A major daily newspaper in Los Angeles (LA), the hometown and political stronghold of Democratic presidential candidate Vice President Kamala Harris, has withdrawn its plan to endorse her, causing a storm.
The New York Times (NYT) reported on the 26th, ten days before the presidential election, that the local daily LA Times had planned to endorse Vice President Harris at the editorial level but had withdrawn its plan entirely due to opposition from the family of its owner, Dr. Patrick Soon-Shiong. The LA Times has been a representative Democratic-leaning media outlet in California, a traditionally progressive state, for generations.
The New York Times reported that there was strong internal and external opposition after the Saju family’s veto of the endorsement declaration, saying, “Vice President Harris, a California native and LA resident, was not only the only candidate who had internal support from the editorial board, but also an important bulwark against Republican candidate Donald Trump.”
In fact, after the withdrawal of the endorsement declaration plan, thousands of readers stopped subscribing to the LA Times, and three executives on the editorial board resigned.
Nearly 200 employees have signed an open petition demanding an explanation for the decision made so close to the presidential election. There are conflicting explanations within the Saju family regarding the decision.
Owner Dr. Soon-Shiong maintains that it was a decision made in the interest of neutrality. On the other hand, his daughter, Nika Soon-Shiong, a 31-year-old progressive activist, made a surprise statement that she could not declare her endorsement because of the Democratic Party and Vice President Harris’s support for the Middle East war. “This is the first and only decision I have ever been involved in,” Nika Soon-Shiong said in a statement to the Times. “As someone who came from a family that lived through apartheid in South Africa, it was an opportunity for me to express my rejection of a war that targets children and journalists.”
Dr. Soon-Shiong explained that her position had nothing to do with the LA Times. The successful bio entrepreneur acquired the LA Times for $500 million in 2018 and has been in frequent conflict with the editorial staff over editorial direction. The Hill, a political media outlet, reported that not only the LA Times but also many other media outlets, including the Washington Post (WP), are holding off on declaring their support for candidates amid the extremely close race.
American media outlets with distinct political leanings have traditionally declared their support for candidates who align with their ideology between the Democratic and Republican candidates when the presidential election approaches. However, the WP, owned by Amazon founder Jeff Bezos, broke its long-standing practice of supporting Democratic candidates and announced that it would not support a specific candidate this year.
Voices criticizing Bezos’ decision are continuing within the newspaper. So far, among major American media outlets, the New York Times, Philadelphia Inquirer, New Yorker, Boston Globe, and Houston Chronicle have expressed their support for Vice President Harris. The New York Post, Washington Times, and Las Vegas Review-Journal have supported former President Trump.