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The arrangement is similar to the Washington bureau, which was organized into one operation last November to provide superior coverage to the entire group. As you know, Kerry Luft recently was named Vice President/Washington Bureau and is blending the talents of journalists from the Los Angeles Times and Chicago Tribune into a powerful new national reporting team.

The foreign operation will consist of correspondents placed strategically around the globe, including some from the Chicago Tribune. Other Chicago Tribune correspondents have been offered positions here in Chicago. The foreign operation and its deployment will be evaluated continually and revised if necessary to reflect changing needs.

In the future, the Chicago Tribune will engage in special project reporting that will take our reporters to foreign destinations. These projects will connect our readers with the world at large and explore subjects of special relevance to Chicago.

Since February, the Chicago Tribune has provided several other Tribune newspapers with a daily package of world and national news from Tribune Company and other sources. We will continue to provide this service, and the new foreign report will be part of the mix.

The Los Angeles Times and Chicago Tribune have rich traditions in foreign reporting reaching back more than a century. We are proud of the extraordinary record of Chicago Tribune foreign correspondents, who have pursued the defining stories of our era amid danger and personal hardship. We also are proud of the accomplishments of our Los Angeles Times colleagues, who for decades have chronicled wars and political and social change around the world with great distinction. This new association will uphold that legacy.

Our chief mission is to provide the most comprehensive and relevant news report about the Chicago region, in print and online. At a time when there is more competition than ever for local audiences, we must bring people news and information that is unique and valuable. The new foreign operation will help us use our resources more effectively to succeed in the future.

Gerry

Here, courtesy of laobserved.com, is Stanton’s announcement to the LA Times staff.