Patrick Soon-Shiong, the owner of the Los Angeles Times, reportedly asked the newspaper’s editorial board to “take a break” from writing about Donald Trump, in the latest report of the billionaire owner’s growing influence over the newspaper’s coverage.
The newspaper and its owner were embroiled in controversy for weeks this fall after Soon-Shiong blocked the board from endorsing Kamala Harris for president. The decision led to a wave of resignations on the editorial board and the loss of thousands of subscriptions.
Explaining his decision, Soon-Shiong said he feared endorsing a candidate would fuel divisions across the US. Later, he said that the newspaper had become an “echo chamber”, moving too far left, and that he wanted to see the Los Angeles Times become more “fair and balanced”.
Earlier this month, Soon-Shiong announced plans to incorporate an artificial intelligence-powered “bias meter” into newspaper articles. He also reportedly barred the newspaper’s editorial board from publishing an editorial about Trump’s cabinet picks unless it also published a piece with an opposing view.
Soon-Shiong, a Los Angeles-based biotech billionaire, has told the Los Angeles Times he plans to become more involved in the publication’s editorial and opinion pages, and that the newspaper needs to expand its audience to ensure its survival.
The extent of Soon-Shiong’s involvement was detailed in a memo from members of the opinion section to the newspaper’s executive editor that was published in the Status newsletter by the media reporter Oliver Darcy.
Along with advising the editorial board that it needed to take a break from writing about the president-elect, Soon-Shiong reportedly instituted a policy banning editorials critical of Trump unless they are also published with another piece that offers the opposing view. The restriction has “effectively killed or indefinitely delayed multiple editorials” that were written but not published, according to the memo.
Soon-Shiong has also required editors to send him “the text of every editorial and the name of its writer” before publishing, which staff said has prompted “concerns about the ability of the board to do its job without fear of retaliation”, according to Status.
“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,” staff wrote in the memo.
“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.’”
Soon-Shiong purchased the Los Angeles Times and other local papers for $500m in 2018. He said earlier this year that he had invested nearly $1bn in the paper.
The latest controversy comes after a difficult year for the Los Angeles Times that saw the resignation of the newspaper’s executive editor Kevin Merida and layoffs that affected about 20% of its newsroom staff.
The Los Angeles Times told the Guardian that the newspaper’s “management team is currently reviewing the concerns expressed in the letter”.
