Los Angeles Times staffers say the paper's billionaire owner has asked the editorial board to “cease writing” about President-elect Donald Trump, according to a report.
Dr. Patrick Soon-Shiong, the doctor and entrepreneur who bought The Times in 2018, has angered the paper's staff for “interfering” in editorial matters, and believes the conduct is “more widespread than previously realized.” “There is.” Media reporter Oliver Darcy wrote in the Status Newsletter:
South African-born Soon-Shiong reportedly took “a number of previously unreported steps” aimed at suppressing Trump-related commentary.
The New York Times reported last week that Mr. Soon-Shiong had blocked the paper from publishing an editorial arguing that the Senate should follow the traditional process of approving Cabinet picks rather than confirming Mr. Trump's recess appointments.
The editorial was headlined, “Donald Trump's cabinet choices are not normal.'' The Senate confirmation process should have taken place, but it did not. According to the New York Times.
However, Status said Mr. Soon-Shiong's direct involvement in his newspaper's editorial decisions was “far broader” than rushing to publish an op-ed.
L.A. Times Editor-in-Chief Terry Tan said he received a memo signed by “several members” of the opinion department, who said their boss “banned editorials containing criticism of the president-elect unless presented to the side.” “We have established a new policy to do so.” “Alongside other opinion articles representing 'opposing views,'” Darcy wrote in the newsletter.
“This new restriction appears to apply only to matters involving President Trump and not to other government officials or issues,” the memo said, adding that “this new restriction appears to apply only to matters involving President Trump and not to other government officials or issues, and that multiple “Editorials have effectively been suspended or postponed indefinitely.”
Soon-Shiong also reportedly “required” the editorial board to email “the text of all editorials and the names of their authors” before publication, a step staff said “raises concerns about the Commission's ability to carry out its duties.'' without fear of retaliation. ”
“The editorial board's positions and content are pre-censored prior to publication, exposing its arguments, headlines, and topics to boundaries where they did not previously exist,” the memo says.
An LA Times spokesperson told Status: “Our management is currently reviewing the concerns expressed in the letter.”
The Post has reached out to the LA Times for comment.
Earlier this month, Soon-Shiong revealed that the paper is working “behind the scenes” to create a “bias meter” for every story it publishes.
Mr. Soon-Shiong's change of direction prompted the paper's longtime senior legal columnist, Harry Littman, to resign in protest. He accused the owners of “disgraceful capitulation” and “doing favors” to President Trump.
Soon-Shiong made the announcement around the same time he confirmed the hiring of conservative commentator Scott Jennings to the paper's editorial board.
Soon-Shiong first vowed in November to level out the paper's left-leaning political leanings.
“To be honest, the current opinion writers committee is very left-leaning, and that's fine, but in order to balance it out, we need people who lean to the right, and more importantly, people who lean to the right. “I think you need someone who's in the middle,” he said.
His pledge came despite intense backlash the previous month when the newspaper's editorial board blocked an endorsement of Vice President Kamala Harris.
Thousands of readers canceled their subscriptions and called on others to boycott the company on social media. Several members of the editorial board were enraged by this and resigned.
Additional reporting by Taylor Herzlich
