LA Times biz editor Yoshino returns to work Thursday

Kimi Yoshino, the Los Angeles Times business editor unceremoniously suspended last week without a public explanation, is returning to work Thursday, reports Ricardo Lopez of Variety.

Lopez writes, “Yoshino, a well-regarded editor, had been suspended by former editor-in-chief Lewis D’Vorkin amid an aggressive effort to learn which newsroom staffers were responsible for leaks to outside news organizations reporting on turmoil afflicting the newspaper. The incident caused an immediate revolt in the newsroom, and within days, Tronc, the Times’ parent company, had removed D’Vorkin from the post and named him to a senior position at Tronc.

“Tronc on Sunday named veteran Chicago journalist Jim Kirk as editor-in-chief. He had been interim editor until D’Vorkin’s appointment in October. During an all-hands meeting on Monday, Kirk said he had invited Yoshino to return.

“The Times has been besieged in recent weeks by a number of scandals, including an investigation into Los Angeles Times publisher and CEO Ross Levinsohn after NPR published a report detailing two sexual-harassment settlements and past inappropriate behavior by Levinsohn. He is currently on unpaid leave while an outside law firm investigates.”

Read more here.