Rally Protests Times’ Coverage of Alatorre, Voter Probe
About 30 protesters demonstrated outside The Times’ downtown offices Friday, calling for a boycott of the newspaper and its advertisers because of what the group called biased coverage of Latinos.
As a dance troupe performed traditional Aztec dances in front of the building at noon, demonstrators yelled to passersby: “Boycott the L.A. Times!”
Organizers said the newspaper prints sensational, negative coverage of Latinos, citing stories about allegations of voter fraud in the election of Rep. Loretta Sanchez (D-Garden Grove) and recent articles about Los Angeles City Councilman Richard Alatorre’s possible conflicts of interest.
“The bottom line is this: The L.A. Times has ceased to be fair and neutral,” said Luis Carrillo, a member of the group organizing the boycott. “Instead, The Times has become a shrill advocate for partisan, racist agendas.”
Times Editor Michael Parks rejected the group’s criticism. “As we report on the issues important to Angelenos, we understand that we may not please all, but it is our job to report fairly, without favoritism, and in the interest of an informed citizenry,” Parks said.
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