LA Times editor quits over owner nixing Harris endorsement

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The Los Angeles Times has been rocked by controversy as the newspaper’s editorial page editor, Terry Tang, resigned following the owner’s decision to scrap an endorsement of Vice President Kamala Harris.

The drama unfolded when Patrick Soon-Shiong, who bought the LA Times in 2018, axed a planned editorial endorsing Harris for a second term as VP. This move apparently didn’t sit well with Tang, who’d been with the paper for over two decades.

Soon-Shiong’s intervention raised eyebrows in the newsroom, with some viewing it as a breach of the traditional wall between a paper’s editorial board and its ownership. The incident has sparked a heated debate about editorial independence and the role of newspaper owners in shaping political endorsements.

According to inside sources, the editorial board had been working on the Harris endorsement for weeks. The sudden reversal left many staffers feeling blindsided and frustrated. It’s not common to see an owner step in to nix an endorsement at the eleventh hour, after all.

The LA Times has been no stranger to turbulence in recent years. The paper has faced financial challenges, staff cuts, and leadership changes. This latest issue only adds to the sense of uncertainty surrounding one of America’s most storied newspapers.

Some media watchers are questioning whether Soon-Shiong’s decision was motivated by personal or business interests. Others wonder if it signals a shift in the paper’s editorial stance. Either way, it’s clear that the incident has sent shockwaves through the LA Times and the broader journalism community.

As for Harris, she’s probably not thrilled about losing a potential endorsement from a major California newspaper. But in the grand scheme of things, it’s likely just a minor setback for the Biden-Harris reelection campaign.

The incident serves as a reminder of the delicate balance between editorial independence and ownership prerogatives in today’s media landscape. It’s a tightrope walk that’s becoming increasingly difficult to navigate, especially in an era of declining newspaper revenues and increased political polarization.

As the dust settles, the LA Times will need to find a new editorial page editor and work to rebuild trust both internally and with its readers. It’s a significant challenge, but then again, nobody ever said running a newspaper in the 21st century would be easy.