More shakeout on LAT design side

The paper's number two designer, News Design Director Bill Gaspard, told his staff this evening that he has resigned. Newsroom sources emailed that he cited the recent shuffle that stripped his former boss, Deputy Managing Editor Joseph Hutchinson, of responsibility over page designers. They now are grouped with copy editors and the news operations staff, reporting to Assistant M.E. Melissa McCoy. Gaspard, in response to an email from me, replied that isn't why he's leaving. He said a "significant, but fleeting" consulting opportunity has come his way. There are also "some things I wanted to accomplish in the last few months of my presidency of the Society for News Design."

I did not resign as a result of the change of reporting lines for design. It's not something that I necessarily agree with, but I have complete confidence that Dean and Melissa value the craft and its importance to the paper.

Dean is new Editor Dean Baquet.