Yoshino Named Deputy Managing Editor at Times

Kimi Yoshino

Los Angeles Times Executive Editor Norman Pearlstine on Monday unveiled his leadership team, which includes Kimi Yoshino, who has been promoted to deputy managing editor.

Yoshino, 46, who has served as business editor for the past four years and has been in charge of the newspaper’s digital report for the last few months, will oversee sports, business, arts, entertainment and lifestyle coverage.

Yoshino, who grew up in Modesto, joined the newspaper’s Orange County edition in 2000 and worked as an editor in Metro and as a reporter.

“I have come to recognize Kimi’s innate sense of fairness,” Pearlstine said. “She makes tough decisions look easy. I also appreciate her ability to create an environment that encourages collaboration and great journalism.”

Also on the leadership team are Scott Kraft, managing editor (previously deputy managing editor); Kris Viesselman, chief transformation editor and creative director (previously editor-in-chief of Congressional Quarterly Roll Call); Colin Crawford, remaining as deputy managing editor; and Nick Goldberg, remaining as editor of the editorial pages. All five editors will report to Pearlstine.

Controversial Suspension

In January, Yoshino’s suspension by a previous editor-in-chief, Lewis D’Vorkin, prompted an outcry from the newsroom, which quickly mobilized to support her.

According to NPR, Yoshino made a triumphant return to the newsroom to applause in February, telling colleagues she had been whisked away and suspended as part of the newspaper’s investigation into the leak of taped remarks by D’Vorkin in November. She said she was grilled over a conversation she had with New York Times reporter Sydney Ember in advance of a story published in that paper.

The story revealed that reporters had clashed with D’Vorkin at a November newsroom meeting over his handling of the Walt Disney Co.’s condemnation of The L.A. Times for its coverage of financial breaks given by the City of Anaheim to the entertainment giant. D’Vorkin had not publicly defended his staff’s reporting even as Disney blocked Times reporters from advance screenings of its films.

Yoshino denied sharing any audio with Ember. The leak incensed D’Vorkin and L.A. Times Publisher Ross Levinsohn, who called New York Times Executive Editor Dean Baquet to complain.

“I am so thankful for the support of colleagues near and far, and especially for the loyalty and trust of the @latimesbiz staff who spoke out on my behalf,” Yoshino tweeted at the time.

In addition to the Anaheim-Disney connection, Yoshino had overseen coverage of the paper’s own troubles, including a vote to unionize and allegations of sexual harassment by Levinsohn.