LA Times editorial board told to stop writing about Trump – Washington Examiner
The editorial board of the Los Angeles Times has decided to cease writing about President-elect Donald Trump due to restrictions imposed by its owner, who has blocked any endorsements. This decision reflects a significant shift in the publication’s editorial stance, as it moves away from commentary and analysis related to Trump during his presidency. The editorial board’s change raises questions about editorial independence in light of owner influence.
LA Times editorial board to stop writing about Trump after owner blocked endorsement
The Los Angeles Times editorial board will stop writing about President-elect Donald Trump, after a dispute with its owner.
Patrick Soon-Shiong, the billionaire owner of the paper, intervened during the 2024 election to prevent it from endorsing Vice President Kamala Harris, much to the editorial board’s consternation. He continued this theme after the election, reportedly asking the editorial board to stop writing about Trump.
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The move is part of a recent shake-up at the outlet and other major newspapers, which are aiming for a more neutral image. Washington Post owner Jeff Bezos underwent a similar course when he blocked the outlet from endorsing Harris.
Soon-Shiong argued that a move toward neutrality is essential for the newspaper’s survival.
“The only way you can survive is to not be an echo chamber of one side,” he said in an interview with the outlet.
“And as long as I can see progress” in readership, “I’ll continue to fund it, yes,” he said, regarding his investment in the paper. “But something has to change if all this is [being] considered a philanthropic trust. It’s not. A sustainable business has to occur.”
Soon-Shiong said that he plans on adding more conservative voices to the opinion section. He plans to be more active in the opinion and editorial board while steering clear of controlling coverage of the daily news.
His intervention to prevent an endorsement of Harris resulted in an uproar from the editorial board and many subscribers, 20,000 of whom canceled their subscriptions after the decision. Several board members resigned. Nevertheless, Soon-Shiong stood by his decision.
Those “who cancel [their] subscription should respect the fact that there may be two views on a certain point, and nobody has 100% the right view,” he told the outlet. “And it’s really important for us [to] heal the nation. We’ve got to stop being so polarized.”
Though having a liberal reputation today, the Los Angeles Times originated as a conservative outlet. Its conservative stances resulted in its office being bombed by Left-wing labor activists in 1910, killing 21 and wounding over 100 in one of the deadliest acts of terrorism in United States history.
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