Opinion L.A.

A New LA Times Opinion Blog

We are proud to introduce our third Los Angeles Times Opinion Blog, Bit Player, written by the incomparable Jon Healey. Jon is an editorial writer at the Times who pens most editorials on the subjects of business, entertainment and technology. His knowledge in these areas is encyclopedic, and his blog is bound to be an entertaining and enlightening read.

Jon starts by writing about Sony BMG and the Times' entertainment poll series, which has been running this week. We hope you will go and take a look!

Tony Blair On The Spot

Tony Blair, the Prime Minister of Great Britain, stopped by the Times yesterday for an action-packed Q&A session with the editorial board and other senior editors. Among the questions that were asked was one question from a reader. Exerpts from our conversation with Blair are below. The full list of questions and more information can be found here.

Featured question

Why do you continually focus so much on increasing economic aid to Africa instead of corruption, when you know, and if you don't you certainly need to find out the reality, especially here in Nigeria, that the VAST majority of it never reaches the poor people for which it is intended?

— Adisa, Lagos, Nigeria

Blair's response

"We've got a peer review process, which the African governments are going through, which is actually quite robust, where they have to come up to certain benchmarks on democratic process.

"We've also got the agreement on the extractive industries, which I'm trying to get everybody to agree to, but which will basically mean that there is transparency in all the exploitation of the metal resources of Africa so that people see what's actually being paid and why.

"The only way of dealing with Africa is a partnership. We have got to put immense pressure on African countries and African leadership to stop practices of corruption, to get proper judicial systems, we are prepared to help and support them in that, but it was actually a very important moment when President [Olusegun] Obasanjo put forward his proposal to stand for a third term, they said no, and now he's leaving office. That's important. There have been African countries changing hands for the first time democratically. But then you get a situation like Zimbabwe where you kind of despair because the pressure for change there should be coming from within Africa, not from outside Africa.

Other selected quotes from Blair:

On Middle East violence: "My argument is that the immediate crisis in the Lebanon is indicative of some far deeper crisis, which is basically a struggle about global values.... The most important thing is that we show that our values are based not just on freedom but also on fairness."

On Israeli bombing of Lebanon: What happened at Qana was terrible and tragic, but the fact is you're not going to get a cease-fire unless it's on both sides as part of an agreement.... Short term — there's no point in being absurd about it — there's a lot of damage to the cause of moderation done amongst the Arab and Muslim countries, but what's Israel supposed to do when it comes under attack like that?"

On Iraq's future: "It has evolved into a different type of conflict ... and we will judge whether we have succeeded or not when the democratically elected Iraqi government is predominantly in charge of its country.... You cannot say we have succeeded if in Baghdad actually you've got militias running the streets rather then the Iraqi army and security forces. So that's the test."

On climate change: "America should always be in the lead on every major issue.... You could take the view if America led on climate change the rest of the world would resent it, but actually they wouldn't. The rest of the world would say, 'Well, that's great, America's caring about an issue we care about.'... A climate change deal without America, China and India is, how can I put it, not entirely effective."

On use of force: "Sudan is a classic example in which once again we are not intervening as strongly as we should be.... I'm basically an interventionist. Afghanistan shows you what happens when you're not. We let that place go."

On Bush: "Any world leader who deals with President Bush will tell you that whatever disagreement some of them may have with his policy, he is always a charming and courteous person to deal with.

Update: Times v. Tribune Coverage

The Chandler-Tribune fued has triggered two L.A. Times items of interest the last few days.

The first was a profile of Tribune Co. CEO Douglas FitzSimons by Thomas Mulligan in Tuesday's paper.

Conservative radio host Hugh Hewitt called the piece an all-out attack on Tribune by its ungrateful and unreformable employees:

This is a classic hit piece, standard fare for the Times, but usually reserved for a politician that the paper has decided must go.

Former Times staffer Ken Reich at Take Back The Times attacked FitzSimons, saying that the piece showed the Times feels mistreated:

This is no surprise. It means what has become obvious, that FitzSimons cares far more about making money than he does about journalistic quality. He has even selfishly raised his own salary, while Tribune fortunes sink.

The second piece is a column by Steve Lopez, who attacks Tribune executives as "corporate profiteers," and tries to convince local billionaire philanthropist Eli Broad, among others, to buy the paper.

Election Edition: Misleading, Bored, and Uninformed

Comeback kind: Lou Cannon says Schwarzenegger's likability puts Westly and Angelides in the shade (illustration by Roman Genn)

The primary election is just a week away, which for most voters means fumbling through misleading voter information guides, picking Superior Court judges' names at random, or just staying home. Here's some notable recent election coverage in the opinion and news pages to get you in the voting mood:

Lying guides: The Times' Robert Greene dissects the state's Official Voter Information Guide. He writes: "The Official Voter Information Guide (available, by the way, in seven languages, and costing $9.3 million this year to print and mail) becomes an extension of the pro and con campaign mail that floods mailboxes a few days before each election. Backers and opponents of ballot measures can, and often do, say pretty much anything to get you on their side."

Election fatigued: Too many elections make Jack a bored voter, says analyst Tony Quinn. He writes:

"The biggest decision on the ballot is whether Democrats prefer state Treasurer Phil Angelides or state Controller Steve Westly as their candidate for governor. Neither has stirred much political excitement, a state of affairs reflected in the relatively large number of voters still undecided. Tired voters may do what they always do when bored by politics — stay home.

"A low turnout usually means an older, more conservative electorate. In 2002, nearly as many Republicans as Democrats voted despite the fact that Democrats outnumbered Republicans by 1.5 million voters. If that happens in June, Proposition 82, the measure to raise income taxes on the rich to pay for universal preschool, will probably lose. Polls show voters are split on the proposal."

Schwarzenegger's baaack: The Austrian-born mumbler has rumbled back into the thick of the gubernatorial race, writes author Lou Cannon. Why? He's just too darn likable to let a few political stumbles get in his way:

"The biggest single reason that Schwarzenegger is favored to win reelection is that a significant majority of voters, including those who take a dim view of his policies, like him. He descended into politics as a popular celebrity known from his movies, particularly the 'Terminator' films, and this aura still clings to him despite his many political mishaps. A poll in March by the Public Policy Institute of California showed that, his policies notwithstanding, 71% of prospective voters said they liked the governor.

"When any incumbent enters an election with the personal approval of more than 70% of the electorate, he has a leg up on his opponents. 'There's a reservoir of goodwill for Gov. Schwarzenegger,' said H.D. Palmer, deputy director for external affairs at the state Department of Finance and the governor's chief spokesman on fiscal issues. 'People want him to succeed because they want the state to succeed.' "

Sandbox standoff: The debate over Proposition 82, the universal preschool initiative, is a chalkboard scratch-off. Clouds of chalk dust fly as foes scribble numbers and try to wipe out their opponents' fuzzy math. Here's a taste from two recent op-eds:

From opponent Bruce Fuller, a UC Berkeley education prof: "Lower-income children would get less than half of the estimated $2.4 billion in new annual pre-school funding that would be raised by taxing the wealthiest Californians. That's partly because over half of these children already attend free preschool. At least $1.4 billion would go to subsidize better-off parents who can already afford to pay for preschool."

From proponent Arthur Reynolds, a Minnesota child development specialist: "A much-discussed 2005 Rand Corp. study found that a universal program of high quality for all California 4-year-olds would return to society from $2 to $4 for every dollar invested. That's a conservative calculation."

Go HERE to read the full op-eds and cast your vote.

Want more? Here's an op-ed by Stanford economist Michael Boskin arguing "Proposition 82 is the latest in a string of terrible initiatives that seek to micromanage the state by creating unnecessary, inefficient, multibillion-dollar programs financed by ever-higher tax rates."

The Superior Court guessing game: Times reporter Jessica Garrison writes about the uninformed scramble for state Superior Court spots: "Chances are, most voters won't have heard of any of the prospective judges whose names will appear at the bottom of their ballot next month. Chances are, most voters will vote anyway." Judges with unusual names are especially at risk of election challenges. Example: experienced jurist Dzintra Janavs, whose campaign consultant believes was targeted because of her tongue-twisting name.

Want to skip the guesswork? See the Times endorsements for Superior Court, the nation's largest trial court. And yes, the Times endorses Janavs, whose white-bread challenger Lynn Diane Olson put lawyering on hold to run a Manhattan Beach bagel shop. "Olson may make the better bagel. Janavs would remain by far the better judge," write the Times editors. See all Times endorsements at www.latimes.com/endorsements.

When Vicente Met Antonio

Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa with Mexican President Vicente Fox at the Getty Center

As the city shut down for the Memorial Day weekend, Mexican President Vicente Fox wrapped up his four-day U.S. tour in L.A. today — the end of his first California visit in five years. Fox met with two leading local immigration-reform backers, Mayor Antonia Villaraigosa and Cardinal Roger Mahony, as well as labor leaders. The Times reports tomorrow that Villaraigosa tried to avoid talking about immigration, which he called a federal matter. The mayor stuck to his trade-mission talking points with reporters, while Fox said "a legal, safe, orderly immigration policy will benefit the security and prosperity of both our nations."

Spanish-language daily La Opinion reported that Fox applauded yesterday's Senate vote for comprehensive immigration reform, saying it would help the two countries focus their attention on security and economic growth. "We are your allies in the war against drugs and crime," he said in a meeting with Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger.

Yesterday Fox told reporters Mexico is "promoting economic growth and social opportunities so that migration is no longer a necessity," the Times noted. Since Fox was last in California, some 5 million people have crossed the U.S.-Mexico border illegally, according to the Pew Hispanic Center.

LAPD's William Bratton: Blog Cop

IP-address APB: LAPD's Bratton is on the blog

Times newshound Patrick McGreevy reports that L.A. Police Chief William Bratton is getting into the computer age. No, we're not talking about the long-delayed, court-ordered officer-tracking system. We're talking blog.

With LAPD Blog, Bratton joins a suddenly crowded field of civic bloggers, including Councilman Eric Garcetti and animal services manager Ed Boks.

(Note: As of 1 p.m. Friday the main LAPD site was redirecting users to a non-LAPD "under construction" page offering free ringtones and links to an education news blog that wasn't the Times' perky School Me!) UPDATED 3:48 p.m.: www.lapdblog.org now appears to be working.

The blog's first posts take a more confrontational approach than the generally upbeat attitude of other civic blogs. An unsigned response to a Daily News editorial alleging he cooked crime stats begins, "Your recent article and editorial regarding the Los Angeles Police Department crime statistics require a deeper explanation and discussion than you have allowed." Bratton told the Times he sees the blog as "an opportunity for me to respond to those issues where I feel the department is being misrepresented." Watch out, trolls! 

The story says Bratton will post regularly on the departmental blog, but a staff member will administer the blog.

The chief hasn't given up on old media, though. Last week he defended the department in a Times op-ed arguing the post-Rampart consent decree not be extended when it expires next month. Bratton wrote:

This is a new LAPD. Fully one-third of our officers have been hired since the consent decree was implemented in 2001, and more than two-thirds have joined the department since 1995, when the Justice Department began its investigation. So, a significant percentage of our officers accept these "new" practices as normal operating procedure. Among the changes: watch commander review of arrestees and booking charges, stringent selection standards for anti-gang and field training officers and creation of a specialized division to investigate uses of force.

Plus, he didn't add but could have — we're bloggin'.

LAPD Standoff: A federal judge will hear arguments May 15 about whether to extend the consent decree two years or let it expire next month. Read Erwin Chemerinsky, Catherine Lhamon and Mark Rosenbaum's oped about why the LAPD still needs policing, and Bratton's op-ed about the new LAPD, and cast your vote.

L.A.'s Fast Runners

He's like the wind: Sheriff Lee Baca in a 5K benefit run in February (AP)

Independent Sources blog does a close reading of the Times and finds L.A. Sheriff Leroy Baca would beat Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa ... in a 10K footrace: "The Los Angeles Times' recent story on Antonio Villaraigosa’s active schedule included a picture of the LA Mayor running the 5K Run for Victims’ Rights 5k. They noted that his time of 22:58 was quicker than his LAPD body guard. This is indeed impressive unless of course you compare it to the running exploits of Sheriff Lee Baca [....] If Villaraigosa were to run a 10k and slow [his] pace only to around 7:30/mile (a conservative estimate) because of the longer distance, Baca would beat him by a about a mile." Catch up with Baca in Times reporters Robin Fields and Stuart Pfeifer's Sunday story about the "quirky sheriff."

Grudge Match: Does Foreign Aid Work?

Aid at work: A doctor writes a boy's weight on his arm in Congo (Getty Images)

Last week in the Times, economist William Easterly argued spending mountains of cash on a campaign to end poverty is getting us nowhere. Yesterday, academic and advocate Jeffrey Sachs took aim at Easterly and other foreign-aid "skeptics." Read the op-eds here and decide who's right — then cast your vote on who won.

You've Seen Those "10 Immigration Facts From the L.A. Times," Right?

Well, it's an e-mail/blog hoax. To see the truth, as best we have determined, check out Swati Pandey over at our Borderline blog.

Hiltzik Suspended

The L.A. Times has suspended Pulitzer-winning business columnist Michael Hiltzik without pay, and discontinued both his column and his weblog, in response to the news that Hiltzik used psuedonyms on his blog and elsewhere to comment on Times-related matters, including his own work. From the editor's note:

Hiltzik did not commit any ethical violations in his newspaper column, and an internal inquiry found no inaccurate reporting in his postings in his blog or on the Web. But employing pseudonyms constitutes deception and violates a central tenet of The Times' ethics guidelines: Staff members must not misrepresent themselves and must not conceal their affiliation with The Times. This rule applies equally to the newspaper and the Web world.

Over the past few days, some analysts have used this episode to portray the Web as a new frontier for newspapers, saying that it raises fresh and compelling ethical questions. Times editors don't see it that way. The Web makes it easier to conceal one's identity, and the tone of exchanges is often harsh. But the Web doesn't change the rules for Times journalists.

Whole thing here; related material at L.A. Observed. Hiltzik will be "reassigned" after the suspension. The investigation was triggered by some tech sleuthing by serial Hiltzik/Times antagonist Patrick "Patterico" Frey, who drew an initially dismissive response from Hiltzik.

Frey is conflicted about the result:

Obviously, the decision was the editors’ to make, and they have made it. I will have to reflect on this. I may post further thoughts over the weekend.

Regardless of whether this was the right move, I take no joy in the result, and I encourage readers to show class and restraint in their comments.

L.A. Voice's Mack Reed is not shedding any tears:

The memo from Editor Dean Baquet and Managing Editor Doug Frantz puts it pretty well, but almost misses Hiltzik's crime against authorial morality in pinpointing the one against editorial policy [...]

[H]e stumbled by manufacturing two of his greatest fans, posing as them on his own blog and others, and trying to mislead the public as to his own popularity - both the height of vanity and the depth of stupidity for a blogger. It was only a matter of time before someone exposed him. If you proclaim yourself a truth-teller and analyst of fact, you can't get away with lying for long in this venue.

Hugh Hewitt pours scorn on the whole enterprise:

Isn't it at least a little ironic that the Times releases this information on a Friday afternoon, traditional burial ground of bad news-- in an obvious effort to have the story pass with as little attention as possible? So much for transparency.

Michael Hiltzik is just one of hundreds of examples of ideologicially blinkered agenda journalists at the Times. He just got caught. [...]

The Times concludes "an internal inquiry found no inaccurate reporting."

[T]he culture at the Times that produced him quite obviously stays the same.

Lefty blogger and bankruptcy lawyer Steve Smith, on the other hand, thinks the suspension was a terrible mistake:

Perhaps demonstrating, once and for all, that the LA Times doesn't get the internet or the blogosphere [....] Being a monopoly allows you to do stuff like that.