In a recent turn of events, Harry Litman, a former Senior Legal Columnist, has publicly criticized his previous employer following a series of editorial decisions made by the publication's billionaire owner, Patrick Soon-Shiong.
These decisions, which Litman perceives as being in favor of President-elect Donald Trump, included the controversial move to withhold an endorsement of Vice President Kamala Harris prior to the recent election. This action led to the resignation of several staff members.
According to Mediaite, Litman, who is also a former federal prosecutor and a regular guest on cable news, expressed his admiration for the editorial staff in a Substack post last Thursday. However, he also announced his departure from the publication. "But I have written my last op-ed for the . Yesterday, I resigned my position. I dont want to continue to work for a paper that is appeasing Trump and facilitating his assault on democratic rule for craven reasons," he stated.
Subsequently, Litman appeared on MSNBC to further discuss his decision. Nicolle Wallace, the host, asked him to explain his rationale. Litman responded, Well, I put it all out in my Substack, but let me just start here with everything we were saying last time. Papers have such an important role to play now and in this country. Trump has captured the political arena, maybe the Supreme Court, and hes going after now the FBI, potentially the military, and, really, theyre one of the few institutions to be able to stand up and push back. And its in their finest tradition, and Trump has made clear hell go after them. And thats an absolute five-alarm fire.
Litman further claimed that the Times has decided to curry favor with Trump. He continued, And I just think this is not a time for balance when you have someone whos not telling the truth on the other side. And its a deep responsibility. And instead, I think they cowered and are worried about their personal holdings and just being threatened by Trump. And thats a really shameful capitulation, I think. So, I just felt I couldnt be a part of it and had to resign.
This incident underscores the ongoing tension between journalistic integrity and political bias, a conflict that continues to shape the landscape of modern media. As the debate rages on, the role of the press in maintaining democratic values remains a topic of critical importance.
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