Presentation: LA Times Letters to the Editor
2025-06-27 01:00 - 02:30 UTC | Main Library - Learning Studio - 5th Fl
A former Los Angeles Times journalist speaks on the importance of professional fact checking and shares favorite letters from his thirteen-year period overseeing the Letters to the Editor section of the paper.

Earlier this year, Paul Thornton took a buyout offer from the new billionaire owner of the Los Angeles Times, capping off a twenty-year career in the Opinion section of the paper. In a recent Open Forum piece published in the San Francisco Chronicle (https://www.sfchronicle.com/opinion/openforum/article/politics-opinion-times-newspaper-20217436.php), Thornton reflects on what he learned reading thousands of letters from the "most informed, politically engaged people in California.” At our event, Thornton shares stories from his career and highlights letters he published that shine with sheer humanity. He also answers questions from SFPL Magazines and Newspapers Librarians about the need for professional fact-checking in newspaper content, ways we can build trust in our information ecosystems and the recent changes in the Opinion sections at the LA Times and the Washington Post.

Connect

Paul Thornton – LA Times (https://www.latimes.com/people/paul-thornton) | Paul Thornton – X (https://x.com/PaulMThornton) | Paul Thornton – LinkedIn (https://www.linkedin.com/in/paul-thornton)

Los Angeles Times - Historical (https://www.ezproxy.sfpl.org/login) (1881 to 1999, full text PDF) | Los Angeles Times - Text Edition (https://www.ezproxy.sfpl.org/login) (1985 to current, full text) | Los Angeles Times - Record Edition (https://www.ezproxy.sfpl.org/login) (2008 to current, full image text)

San Francisco Chronicle - Historical & Recent (NewsBank) (https://www.ezproxy.sfpl.org/login)
