Subscribers ditch LA Times after its owner nixes Harris endorsement

Outrage sparked among readers and staff of the Los Angeles Times, with thousands of readers canceling subscriptions, three editorial board members resigning and nearly 200 staff members signing a protest letter.

What ignited the outrage?: The Los Angeles Times editorial board had planned to endorse Kamala Harris for president, seeing her as a strong liberal figure and a safeguard against Donald Trump. However, the paper’s owner, Korean American biotech billionaire Dr. Patrick Soon-Shiong, vetoed the endorsement without explanation, announcing that the Times would remain neutral in the 2024 presidential race, sparking widespread criticism.
The letter: In the staff’s open letter, they wrote, “As journalists, we work hard every day to maintain trust with our readers… The Times has undermined that trust with its handling of the non-endorsement and the reaction that followed…Whether the newspaper endorses a candidate is ultimately the owner’s prerogative. However, the process must be clear and transparent to readers. Our newspaper’s owner publicly blamed the members of the Editorial Board for his decision not to endorse, saying incorrectly that ‘they chose to remain silent.’ They did not. They planned an endorsement — one that was rejected. The owner’s action unnecessarily made Editorial Board members vulnerable to harassment, impacting their ability to effectively perform their jobs.”
Billionaires’ influence in media: Former Executive Editor Kevin Merida had clashed with Dr. Soon-Shiong over the owner’s interventions in stories, and many saw the neutrality decision as favoring Trump and undermining the newspaper’s trust with its readership. Dr. Soon-Shiong’s daughter, Nika, a progressive activist with no formal role at the Times, suggested the choice stemmed from Harris’s stance on Israel’s war in Gaza, a statement the owner later downplayed as her personal view. This incident has led to debates on editorial independence and billionaire influence in media, especially in light of the Washington Post’s similar decision not to endorse, reportedly influenced by its owner, Jeff Bezos.

Share this Article