Photography for her story about victims trapped in gang violence crossfire. Three reporters Harriet Ryan, Matt Hamilton, and Paul Pringle won 2019 for investigating gynecologist accused of abusing USC students. Christopher Knight won 2020 Criticism for work demonstrating community service applying expertise to critique L.A. County Museum of Art overhaul.
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Common questions
When was the Los Angeles Times first published?
The Los Angeles Times first appeared on the 4th of December 1881. Nathan Cole Jr. and Thomas Gardiner published the paper under that name.
Who founded the Los Angeles Times and what happened to their printing operation?
Nathan Cole Jr. and Thomas Gardiner published the paper at the Mirror printing plant owned by Jesse Yarnell and T. J. Caystile. The founders could not pay their printing bill and turned the operation over to the Mirror Company.
What caused the bombing of the Los Angeles Times headquarters in 1910?
Labor union opposition to the newspaper culminated in a bombing of its headquarters on the 1st of October 1910. Two union leaders named James McNamara and Joseph McNamara were charged with the crime.
How many Pulitzer Prizes has the Los Angeles Times won as of 2024?
As of 2024 the Times has won 41 Pulitzer Prizes including four in editorial cartooning. John L. Gaunt Jr.'s photo Tragedy by the Sea won the 1955 Pulitzer Prize for Photography published the 3rd of April 1954.
When did Patrick Soon-Shiong purchase the Los Angeles Times?
Patrick Soon-Shiong bought the paper through his Nant Capital fund for $500 million plus assumption of $90 million in pension liabilities. The sale closed the 16th of June 2018.