LA Times biz editor returns, warns staff about phone monitoring

Los Angeles Times business editor Kimi Yoshino, who returned to work this week after being suspended, has warned staff members that their phones are being monitored for leaks to other media, reports David Folkenflik of NPR.

Folkenflik reports, “As described by her colleagues, Yoshino warned staffers on Thursday that the LA Times could well extend its investigation into the source of the leak to others in the newsroom.

“A spokeswoman for the newspaper’s parent company, Tronc, told NPR Friday morning there was no current investigation into the leak of the audio.

“D’Vorkin did not respond to detailed questions seeking comment. Two LA Timesstaffers spoke to NPR about what Yoshino said; several posted highlights on Twitter as news of what Yoshino told her business desk colleagues started to break.

“Separately, Levinsohn was placed under corporate investigation two weeks ago after NPR reported on accusations about his past workplace behavior. D’Vorkin was shifted to a new corporate job Sunday after a brief and rocky tenure that included the newsroom voting to unionize for the first time in the paper’s 136-year history. He has been replaced by Jim Kirk, who has served as a news executive and troubleshooter for Tronc. Kirk is a former Chicago Sun-Times editor and publisher. He served briefly as an interim editor at the LA Times last fall.”

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