Boston Globe editor Marty Baron today put the kibosh on speculation that he could be headed to the Los Angeles Times to become a managing editor under that paper's editor and his good friend, Dean Baquet.
And Boston Herald editorial director Ken Chandler, while not quite so definitive, downplayed any suggestion he might return to his old stomping grounds at the New York Post.
The Baron rumor appeared in LA Observed, the Web site featuring the reporting of Kevin Roderick whose resume includes twenty years at the Times.
LA Observed Earlier in his career, Baron worked at the L.A. Times in a variety of roles ranging from business editor to editor of the Orange County edition. And he is very friendly with Baquet, a former colleague from The New York Times. In fact, Baron and Baquet were frequently mentioned in media speculation as possible successors to New York Times executive editor Howell Raines, who resigned in 2003 in the wake of the Jayson Blair scandal.
Baquet instead succeeded John Carroll, who resigned as newsroom boss at the L.A. Times in July.
Carroll resigns Regardless of the relative merits of the two papers, it seems a little far-fetched that Baron would leave the top job in Boston for a lesser position in Los Angeles. When asked to respond to the L.A. rumor, Baron flatly told Media Log that "I'm not interested, which is not a reflection of the paper, which I dearly love" nor on Baquet who he calls "a terrific friend."
"I have a great job and have no intention of looking for another job," Baron added.
Chandler, a longtime Rupert Murdoch employee, was editor of the Post from 1993-1999 and publisher from 1999-2002, before he was essentially given his walking papers by Lachlan Murdoch. But now that Rupert has succeeded his son as publisher of the Post, there's been some speculation that Chandler, who returned to the Herald in 2003, could be reunited with his old boss in the Big Apple.
Rupert returns Asked if he had any plans to rekindle his Post career, Chandler told Media Log, "Not that I'm aware of." While not quite an unequivocal "no," Chandler then added: "I'm committed to the Herald and there's still a lot to be done here."