The paper’s six tickets to the ceremony on its doorstep in Los Angeles were initially claimed by executives until an email from ‘shocked’ film staff

The Los Angeles Times almost didn’t have a reporter at the 88th annual Academy Awards. The six tickets issued to Oscar’s hometown newspaper were snatched up by top brass at the paper’s owner leaving the journalists actually covering the ceremony scrabbling for seats.

The Times had been allocated six passes for entry to the Dolby Theater and they were all initially snapped up by senior managers at Tribune Publishing, the paper’s owners, according to Capital New York.

Tribune chairman Michael Ferro, CEO Justin Dearborn and publisher Tim Ryan, all initially took tickets and the option to bring along a plus one to the world’s most-watched movie awards show. That is until the paper’s film team expressed their shock at not being given a chance to attend the Oscars and do their job. Before Sunday’s event the film staff contacted Ryan and Times editor Davan Maharaj to address their concerns.

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According to the email published by Capital New York, the film desk pointed out that publications including Entertainment Weekly, the Associated Press, the Hollywood Reporter and Variety were all sending at least two staff members to help cover the event.

“We on the film team were shocked to learn this week that the paper has not allocated a single one of its Oscar tickets to a reporter. All of our competitors will have reporters both in the Dolby [Theatre] and at the Governors Ball,” said the email. The staff pointed out that instead of sitting through the show, reporters who get to attend the award show “use this access to gather exclusive quotes on the controversies of the evening in the lobbies and bars” as well as to interview the losers.

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“To fail to send a single reporter on a year when the Oscars are at the center of a cultural debate over diversity is not only embarrassing, it’s bad journalism. Would the LA Times ever cover a political convention or a sporting event this way?” the email continued, urging Ryan and Maharaj to reconsider and give at least one ticket to a reporter.

According to Capital New York, Ryan gave up his two tickets so that Times reporters Amy Kaufman and Steve Zeitchik could attend the show instead.

“We requested Michael [Ferro] and Justin [Dearborn] attend the Awards ceremony, just like top media executives of other major outlets do. The film industry represents one of our most important coverage areas — and the paper’s largest advertisers,” Maharaj told the Guardian in a statement. “We had a robust contingent of reporters and photographers on the red carpet, in the ballroom, backstage and in the auditorium. That’s why we had three million unique visitors consuming our continuous Oscar coverage.”

The award for best picture on Sunday night went to Spotlight, a movie that celebrates investigative journalism and chronicles the Boston Globe’s investigation into widespread child abuse by Catholic clergy.