The owner of the Los Angeles Times is trying to set the record straight.
After decades of supporting Democrats for president, the Los Angeles Times has not endorsed Vice President Kamala Harris for president. But that's not because the editorial board didn't support it. Rather, the semaphore claimed LA Times owner Dr. Patrick Soon-Shione allegedly “blocked” the paper from endorsing Harris.
“Instead of adopting this proposed policy, the editorial board has chosen to remain silent and I have accepted their decision.”
Mariel Garza, former editorial editor of the LA Times, has now resigned. He told the Columbia Journalism Review: She was drafting an editorial outline supporting Harris when she was informed the paper would not endorse anyone. Garza suggested in an interview that this decision blindsided her.
However, according to Soon-Shiong, that is not what actually happened.
Instead, Soon-Shiong, the billionaire who bought the bankrupt newspaper in 2018, said Wednesday that the editorial board had failed to follow instructions to be fair and balanced.
“The editorial board will have the opportunity to draft a factual analysis of all the positive and negative policies each candidate has undertaken during their tenure in the White House and how those policies have affected the nation. ,” Soon-Shiong said.
“Furthermore, the Board was asked to provide an understanding of the policies and plans expressed by the candidates during this campaign and their potential impact on the nation over the next four years. , such clear, nonpartisan information will be provided,' while readers will be able to decide who deserves to be president for the next four years,'' he explained.
However, his employees chose not to follow the instructions.
“Instead of adopting this proposed policy, the editorial board chose to remain silent, and I have accepted that decision,” Soon-Shiong revealed.
Garza, by contrast, did not object to the directive calling for a fair and balanced response to Harris and Donald Trump. Instead, she complained that a fair analysis of each candidate did not qualify as an “endorsement.”
“What he says in that tweet is neither an endorsement nor an editorial,” Garza told CJR.
Importantly, CJR editor-in-chief Sewell Chan explained why Mr. Soon-shiong had the right to direct the LA Times editorial board.
“I have deep respect for the Soon-Shiong family who rescued the paper from the bankrupt and recently bankrupt Tribune Corporation,” Chan wrote in CJR. “He is a polite and thoughtful man, and as the owner of the newspaper it is ultimately up to him to decide on the editorial direction.”
Garza ultimately justified his resignation by telling CJR that “it is not okay for us to remain silent” because “in times of danger, honest people need to stand up.” Additionally, she acknowledged that the LA Times is a “very liberal” newspaper whose readers are Harris supporters, and whose support counts for little.
Nevertheless, it is reported that reporters at the nation's largest newspapers allegedly refused to treat Mr. Trump in a fair and balanced manner. But the average American probably won't be surprised.
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