The Los Angeles Times has named Terry Tang executive editor.
“We’re thrilled to have Terry Tang leading the L.A. Times newsroom,” Patrick and Michele Soon-Shiong, owners of The Times, said in a statement. “We made a decision in December to make changes in leadership to revitalize the L.A. Times. Terry in short order has demonstrated the capability of building on our legacy of excellence in journalism with stories that matter. She understands our mission to be a thriving pillar of democracy and the critical role that the L.A. Times’ voice plays — to our city, and to the world — in bringing attention to issues that matter most, especially for those whose voices are often unheard. She also understands how vital it is that we connect the community with our journalism, better engage with our readers and build new audiences as we seek to transform The Times into a self-sustaining institution.”
Tang is the first woman to lead the newsroom in The Times’ 142-year history. She was named interim executive editor on Jan. 25, following the owner’s decision to replace the executive editor.
She quickly moved to establish her editorial leadership and restructure the newsroom. On Jan. 30, she promoted Hector Becerra, who’d been serving as deputy managing editor for California and Metro, to managing editor and the following day Maria L. La Ganga, who’d served as the city editor, was promoted to deputy managing editor for California and Metro. Tang also continued overseeing Opinion, working with Deputy Editorial Page Editor Mariel Garza, who leads the editorial board, and Deputy Op-Ed Editor Susan Brenneman, for op-ed, during that period and will do so going forward.
“The Los Angeles Times and its superb journalists make a difference every day in the life of California and this nation,” Tang said. “It’s an honor to have the opportunity to lead an institution that serves our community and to make our work indispensable to our readers.”
Tang joined the L.A. Times as an op-ed editor in 2019. She was promoted to op-ed and Sunday Opinion editor in 2020 and appointed editor of the editorial page in 2022.
Before she joined the L.A. Times, Tang served as director of publications and editorial at the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU). Prior to that, she worked at the New York Times for 20 years in many positions: as deputy editorial page editor; op-ed editor; assistant editorial page editor; editorial writer; deputy technology editor; metro desk major beats editor; and co-founder and editor of Room for Debate, an online platform for rapid-response commentary. Her journalism career began in Seattle, where she was an editorial writer and columnist at the Seattle Times and a reporter at the Seattle Weekly.
“Terry has done an excellent job leading the newsroom,” said Times President and COO Chris Argentieri. “Over my nearly 10 years with the Los Angeles Times, I’ve had the privilege of working with previous editors and interviewing many candidates for this role, which is extremely important to our organization, to the community and to our society as a whole. Terry is truly the best candidate to lead the Los Angeles Times’ journalism organization now and we’re fortunate she accepted the role.”
Tang graduated from Yale with a bachelor’s degree in economics and received a J.D. from New York University School of Law. She was a Nieman fellow at Harvard in 1992-93. Her family immigrated to Los Angeles from Taiwan, and she grew up in Gardena.
