More Great Investigative Reporting At The Los Angeles Times! Guardians Who Do Not Guard!

http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-conservators-series,0,7048390.special?coll=la-home-headlines

At his recent Zocalo appearance, LA Times Editor Dean Baquet said the Times was increasing its investigative reporting and he has already kept his word. The just started series on the abuses committed within the Guardian system (written by Robin Fields, Evelyn Larrubia and Jack Leonard) is a superb and worthy addition to Steve Lopez's series on Homelessness on Skid Row (which was an investigative series and NOT just the five columns that Baquet has deluded himself into thinking), Cara Mia Massa and Steve Winton's - among others - series on the 'dumping' homeless or criminal or indigent physically sick or mentally ill individuals in Downtown and, of course, the never ending criminal abuses at King-Drew Hospital and the Getty Museum.

There is little that needs to be added to the above story, only the hope that the editorial page will chime in at the end with recommendations on should happen to fix this problem - and what actions we as citizens can take to implement these needed actions.

One final note, though.

If the LA Times is at all serious about solving these problems, publisher Jeff Johnson will announce that all past - and all future investigative reports - will NOT vanish behind the pay to view curtain at the Times. Instead, he should announce that they will all forever remain free and accessible and that a separate page on the website will link to all past - and future - investigative reports. A page, I might add, that should be able to generate considerable on-line advertising revenues due to the demographics of the people who would view it and the reports themselves.

Making that information publicly available will be a great a public service; almost as great a public service as keeping everything else at the LA Times hidden behind a pay-per-view wall.

Sorry... just couldn't resist...