LA Times Legal Columnist Resigns, Accuses Owner of Pandering Trump

Los Angeles Times columnist Harry Litman resigns, citing owner’s alleged appeasement of Trump.

At a Glance

Harry Litman, senior legal columnist, resigned from the Los Angeles Times.
Litman accused owner Patrick Soon-Shiong of appeasing President-elect Donald Trump.
The LA Times will not endorse a presidential candidate in the 2024 election.
Soon-Shiong aims to balance the paper’s political slant with more conservative voices.
A “bias meter” for articles, supported by AI, is set to launch in January.

Litman’s Resignation and Accusations

Harry Litman, a senior legal columnist for the Los Angeles Times, has resigned from his position, citing concerns over the paper’s editorial direction under owner Patrick Soon-Shiong. Litman announced his departure in his Substack newsletter, expressing disapproval of what he perceives as the paper’s shift towards appeasing President-elect Donald Trump.

“I don’t want to continue to work for a paper that is appeasing Trump and facilitating his assault on democratic rule for craven reasons,” Litman wrote. “My resignation is a protest and visceral reaction against the conduct of the paper’s owner, Dr. Patrick Soon-Shiong.”

Litman’s resignation marks the fourth editorial board member to leave over these issues, highlighting growing tensions within the newspaper. The columnist accused Soon-Shiong of blocking the LA Times from endorsing Vice President Kamala Harris in the 2024 presidential election, a move that reportedly led to approximately 2,000 readers canceling their subscriptions.

LA Times columnist resigns, accuses newspaper owner of ‘shameful capitulation' to Trump https://t.co/7wXwUuA1OU #FoxNews

— David Rutz (@DavidRutz) December 6, 2024

Soon-Shiong’s Editorial Decisions

Soon-Shiong recently announced that the Los Angeles Times would not endorse a presidential candidate in the 2024 election, breaking a tradition that had been in place since 2008. This decision, along with other editorial changes, has sparked controversy and debate about the paper’s direction.

Soon-Shiong has expressed a desire to balance the political slant of the LA Times by including more conservative and centrist voices. As part of this effort, conservative commentator Scott Jennings was recently added to the paper’s editorial board, a move that has further fueled the ongoing controversy.

Concerns Over Editorial Integrity

Litman’s resignation has brought to the forefront concerns about editorial integrity and the potential influence of ownership in shaping news content. The columnist claimed that Soon-Shiong’s actions were motivated by a desire to protect his business interests in case Trump won the election, raising questions about the balance between business considerations and journalistic independence.

“He wanted to hedge his bets in case Trump won — not even to protect the paper’s fortunes but rather his multi-billion-dollar holdings in other fields,” Litman wrote. “Soon-Shiong threw the paper to the wolves. That was cowardly.”

Litman emphasized the importance of newspapers in standing up to Trump’s alleged influence on political and judicial institutions. He also criticized both Soon-Shiong and Jeff Bezos, owner of The Washington Post, for their perceived capitulation to Trump, highlighting broader concerns about media ownership and editorial independence.

Future of the Los Angeles Times

As the Los Angeles Times navigates these challenges, Soon-Shiong is developing a “bias meter” for the newspaper’s articles. This tool, supported by artificial intelligence, is expected to launch by January and aims to provide readers with a measure of potential bias in news coverage.

The Los Angeles Times has not responded to requests for comment on the situation, leaving many questions unanswered about the paper’s future direction and editorial policies. As the media landscape continues to evolve, the incident at the LA Times serves as a reminder of the ongoing challenges facing news organizations in maintaining their integrity and independence in an increasingly polarized political environment.