Owner’s ex-girlfriend named editor at L.A. Weekly

"We haven't been involved for years. I would hope that my work would stand for itself."

—Sarah Fenske, managing editor of St. Louis' Riverfront Times and former girlfriend of Village Voice Media owner Michael Lacey, on being named editor-in-chief of L.A. Weekly. Fenske's hiring--announced last week--is drawing criticism not only on the basis of her history with Lacey, but because of her unfamiliarity with L.A. "The question is not so much for her as it is for her bosses," Kevin Roderick of LAObserved observed. "Why did they pick someone that is coming in without any knowledge of Los Angeles?" But Drex Heikes, who resigned as L.A. Weekly's editor-in-chief last week, called Fenske's hire a "smart choice," though he admitted: "There's no question that it's not ideal. She's going to have big eyes for a while."

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