Rallgate: LA Times Refuses Ted Rall Retraction, Ignores Latest Evidence on LAPD Tape

los angeles times ted rall la times lapd scandal
Written by Ted Rall

The LA Times now has refused to run a Ted Rall retraction, despite enhanced audio that backs up Rall’s story about the LAPD. What, no investigation?

ted-rall-lapd-la times scandalaNewDomain — On July 29 Los Angeles Times editorial page editor Nick Goldberg received new evidence in his firing of me two days before as the paper’s editorial cartoonist and columnist: an enhanced version of the LAPD audiotape they used as key evidence against me. The new audio showed I hadn’t lied about my 2001 arrest for jaywalking after all.

I immediately contacted Goldberg with the evidence. The paper had believed the LAPD over me, but now I had proof cops were wrong.

But Times wouldn’t respond. It seemed to be in lockdown mode. Editors haven’t returned reporters’ calls or answered questions. Goldberg’s email tells senders he’s on “vacation.” The newspaper shut down new comments on the “A Note to Readers” announcing my firing; before that, some readers complained that their comments were deleted.

But now, nearly two weeks later, The Los Angeles Times has broken its silence.

Yesterday I received an email from Jeff Glasser, in-house counsel for the Times. Attached to Glasser’s email was a PDF — the following letter:

GlasserResponse

In light of the audio enhancement that validates my account, I’d asked the Times to issue a retraction and apology, and to restore my cartoons and essays to the Opinion Pages.

Yesterday, the Association of American Editorial Cartoonists issued a statement calling for an independent investigation of the police audiotape. The AAEC said:

“An impartial review of the tape of this incident is badly needed in this case … should an independent investigation determine that Mr. Rall’s version of the events is accurate, we call upon the Los Angeles Times to publicly apologize, and make restitution. If it is also determined that the Los Angeles Police Department or a member of the police union manipulated the tape, as Mr. Rall alleges, they also owe Mr. Rall an apology and restitution.”

“Should an independent investigation determine that Mr. Rall’s version of the events is accurate, we call upon the Los Angeles Times to publicly apologize, and make restitution. If it is also determined that the Los Angeles Police Department or a member of the police union manipulated the tape, as Mr. Rall alleges, they also owe Mr. Rall an apology and restitution.”

For aNewDomain and the new SkewedNews satire site, I’m Ted Rall.

For further reading, check out these links:

Ted Rall-LAPD-LA Times Scandal: Timeline by Gina Smith (aNewDomain)
A Note to Readers (about the Ted Rall firing) by Los Angeles Times editorial page editor Nick Goldberg (LA Times)
LAPPL Applauds LA Times Firing of Ted Rall (by Los Angeles Police Protective League Board of Directors (LAPD.com)
LAPD Convinced LA Times To Fire Me After I Criticized Cops [exclusive] by Ted Rall (aNewDomain commentary)
Ted Rall, Los Angeles Times Cartoonist, Dropped After Blog Post Appears To Stretch The Truth (FoxNews.com)
Ted Rall LAPD-LA Times Scandal: A Discrepancy In The Cop’s Story [exclusive] by Ted Rall (aNewDomain commentary)
Ted Rall-LAPD-LA Times Battle: New Tape Proves Cops, Times Were Wrong [exclusive] by Gina Smith with Ted Rall(aNewDomain commentary)
Ted Rall LAPD LA Times Scandal: Second Enhanced LAPD Tape Reveals Startling Details [exclusive] by Ted Rall, Gina Smith and Tom Ewing (aNewDomain
Ted Rall LAPD Scandal: Rall Vindicated, LAPD And LA Times under Fire by Tom Ewing, Gina Smith (aNewDomain news)
Did The LAPD Have A Political Cartoonist Fired? by Ryan Steadman and Guelda Voien (The New York Observer)
‘Cleaned-Up’ Audiotape of Political Cartoonist’s Clash With LAPD Bolsters His Story by Hunter Harris (New York Observer)
In Defense of Ted Rall, A Hard Guy To Defend by Ken Kurson (New York Observer opinion column)
Why Didn’t The Los Angeles Times Examine The Bad Audio from the LAPD? by Ted Rall (aNewDomain commentary)
Cops Gun Down Unarmed Journalist’s Career by Greg Palast (Reader Supported News, opinion) 
Ted Rall: Fisking The Los Angeles Times by Ted Rall (aNewDomain commentary)
Why Won’t The L.A. Times Admit They Were Wrong About Cartoonist Ted Rall? by Susie Madrak (Crooks and Liars)
14 Years Ago, A Woman Vindicated Me Now by Ted Rall (Common Dreams)
AAEC Calls for Independent Investigation of LAPD’s Rall Tape (American Association of Editorial Cartoonists)

2 Comments

  • “We have found nothing that changes our original conclusions, or that would justify a retraction.”
    SERIOUSLY?????