Los Angeles Times editor-in-chief Lewis D’Vorkin accused one of his staffers of “unethical” behavior for leaking a recording of a staff meeting, according to a second leaked recording of a follow-up staff meeting.
The second recording, obtained by NPR, was made after a November New York Times story about The L.A. Times newsroom that featured quotes from an all-hands meeting led by the then-new editor.
At the first meeting, D’Vorkin dodged questions about his handling of the paper’s blackout by Disney. When a recording of that meeting was leaked to the New York Times, D’Vorkin called a second meeting to condemn the leak a few days later, NPR reports.
“Clearly someone here is not playing by the rules of ethical behavior as far as I’m concerned,” D’Vorkin told the 100 or so people who attended the meeting. “At its core it was unethical, and frankly, I think it showed a degree — that whoever was involved was morally bankrupt.”
The leak of the second recording comes just days before the L.A. Times staff is set to vote on unionization. On Thursday, employees will vote on whether or not the NewsGuild-Communications Workers of America will represent the newsroom in collective bargaining with parent company Tronc.