Following Bezos, LA Times’ owners decide not to endorse Kamala Harris
The Los Angeles Times newspaper headquarters is shown in El Segundo, Calif., Jan. 23, 2024. (AP Photo/Damian Dovarganes)
The Los Angeles Times has withdrawn its planned endorsement of Vice President Kamala Harris for the upcoming U.S. presidential election.
According to Nika Soon-Shiong, daughter of the newspaper’s owner, the decision stemmed from Harris’s stance on the war in Gaza. Nika stated the decision stems from her family’s history and views on the conflict.
“Our family made the joint decision not to endorse a presidential candidate. This was the first and only time I have been involved in the process. As a citizen of a country openly financing genocide, and as a family that experienced South African Apartheid, the endorsement was an opportunity to repudiate justifications for the widespread targeting of journalists and the ongoing war on children,” Nika Soon-Shiong stated.
Controversy erupts among LA Times staff, readers
The cancellation of the endorsement has led to significant backlash within the newspaper, as well as from its readership. Three editorial board members resigned, while nearly 200 staff members signed an open letter demanding clarification on the decision.
Thousands of readers canceled their subscriptions, perceiving the move as politically motivated.
In another statement to The New York Times, Soon-Shiong outlined, “Our family made the joint decision not to endorse a Presidential candidate. This was the first and only time I have been involved in the process.”
Owner denies political motives, cites editorial independence
Patrick Soon-Shiong, the owner of The Los Angeles Times, defended the decision, stating that his daughter does not represent the newspaper or its editorial board.
He emphasized that the paper’s choice not to endorse any candidate was a move toward neutrality, aiming to allow readers to form their own conclusions.
In a statement, Soon-Shiong said the daughter did not speak for the paper.
“Nika speaks in her own personal capacity regarding her opinion, as every community member has the right to do,” the owner said, according to a spokeswoman, adding: “She does not have any role at The L.A. Times, nor does she participate in any decision or discussion with the editorial board, as has been made clear many times.”
In an interview with one of his reporters on Friday, Soon-Shiong said that his stand was not based on any single issue, nor did he intend to withhold an endorsement to favor either Ms. Harris or Trump. “We should be an organization that stands up and says the facts,” presenting views across the political spectrum, he said. “I think that the country needs that desperately.”
Despite this, the controversy has raised concerns about the owner’s influence on the newsroom’s editorial decisions.
