Davan Maharaj fired as LA Times publisher after rift with Tronc honchos

Three senior editors fired along with Trinidad-born Maharaj.

Tronc, Inc., owner of  The Los Angeles Times, the fifth-largest newspaper in the United States, fired its Publisher and Editor Davan Maharaj as part of a massive personnel shakeup in the newspaper.

Maharaj was serving in both jobs since March 2016 after he got promoted from the Editor in Chief post, which he held since 2011.

According to an official statement, Maharaj will be replaced by Ross Levinsohn a former Yahoo and of Fox Interactive Media executive.

Jim Kirk, a former editor and publisher of Chicago Sun-Times, will take up the position of interim executive editor.

Levinsohn told CNNMoney that he will try to position the Los Angeles Times for “sustainable, long-term growth.”

“We’re in a moment where the need for the L.A. Times — for journalism, for facts and for reporting — has never been greater, and I see so much potential to grow our impact,” Levinsohn said.

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“This is an amazing opportunity,” Levinsohn said in an interview to LA Times. “The L.A. Times is a bastion of great journalism. My aspiration is to draw upon the incredible amount of work that has been done here and broaden it.”

He also added that he will focus more on “groundbreaking journalism” ranging from areas such as entertainment, art, tech, climate change, and other important subjects.

Maharaj’s ousting was expected as he had been engaged in a clash with Justin Dearborn, CEO of Tronc, and its Chairman Michael Ferro.

Tronc, formerly Tribune Publishing, owns 10 US newspapers, of which the Los Angeles Times is the biggest.

Tronc, previously known as Tribune Publishing, owns nine daily newspapers, and the Los Angeles Times is the biggest one.

The paper carried a report about the ousting of the top executives titled “Ross Levinsohn is named the new publisher and CEO of the L.A. Times as top editors are ousted.” The story alluded to an rift within the top executives and staffers of the newspaper.

The report said three other editors – Managing Editor Marc Duvoisin, Deputy Managing Editor for Digital Megan Garvey and Assistant Managing Editor of Investigations Matt Doig — were also fired along with Maharaj.

The immediate reason for the firing of top executives is believed to be the slowdown in the revenue for the second quarter, which continued to decline for the sixth consecutive quarter.

“During the last 28 years, it has been an honor working with the best journalists in a great American newsroom,” Maharaj said in an email. “They are indomitable, and I wish them well in their continued fight to serve our community. I’m proud of the work we’ve done.”

LA Times won three Pulitzer Prizes, including for breaking news reporting of the 2015 terrorist attack in San Bernardino while Maharaj was the editor.

Maharaj, who was born in Trinidad, started his journalism career in 1989 as an intern and later worked as a reporter in Orange County, Los Angeles, and east Africa.

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