LA Times owner says Harris’ stance on Gaza war contributed to non-endorsement, plans editorial board revamp

In an interview with CNN, Soon-Shiong stated publicly for the first time that Harris’ support for Israel’s war in Gaza played a role in his decision to block the endorsement and said he plans to “balance” the paper’s opinion page with more conservative and centrist voices.

In the month since Los Angeles Times owner Dr. Patrick Soon-Shiong announced the newspaper would not endorse a candidate in the presidential election, the Times has been reeling from the decision. Three members of the paper’s editorial board resigned, scores of staffers openly protested, and thousands of readers cancelled their subscriptions as the Times was thrust into an uncomfortable spotlight. The decision, which came after an endorsement of Vice President Kamala Harris had already been prepared, raised speculation about the rationale behind Soon-Shiong’s decision, with the outgoing leader of the paper’s editorial board decrying it as “complicity” in “dangerous times.” In an interview with CNN on Tuesday, Soon-Shiong stated publicly for the first time that Harris’ support for Israel’s war in Gaza played a role in his decision to block the endorsement and said he plans to “balance” the paper’s opinion page with more conservative and centrist voices. “If we were honest with ourselves, our current board of opinion writers veered very left, which is fine, but I think in order to have balance, you also need to have somebody who would trend right, and more importantly, somebody that would trend in the middle,” Soon-Shiong said, adding that he’s already spoken to candidates he hopes to add to the Times’ editorial roster. On Sunday, Soon-Shiong raised eyebrows with a post on X, stating that he plans to make his newspaper “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. Coming soon. A new Editorial Board. Trust in media is critical for a strong democracy.” In the interview, Soon-Shiong said his plan to transform the editorial board is “not as inflammatory as you’re firing everybody,” but that he is “really trying to identify voices that speak to all the Americans.”