Terry Tang named editor-in-chief of the Los Angeles Times after leading the newsroom on an interim basis

LOS ANGELES — Terry Tang, who has led the Los Angeles Times newsroom on an interim basis since January, was formally named editor-in-chief on Monday. She is the first woman in the newspaper’s 142-year history to hold this post.

Since Tang was tapped for the interim role, she decided to reorganize the newsroom, form her own leadership team and place a heavier emphasis on traditional news reporting, the Times said in a report announcing the appointment.

“Terry has shown in the short term that we can build on our legacy of excellence in journalism with stories that matter,” said Times owner Dr. Patrick Soon-Shiong, in a statement. “She understands our mission as a thriving pillar of democracy and the critical role the voice of the LA Times plays – for our city and for the world – in spotlighting the issues that matter most, especially to those whose voices often go unheard. .”

Tang’s appointment comes amid a tumultuous year for the news institution. In January, the Times said it would lay off at least 115 employees — more than 20% of its newsroom — in one of the company’s largest staff cuts ever. Senior editors, photographers and members of the video unit were also part of the purge.

That latest round of job cuts came after more than 70 Times positions — about 13% of the newsroom — were eliminated last June.

Tang replaces Kevin Merida, who abruptly left at the end of January after a 2.5-year term in office.

“The Los Angeles Times and its outstanding journalists make a difference in the lives of California and this country every day,” Tang said in a statement Monday. “It is an honor to have the opportunity to lead an institution that serves our community and make our work indispensable to our readers.”

Previously, Tang led the opinion section for nearly two years after joining the Times in 2019 as deputy opinion editor. Tang will continue to oversee Opinie.

Tang, 65, has deep roots in Southern California. She was born in Taipei, Taiwan, and her family spent a few years in Japan before emigrating to Los Angeles at the age of six.

She graduated from Yale University with a bachelor’s degree in economics and received her law degree from New York University School of Law. She was a Nieman Fellow at Harvard University in the early 1990s.

Before joining the Times, she spent two years at the American Civil Liberties Union, where she was director of publications and editorial. Before that, she worked at the New York Times for twenty years in various roles.

Layoffs and takeovers have hit much of the U.S. news industry in recent years. The Washington Post, NPR, CNN and Vox Media were among the many companies affected.

The major cuts at the Times were necessary because the company could no longer lose up to $40 million a year without increasing advertising and subscription revenue, Soon-Shiong said in January.

Soon-Shiong, a biotech billionaire, acquired the Times in 2018 and returned it to local ownership 20 years after it was sold to Tribune Co. The purchase raised hopes after years of budget cuts, declining circulation and changes in leadership.