A black L.A. firefighter sues the city for millions over a prank that his fellow firefighters once played on him. The plaintiff argues that the prank is explainable only by reference to the department’s history of pervasive racism. But there is a story behind why his colleagues played the prank on him — and it has nothing to do with race. Yet the city’s largest newspaper consistently hides that story from its readers.

Is this shockingly irresponsible? Well, yeah.

But it’s business as usual at the L.A. Times.

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