Los Angeles Times owner announces new editorial board: 'Fair and balanced'
Pat Soon-Shiong, the owner of the Los Angeles Times, announced Sunday the newspaper will soon have a new editorial board.
The owner on social media Sunday that he will try to make the Los Angeles Times "balanced." His announcement followed the newspaper's editorial board refraining from endorsing a presidential candidate this year despite doing so in the last four elections.
"I will work towards making our paper and media fair and balanced so that all voices are heard and we can respectfully exchange every American's view ..from left to right to the center," Soon-Shiong wrote on X. "Coming soon. A new Editorial Board."
The owner added that "ALL voices" must be heard when a presidential candidate wins a majority of the vote. Soon-Shiong's announcement came just days after President-elect Donald Trump was declared by the Associated Press to have defeated Vice President Kamala Harris.
On Thursday, Soon-Shiong the Los Angeles Times would "take the lead" to provide "factual and balanced coverage" as the U.S. "heals its division." He added the board was given an opportunity to write a "factual analysis" of all the "positive" and "negative" policies of each candidate from their presidential and vice presidential tenures.
The board was also asked to "provide their understanding" of policies and plans articulated by the candidates, according to Soon-Shiong.
"In this way, with this clear and non-partisan information side-by-side, our readers could decide who would be worthy of being President for the next four years," Soon-Shiong on X.
Instead, the owner added, the editorial board became "silent." Mariel Garza, who worked as the Los Angeles Times editorials editor, said she resigned because she wasn't okay with the newspaper being "silent," according to the .
"In dangerous times, honest people need to stand up. This is how I'm standing up," the magazine quoted her as saying.
Garza reportedly noted that an endorsement for Harris was the "logical next step," explaining how the board repeatedly warned about a second Trump presidency.
"And it's perplexing to readers, and possibly suspicious, that we didn't endorse her this time," Garza reportedly said.
The Los Angeles Times was joined by The Washington Post in refraining from issuing a presidential endorsement this year. The Washington Post, which lost approximately 250,000 subscribers after its decision, attributed the move to a desire to "return to our roots."
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