Political Commentator and Columnist Kinsley Named LA Times Editorial Chief

[TacticalPeek]

Political Commentator and Columnist Kinsley Named LA Times Editorial Chief

The Associated Press

Published: Apr 28, 2004

LOS ANGELES (AP) - Political commentator and columnist Michael Kinsley has been named editorial and opinion editor at the Los Angeles Times, the paper said Wednesday.

Kinsley, 53, will be responsible for the paper's daily editorial and letters page, its commentary page and its Sunday Opinion section, Times editor John Carroll said.

The current editorial page editor, Janet Clayton, will become assistant managing editor for state and local news. Both appointments are effective June 14.

Kinsley has been an editor at The New Republic and Harper's and for six years was the co-host of CNN's "Crossfire."


http://ap.tbo.com/ap/breaking/MGAUBQ57MTD.html

[The Zanti Regent]

1. Now if he would give Ramirez the boot....

Lord how I miss Paul Conrad...

[Syrinx]

2. I wonder why he's never on TV anymore

I guess because he's a thoughtful guy not big on bombast, but I could I be wrong.

[MikeG]

3. Because he has MS - he looks really bad.

[DeepModem Mom]

5. MikeG, I believe it's Parkinson's...

that Kinsley suffers from. Thankfully, his health must be good enough to enable him to take on this new job --

[MikeG]

6. You're right

[ProfessorGAC]

10. That's Correct!

As an MS sufferer myself, i know who the "names" are who share my illness and i know Mike's not one of us.
The Professor

[NJCher]

4. Fantastic!

Three cheers for Michael!


Cher

[Voltaire99]

7. Once so lively, but long since dull beyond redemption.

During his rise, Kinsley could debunk like a master in the 1980s. For a short year or two, Harper's was savagely funny and useful under him. Later, his essay eviscerating Bush Sr. was a high point of his time at the New Republic.

Although he's always had a very sharp mind, Kinsley lost his soul and with it his luster as a writer. Too many years of helping Marty Peretz write pro-Nicaraguan Contra editorials took the fight out of him (he once famously defended writing that evil crap for the magazine after his private correspondence knocking it was exposed). Going to work for Gates, his Slate predictably became standard establishment pablum--a crapfest of DLC centrism.

Young journalist, take heed. You don't want to end up like that.

[DeepModem Mom]

8. Could this be a sign?

I don't want to read too much into this, but Kinsley is perceived as a liberal by most. When the present LAT editor came in, not that long ago, I believe he was quoted as saying he didn't want the Times to be seen as "liberal." He didn't want it to be seen as "conservative" either, but the Times is widely excoriated by conservatives in Southern California. And I assume it's only gotten worse since the Times reported Arnold's "groping" on page one, just before the recall, and thousands of subscriptions were canceled. So to name Kinsley to this post seems quite a gutsy move, that MIGHT be a sign of changing times.

Maybe the five Pulitzers the Times just won gave them courage. Like all American media, the LAT is far from perfect, but they are doing some reporting right now that qualifies not just as journalism, but excellent journalism.

[Buck Turgidson]

9. SEATTLE PI: Founding editor of Slate will keep a foot in one pond and dip

Under Kinsley's leadership and with Microsoft's backing, Slate was able to survive the dot-com collapse even as other online publications went out of business. Kinsley left his position as Slate's top editor in 2002 but remained a contributing editor.

"One legitimate reaction to this news might be, 'Gosh, Mike, I didn't know that you were still here,' " Kinsley wrote in his e-mail to Slate's staff yesterday. "In some ways, the past couple of years have been one long goodbye. But as of the end of next week, it will be official."

In an e-mail to their staff yesterday, L.A. Times Editor John Carroll and Managing Editor Dean Baquet called Kinsley "a writer of wit and insight, a clear thinker on public policy and an innovative editor known for spotting and developing talent."


http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/business/171150_kinsley29.html