ARAX DEPARTURE NEWS IN FRESNO

LA Observed, CA
ng_buzz_tuesday_6190.php
June 19 2007

Reporter Mark Arax and the Times reached a confidential agreement for
him to leave the paper "to forestall a lawsuit alleging defamation and
discrimination," his lawyer says in the Fresno Bee. Times publisher
David Hiller said in a statement:

I want to emphasize that Mark’s decision to leave the paper is
not a reflection on his professional work in reporting on Armenian
genocide, or in communicating with the paper to ensure our adherence
to established policy in referring to the genocide, all of which are
journalistically appropriate. We regret that the situation surrounding
Mark’s story became a subject of controversy and misunderstanding. The
Times does not tolerate any discrimination in the reporting or editing
of the news based on ethnic heritage or other basis and our internal
review found no such discrimination in this case.