LA Times Non-Endorsement Another Sign of Our Billionaire-Dominated Politics

[Passages]

October 25, 2024

Ari Paul

The Los Angeles Times will not be making a presidential endorsement in this election, the first time the paper has stayed silent on a presidential race since 2004. But the decision not to endorse a candidate was not made by an editor. The paper’s billionaire owner, Patrick Soon-Shiong, stepped in to forbid the paper from doing so.

The move sparked a furor over the lack of editorial freedom (Semafor, 10/22/24; KTLA, 10/22/24; Adweek, 10/23/24). The paper lost 2,000 subscribers, and editorials editor Mariel Garza resigned in protest, along with two other staffers, including a Pulitzer Prize winner (Guardian, 10/25/24).

SNIP According to news reports, the paper had been preparing an endorsement until Soon-Shiong reached across the wall that is supposed to separate the business and editorial wings of a newspaper. He tried to rationalize his decision, according to the Guardian:

SNIP Soon-Shiong, who bought the LA Times from Tronc in 2018, attempted to portray himself as a defender of the free press against attacks from then-President Donald Trump (CNBC, 9/7/18). But Soon-Shiong—a doctor who made a fortune in the for-profit medical industry (New Yorker, 10/25/21)—was not shy about his ambitions for a top health position in the Trump administration (Stat, 11/21/16, 1/25/17).
https://fair.org/home/la-times-non-endorsement-another-sign-of-our-billionaire-dominated-politics/

[SWBTATTReg]

1. Yes, and the taint of so much money is starting to stink up everything. Billionaires own all of the sports teams, they

own a hell of a lot of businesses, they literally own over 50% of everything you and I see. And this number I'm talking about is probably under a 100 people. A 100 people.

How disgusting is this? Is this fair in America? No way. When I was in school, growing up, the motto was work hard, you'll get somewhere, but its getting harder and harder to get anywhere when everything is owned by the top 1%ers.

This has got to change. This is criminal. This is crooked and wrong, and not fair.

[Passages]

2. Resistance to him from big money is not something to rely on.

After January 6 they're still all in. Disgusting.