The editorial editor of the Los Angeles Times resigned Wednesday after the paper's billionaire owner withdrew the paper's expected endorsement of Vice President Kamala Harris.
Mariel Garza is resigning from his post at the Times after biotech entrepreneur Patrick Soon-Cion withdrew his support for the newspaper's presidential candidate, saying: 'It's okay for us to be silent. “I want to make it clear that there is no such thing.”
“Dangerous times require honest people to stand up.” Garza told the Columbia Journalism Review. she said.
“This is how you stand up.”
Last week, Soon-Shiong told the paper's editorial board through the paper's editor that the Los Angeles Times would not support Harris or former President Donald Trump. First reported by Semafor.
The Columbia Journalism Review reported that Garza also drafted the editorial that Harris agreed to before it was scrapped.
She told the journalism-focused news outlet that she didn't think the endorsement would change voters' minds because the LA Times is a “very liberal paper” and most of its readers are Harris supporters.
“But there are two things that concern me: This is the time to speak your conscience no matter what,” she said.
“And after a series of editorials we've written about how dangerous Trump is to our democracy, how unfit to be president, and his threats to jail his opponents, the endorsement was a natural next step.
“We have argued in editorial after editorial that he should not be re-elected.”
The Trump campaign welcomed the move after news broke that the LA Times would not support the president.
“Even her fellow Californians know she's not up to the job.” the campaign said.
The paper has chosen a Democrat for president since 2008, but in 2010 it did not endorse Harris for California attorney general, choosing instead Republican Steve Cooley, CJR reported.
In an email to members on Wednesday, the LA Times union sent a letter to Soon-Shiong, who has owned the paper since 2018, and editor Terry Tan, asking why they were discontinuing their support. , said there was no response. reply, Semaphore reported.
“We believe the company owes its employees an explanation as to why this decision was made despite years of support in general elections,” the union wrote. It has been reported.
