*Kevin Merida is stepping down as the executive editor of the Los Angeles Times, he announced Tuesday.
“Today, with a heavy heart, I announce that I am leaving The Times,” Merida wrote to the staff on Tuesday. “I made the decision in consultation with Patrick, after considerable soul-searching about my career at this stage and how I can best be of value to the profession I love.”
Merida’s departure comes after a tenure of less than three years.
We reported previously that Merida built a lengthy career in newspapers, including 22 years at the Washington Post before joining ESPN in 2015 to lead the sports culture show “The Undefeated.” He also worked at the Dallas Morning News and Milwaukee Journal.
When he joined The Times in 2021, the newspaper’s owners, Patrick and Michele Soon-Shiong, said Merida “possesses a clear understanding of the rigor necessary for independent journalism and how to translate that journalism to multiple platforms.”
The statement continued, “He also shares our passion for the unique opportunity we have to build the L.A. Times into a media enterprise with a distinct West Coast point of view.”
Per journal-isms.com, Soon-Shiong noted in a recent email 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.”.
In his letter to staffers, Merida wrote, “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.”
He continued, “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.”
READ MORE: L.A. Times Taps ESPN’s Kevin Merida As New Executive Editor
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