And Just Who The Hell Is This David Hiller - New Publisher Of The Los Angeles Times?

Well, according to the Washington correspondent of The Nation - new LA Times publisher David Hiller at least isn't totally the spawn of Satan. Some quotes from a panel discussion they both served on:

John Nichols, Washington correspondent for The Nation, followed with an account of the responsibilities of the press in a democracy, harkening back to the writings of the Founding Fathers and the conception of the media as an “essential check and balance on executive excess, especially during war.”

And...

David D. Hiller—president, publisher, and CEO of the Tribune—defended his paper’s independence from the government, citing the Tribune’s history as an “equal-opportunity discomforter.” He emphasized that accessibility to free news on the internet is pressuring newspaper business models.

And...

The Chicago Tribune is a major daily newspaper lauded by Nichols for its “robust conservatism [in its editorials] in a time of neoconservative drift,” as opposed to the “crooks, conners, and thieves who currently use the name.” Nichols also lauded the Tribune for its expose journalism on such issues as the death penalty, and Warren reiterated the Tribune’s commitment as a government watchdog.

Hiller would seem to fit the mode of a social liberal who is conservative on economic issues (he clerked for Justice Stewart at one time) and that would fit in quite well with the new LA Times of Jeff Johnson and Dean Baquet.

Wikipedia also seems to be impressed by the Tribune's move to the center:

Apart from electoral endorsements, the Tribune has taken on a centrist editorial position in recent years. It has, for example, criticized the Bush administration's record on civil liberties, the environment, and many portions of its foreign policy. At the same time, it has remained economically conservative, being widely skeptical of increasing the minimum wage and entitlement spending. In many ways, this has given the modern Tribune editorial page a libertarian bent.

At the local level, the Tribune has long been -- and remained -- the chief antagonist of the Chicago Democratic Machine, particularly the system of patronage. It has written dozens of editorials criticizing former Cook County Board President John Stroger, for example, and while it has endorsed Mayor Richard M. Daley, it has been strongly critical of hiring policies and other allegedly corrupt deals, including the Hired Truck Program, in his administration. The newspaper has also devoted considerable reporting resources to investigating the machine, running large investigative pieces on irregularities in campaign finances, the delivery of city services, and governmental contracting.

Other hopeful signs (and... admittedly.... we are grasping for straws here...) are that he was in charge of interactive media and also recently oversaw their Hispanic - Chicago-speak for Latino - media.

http://www.hispanicbusiness.com/news/newsbyid.asp?id=13942

Tribune Publishing's David Hiller Expands Responsibilities, Group CFO Jerry Agema Promoted

PR Newswire

CHICAGO, Dec. 8 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Tribune Publishing today announced that David Hiller, president/interactive and senior vice president/publishing, will expand his responsibilities to include oversight of The Baltimore Sun and Tribune Publishing's Hispanic media. In addition, Jerry Agema, vice president/administration and chief financial officer, has been promoted to senior vice president, effective immediately. Agema will continue in his role in administration and finance, and will also oversee strategy and development, human resources and technology within the publishing group.

"David and Jerry are two of the most talented and experienced individuals in Tribune Publishing," said Jack Fuller, Tribune Publishing president.

Hiller is currently responsible for Tribune Interactive, Tribune Classified Services, Tribune Media Service, The Hartford Courant and CLTV. His expanded role will add responsibility for the Pulitzer Prize-winning Sun and Tribune Publishing's Hispanic media division that coordinates group activities among the company's Spanish-language newspapers, including the New York and Chicago editions of Hoy.

Hiller was appointed senior vice president/publishing in February 2003, and president of Tribune Interactive in May 2000. From 1993 to 2000, Hiller served as Tribune Company senior vice president/development, with responsibility for strategic planning, acquisitions and new-venture investments. He was Tribune's vice president/general counsel from 1988 to 1993...