'Los Angeles Times' Food Editor Meehan Resigns Amid Abuse Accusations

• by Sara Guaglione , July 1, 2020

Los Angeles Timesfood editor Peter Meehan has resigned, after accusations of misconduct were shared on social media.

Journalist Tammie Teclemariam published a series of tweets claiming Meehan has been at the center of a number of HR complaints for various wrongdoings.

Meehan previously ran food magazine Lucky Peach with chef and TV host David Chang. The magazine shuttered in 2017. He joined as LA Times food editor in 2019, when the newspaper resurrected the standalone food section.

Last month, Teclemariam tweeted a photo of Bon Appetit editor-in-chief Adam Rapoport dressed as a Puerto Rican for Halloween and called for his resignation. Rapoport has since stepped down.

In a statement shared on Twitter, Meehan referred to Teclemariam's tweets, saying they “alleged a number of things I don’t think are true." 

Meehan admitted he had “lost sight of people and their feelings” and offered his “sincere non-PR apologies to all of them.”

In an internal memo reported by multiple media outlets, LA Times managing editor Kimi Yoshino told staff the company “would be formally investigating the allegations” against Meehan, but he offered his resignation. 

Meehan is being accused of behavior that was insensitive and verbally abusive, especially towards women and people of color. There are also claims he engaged in sexual misconduct while at Lucky Peach.

Others criticized Meehan for not moving to Los Angeles from New York, despite the fact his well-paying LA Times position requires him to be familiar with the city's food scene.

“I’m sorry to everybody that I’ve let down directly or indirectly, and the last thing I’ve ever wanted to be is some sort of institutionalized problem,” Meehan wrote in his statement. 

He added: “I wish I had seen myself how others did and changed my ways, but this moment is about that: changing, challenging, and making things better.”