The owner of the Los Angeles Times has directed the paper's editorial board to retract an article about President-elect Donald Trump, according to a new report from former CNN journalist Oliver Darcy.
in recent articlesindependent journalist reported in memo He was told by Times staffers how Times owner Dr. Patrick Soon-Shiong directly interfered in the paper's publication of articles critical of Trump and other editorial decisions. I've heard complaints about what's going on.
The memo, sent to Editor-in-Chief Terry Tan and signed by several staff members in the opinion department, said Dr Soon-Shiong instructed the editorial board to “pause writing” about the president-elect.
Mr Darcy said his staff signed the memo because they considered Dr Soon-Shiong's move “alarming behavior” and expressed their determination to report on “anything that could cast a shadow on the Times' reputation”. pointed out.
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LA Times staff have reportedly expressed concerns about the paper's owner, Dr. Soon-Shiong, and his “alarming actions” to reduce the freedom of the paper's editorial board. There is. (Marcus Yam/Contributor)
“We understand that Dr. Soon-Shiong has a role in shaping the tone and direction of our editorial board and opinion section, but we also recognize the core values of journalism, including the obligation to be transparent and to act in a helpful manner. “We remain bound by the values and ethics of the public,” the memo said.
He added: “We believe we have a duty to report these matters based on our ethical policy, which states that protecting the integrity of the Times should always be our primary goal.”
as Darcy wroteThe memo also claims that Dr. Soon-Shiong has “instituted a new policy prohibiting editorials containing criticism of the President-elect unless presented alongside another opinion piece expressing an 'opposing view.'”
The report continues: “This new restriction appears to apply only to matters involving Mr. Trump and not to other government officials or issues, which were written and edited but remain unpublished. “We have effectively abolished or indefinitely postponed several editorials.”
The memo also accused the owners of requiring the editorial board to transmit the text of all editorials and the names of their authors before publication. “The editorial board's positions and content are pre-censored prior to publication, exposing its discussions, headlines, and topics to boundaries that did not previously exist,” the memo said.
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The report is the latest news about the L.A. Times owner's mission to make the paper a “mid-sized, trusted news source,” a mission he announced in October that the paper's editorial board would not support it. I made it public. Presidential candidate for the 2024 presidential election.
The refusal to endorse received a huge backlash, and the paper lost more than 20,000 subscribers. As a result, some journalists and contributors also quit the paper.
Despite the outrage, the owners continued to push for publication of the nonpartisan LA Times. He announced last month that the paper would form a “new editorial board” with a diverse range of voices, including conservative CNN political commentator Scott Jennings.
“Trust in the media is critical to a strong democracy,” he wrote in X, touting his ambitions for the new board.
In an interview with FOX News in November, Dr. Soon-Shiong said, “It's our responsibility to preserve our democracy and to air the opinions of all of our readers in California, and in fact, the opinions of all of our readers across the country. If it’s just one side, it just becomes an echo chamber.”
The LA Times did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital's request for comment.
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