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The Los Angeles Times’ editorial board has essentially stopped writing about President-elect Donald Trump because of its conservative owner.

When the board members recently tried to publish a piece arguing that Trump’s Cabinet appointments shouldn’t be made via recess appointments, Times owner Patrick Soon-Shiong said he’d only allow this if they published a companion piece with an opposing viewpoint.

“With the print deadline fast approaching, the editors didn’t have time to produce a companion piece, so they replaced it with commentary on another subject,” according to the Times.

This is one of a number of steps he’s been taking to revamp the paper and make it a more non-biased, legitimate source of news.

The drama at the Times first started when he blocked the editorial board from endorsing Vice President Kamala Harris for president on the grounds that the paper had become an “echo chamber” for the left.

His staunch commitment to actual journalism initially backfired, with tens of thousands of subscribers cancelling their subscription in anger. Several board members also resigned in outrage. But months later, Soon-Shiong remains committed to the cause.

“In his first extended interview about the furor, Soon-Shiong depicted himself as an unflinching protector of journalistic balance, one who is betting that a moderate, nonideological viewpoint is the best path forward,” according to the Times.

“I knew this would be disruptive, and it took courage to do that,” he said, adding that he believes in the long run, his decision will prove to be the correct one. “[Those] who cancel [their] subscription should respect the fact that there may be two views on a certain point, and nobody has 100% the right view. And it’s really important for us [to] heal the nation. We’ve got to stop being so polarized.”

“I’m extremely proud of work we’ve done right, and we’ve done a lot right,” he continued before adding that it’s time to build a bigger audience. “I think that’s our goal. The only way you can survive is to not be an echo chamber of one side.”

“Unless we build a paper that can engage and increase the readership, what are we doing?” he added.

Thus, he plans to add more moderate and conservative voices to his paper’s opinion pages, starting of course with CNN’s Scott Jennings, as previously reported:

The announcement of Jennings’ hire came late last month. First, Soon-Shiong retweeted a viral clip of Jennings schooling his CNN peers on the undeniable truth that Twitter/X is the most ideologically balanced platform in the world.

And then, dovetailing off the clip, Soon-Shiong announced that he’d hired Jennings.

“That’s why I want Scott on our new editorial board!!!” he wrote on Twitter/X. “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.”

Look:

Soon-Shiong also intends to change how the paper’s editorial board functions by dividing it into two panels.

“One would operate something like The Times’ traditional editorial board, though it would focus primarily on local and California issues and candidates,” the Times notes. “That board would be made up of full-time employees, who would write the unsigned opinion pieces and endorsements that have been a tradition for decades.”

“A second group of writers, now being assembled by Soon-Shiong, will focus on national and international affairs. Those opinion columnists are expected to be freelancers,” according to the Times.

And lastly, Soon-Shiong intends to install a “bias meter” that’ll use an “augmented intelligence” engine (something like AI) to determine and then “tell readers” where a particular piece “ranks on a scale that will range from ‘far left’ to ‘far right.’”

The “bias meter” has attracted rage from partisans like retired NBA star Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, a rabid leftist who sometimes writes for the Times.

“Another blow to journalism — and democracy by another billionaire with a conservative agenda that serves his wealth,” he reportedly wrote on his blog last week.

FYI, Abdul-Jabbar is himself reportedly worth around $25 million.

Vivek Saxena
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