L.A. Times Owner Instructs Editorial Board To Limit Negative Remarks About Trump
The owner of the Los Angeles Times has reportedly instructed his editorial board to scale back its criticisms of President-elect Donald Trump.
Former CNN journalist Oliver Darcy revealed that he uncovered a memo from Times staff, indicating that Dr. Patrick Soon-Shiong, the newspaper's owner, has intervened to halt negative editorials about the president-elect, as reported by Fox News.
The memo, addressed to Executive Editor Terry Tang, was signed by several members of the Opinion section. It claimed that the owner asked the editorial board to “take a break from writing about” Trump, which raised concerns among the staff.
The staff expressed alarm at what they described as the owner’s “alarming actions,” asserting their commitment to upholding journalistic values and protecting the paper's reputation.
“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 stated.
“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,’” it added.
The memo also highlighted a new policy introduced by Soon-Shiong that “prohibits editorials containing criticism of the president-elect unless they are presented side-by-side with another opinion piece representing the ‘opposing view.’”
“This new restriction, which appears to apply only to matters involving Trump and not to other officials or issues, has effectively killed or indefinitely delayed multiple editorials that have been written and edited but remain unpublished,” it continued.
Additionally, the staff claimed that the owner now requires board members to send all pieces to him for approval prior to publication.
“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,” the memo alleged.
The changes are part of a broader shift under the new ownership.
In November, it was reported that Soon-Shiong is restructuring the editorial board as the legacy media industry faces challenges. Traditionally, newspapers have leaned liberal, with editorial boards predominantly endorsing Democratic presidential candidates, leading to declining relevance in some circles.
Soon-Shiong has taken steps to diversify perspectives at The Times, including the addition of conservative voices. Among these changes is the hiring of CNN conservative commentator Scott Jennings, a prominent supporter of President-elect Trump.
“It’s true—I’ve accepted Dr. Soon-Shiong’s invitation to join the editorial board of the Los Angeles Times,” Jennings confirmed on X. “I’ve written columns for the paper over the last few years and was honored to do so under such a storied and important masthead. I love newspapers and believe in strong journalism and strong opinion pages that represent a wide array of views.”
“I plan to represent those Americans who believe they are often ignored or even ridiculed in legacy media and applaud Dr. Soon-Shiong’s move to bring balance to the editorial board,” Jennings added.
“My other professional obligations won’t be impacted by this new opportunity,” he assured.
On November 26, Soon-Shiong announced plans to officially add Jennings to the editorial board.
“That’s why I want Scott on our new editorial board!!! Growing the board with experts who have thoughtful balanced views and new candidates are accepting the challenge to join us! Way to go Scott and thanks for accepting @latimes @ScottJenningsKY Stay tuned we are making this happen,” Soon-Shiong said.