The Los Angeles Times, a prominent news outlet, has been instructed by its owner to reduce its coverage of President-elect Trump, according to a recent revelation.
This directive has reportedly come from Dr. Patrick Soon-Shiong, the owner of the Times, who has been actively involved in the paper's editorial decisions, particularly those concerning criticism of Trump.
As reported by Fox News, former CNN journalist Oliver Darcy obtained a memo from Times staff expressing their concerns about Soon-Shiong's direct intervention in the paper's editorial decisions. The memo, addressed to Executive Editor Terry Tang and endorsed by several Opinion section staff members, revealed that Soon-Shiong had advised the editorial board to "take a break from writing about" the incoming president.
The staff members who signed the memo viewed Soon-Shiong's actions as "alarming" and pledged to report "anything that might cast a shadow on the Times reputation." The memo stated, "We understand that Dr. Soon-Shiong has a role in shaping the tone and direction of the editorial board and Opinion section, but we are still bound by the core values and ethics of journalism, including a duty to be transparent and act in service of the public."
The memo further emphasized the staff's commitment to journalistic integrity, stating, "We believe we have an obligation to report these under the ethics policy, which states that the primary goal always should be to protect The Times integrity."
The memo also claimed that Soon-Shiong had implemented a new policy, which forbids editorials criticizing the president-elect unless they are accompanied by an opposing viewpoint. This policy, which seemingly applies only to matters involving Trump, has reportedly resulted in the delay or cancellation of several editorials that were ready for publication.
The staff members also accused Soon-Shiong of demanding the text of every editorial and the names of their authors before publication. The memo noted, "Editorial board positions and content have been preemptively censored before publication, and its arguments, headlines and topics subjected to boundaries that did not previously exist."
This development is part of a broader effort by Soon-Shiong to position the Times as a "middle-of-the-road, trustworthy news source." This mission was publicly announced in October when he declared that the paper's editorial board would not be endorsing a candidate in the 2024 presidential election. This decision led to a significant backlash, with the paper losing over 20,000 subscribers and several journalists and contributors resigning.
Despite the controversy, Soon-Shiong has continued to advocate for a non-partisan Times. He recently announced the formation of a "new Editorial Board" with diverse voices, including conservative CNN political commentator Scott Jennings. In a statement, Soon-Shiong emphasized the importance of trust in media for a robust democracy.
In a November interview with Fox News, Soon-Shiong stated, "It is our responsibility to maintain democracy, to have the views of all our California readers, in fact, the views of all the national readers to be aired. Because if we just have the one side, it becomes nothing else but an echo chamber."
The Los Angeles Times has yet to respond to Fox News Digitals request for comment on these developments.
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