A recent decision by the owner of the Los Angeles Times, Dr. Patrick Soon-Shiong, to withhold an endorsement for the presidential election has stirred quite the drama within the newspaper’s environment. The aftermath of this notable decision saw three editors from the editorial board step down, posed a significant backlash from the newspaper staff, and resulted in numerous readers revoking their subscriptions.
The planned endorsement for Vice President Kamala Harris was already in the pipelines, which left onlookers trying to sift through the speculation surrounding this unexpected turn of events. This mixed-up situation led to the leader of the editorial board making their exit, further rocking the boat at the Times.
Soon-Shiong publicly disclosed the reasoning behind his decision to obstruct the Harris endorsement, emphasizing her support for the conflict in Gaza as a significant contributing factor. What’s more, the owner broadened his perspective by expressing the need to introduce more diversity in the opinion section, especially voices emanating from conservative and moderate backgrounds.
Under Soon-Shiong’s perspective, the existing board of opinion writers has a heavy slant to the left, which is something he is looking to mitigate. As part of his effort to equalize the spectrum of political ideologies within the Times, he seeks to reorganize the team on the editorial board to incorporate a broader range of political leaning.
The owner’s dismay over the apparent perception of biased opinion in reporting news is palpable. He expressed concerns on the fuzziness between the opinion, editorial, and columnist sections in the newspaper, insisting on the necessity for a revamp of the Times’s coverage structure.
Despite Soon-Shiong’s resolution to halt this year’s endorsement, he assured the public of the warm welcome future political endorsements will receive. However, such endorsements will only be considered if they stand unbiased and secured by facts, he said. The war in Gaza, he confirmed, had a significant influence in pushing him to reject the endorsement.
The LA Times isn’t alone in this distinctive stance. Surprisingly, the Washington Post also opted out from throwing its weight behind a hypothetical presidential candidate, even signaling its intention to stop such endorsements altogether in the foreseeable future.
Despite the torrent of controversy and backlash the LA Times experienced, Soon-Shiong seems unyielding, considering this moment as a turning point. He views it as a crucial opportunity to restore public confidence in the journalistic integrity of newspapers in general and the LA Times in particular.