L.A. Times publisher Ross Levinsohn to take unpaid leave of absence

[brooklynite]

Source: Los Angeles Times

Los Angeles Times publisher and chief executive Ross Levinsohn was placed on an unpaid leave of absence Friday while the paper’s parent company, Tronc, investigates allegations of inappropriate conduct while an executive at other companies.

Times President Mickie Rosen will lead the newspaper in Levinsohn’s absence and Editor in Chief Lewis D’Vorkin will continue to lead the newsroom, Tronc CEO Justin Dearborn said in an email to employees.

Tronc said it has hired the law firm Sidley Austin LLP to review the allegations contained in a report by National Public Radio that found Levinsohn was a defendant in two sexual harassment lawsuits and that he allegedly engaged in “frat-boy” behavior in work settings before joining the Times on Aug. 21.

“I want to reemphasize to you all that the Company takes any allegations of inappropriate behavior by its employees very seriously,” Dearborn said in a note to staff. “It is critical that in any such circumstances we conduct a thorough review so that we have a full understanding of what happened. We will not hesitate to take further action, if appropriate, once the review is complete.”



Read more: http://www.latimes.com/business/hollywood/la-fi-ct-ross-levinsohn-leave-20180119-story.html

[dalton99a]

1. Among the accusations:

https://www.npr.org/2018/01/18/578612534/accusations-of-frat-house-behavior-trail-la-times-publisher-s-career

Among the accusations:

Levinsohn was sued in separate sexual harassment lawsuits as an executive at two different corporations. By his own sworn testimony, Levinsohn admitted to rating the relative "hotness" of his female colleagues in office banter as a vice president at a digital media company. He also testified that he speculated about whether a woman who worked for him there was a stripper on the side.

Two witnesses say they were shocked to see Levinsohn aggressively kissing and pressing himself against a woman at a glitzy music industry dinner in plain view of his subordinates and his clients. Levinsohn was married at the time.

Levinsohn once told an executive for the Hollywood Reporter he would not stay at the publication's lunch honoring the entertainment business's most influential fashion stylists because he would have to be surrounded by gays — using a vulgar epithet for them, according to the executive.

[mahatmakanejeeves]

2. OT: NewsGuild won by a margin of around 5-to-1 in NLRB vote at LA Times, according to the union.

Retweeted by Dave Weigel: https://twitter.com/daveweigel

NewsGuild won by a margin of around 5-to-1 in NLRB vote at LA Times, according to the union. Tronc has aggressively opposed the union.
(Story on @TheTerminal now, should be online in a bit.)

Link to tweet