Ask any Orange County political insider or elected official what reporter they talk to at the LA Times and they will shrug and say no one. It is painfully clear that the LA Times has abandoned any hope of having a viable Orange County operation. They canceled their Orange County section years ago and rarely print oped submissions regarding OC public policy.
I did a poll in the city of Garden Grove a couple years back that showed the LA Times was the fourth most popular local news source among resident after the OC Register, the local Garden Grove Journal, and even the local Channel 3. The rest of Orange County would probably show similar results.
The Times’ last respected OC-based journalist left several months ago. Jean Pasco was the dean of the OC press corps when she packed it in to join the staff of the Orange County Clerk-Recorder.
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September 28th, 2006 at 12:00 am
Response to the LATimes’ non-response
I like and respect Steve Marble. I regret that he is forced to defend a reporter whose actions are indefensible. I gave Ms. Hanley a 22-hour written notice to give her side of the story. She declined. I detailed specific misconduct by her in my letter to the Orange County prosecutors who work in my office. I am puzzled that the content of the letter would be “shocking” to Mr. Marble. On multiple occasions I have met with him to discuss Ms. Hanley’s actions and to implore him to investigate her conduct.
I would hate for the readers to be left with the false impression that Mr. Marble was ambushed with any of the facts I included in my email yesterday. But instead of conducting an investigation into her actions, the LA Times has made a sweeping, general denial. During the 26 hours they spent before responding to my letter, they did not entertain even the possibility that any of the allegations could be true. Instead, the Times resorted to calling me names and attacking my integrity.
The Times claims that I have engaged in “a running pattern of attacking reporters engaged in investigative work.” If so, why have I cooperated and offered quotes to other media outlets and publications that have written unflattering and negative things about the District Attorney’s Office and me? Is “investigative work” within the Times a euphemism for fabricating facts, breaking promises, and behaving unethically?
We are very disappointed in the Times’ response, but we are always hopeful that they will stop being defensive, cease in the name-calling, investigate the facts, and agree to change their behavior. The Orange County District Attorney looks forward to meeting with Mr. Marble.