L.A. Times newsroom memo on David Shaw

We are pleased to announce that David Shaw, who has distinguished himself in so many ways since he first joined the Los Angeles Times in 1968, is becoming - at his request - a columnist. Shaw will be media columnist for the new Sunday Calendar section and a food and wine columnist for the revamped Food section.

David has been the newspaper's media critic since 1974, and those of you who have walked past the second-floor photos of our Pulitzer Prize winners are especially well aware, of course, that he won that highest of all journalistic awards in 1991, for criticism. While David is well known for his acute observations about the world of media, only some of you are aware that he is equally passionate and knowledgeable about food and wine, which is why he came to us with these two column ideas. Over the years, David has written on food and wine for GQ, Food & Wine, Bon Appetit and Conde Nast Traveler, among other national publications. He's also the author of five books, the most recent being "The Pleasure Police: How Bluenose Busybodies and Lily-Livered Alarmists Are Taking All the Fun Out of Life."

We know that David's contributions to both sections will enrich them every week.

John Montorio, Deputy Managing Editor/Features
Rick Flaste, Features Editor