LA Times owner’s daughter on why paper refused to endorse 2024 candidate: 'Genocide is the line in the sand'
'This is a refusal to ENDORSE a candidate that is overseeing a war on children,' liberal activist Nika Soon-Shiong posted on X this week
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}The daughter of Los Angeles Times owner Dr. Patrick Soon-Shiong revealed why the outlet allegedly made the bombshell decision not to endorse a presidential candidate this election cycle.
Nika Soon-Shiong, a 31-year-old progressive activist, posted a statement to X on Friday claiming that the paper made the decision as a way to push back on the Biden-Harris administration’s support for Israel’s war in Gaza.
"There is a lot of controversy and confusion over the LAT’s decision not to endorse a presidential candidate. I trust the Editorial Board’s judgment. For me, genocide is the line in the sand," she wrote.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}LOS ANGELES TIMES COMES OUT AGAINST POPULAR ANTI-CRIME BALLOT INITIATIVE
The daughter of the LA Times owner alleged that her family made the decision for the paper not to endorse a presidential candidate because of the U.S. government's support for "genocide" in Gaza. (Photo by David McNew/Getty Images)
Soon-Shiong’s post received a "Community Notes" fact check from X, which cited Politico reporting and read, "The LA Times editorial board did not make this decision. The board voted to make an endorsement and were overruled by the owner, who is the poster's father. There is no evidence that his decision was even partly based on the Gaza conflict."
The activist, who displays a Palestinian flag on her X bio, composed several follow-up posts detailing how her parents’ own experience with Apartheid in South Africa influenced their decision.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}In one, she stated, "The temptation is to speak in muffled tones about an issue the international courts have called a plausible genocide. But this moment requires opposition to crimes against humanity, ethnic cleansing, and Apartheid – as my parents did in South Africa."
In another, Soon-Shiong insisted that the refusal of the Times to endorse Vice President Kamala Harris "is not a vote for Donald Trump. This is a refusal to ENDORSE a candidate that is overseeing a war on children. I’m proud of the LA Times’ decision just as I am certain there is no such thing as children of darkness."
In a statement provided to The New York Times, the activist provided more details, insisting that she, along with other members of her family, were involved in the decision.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}"Our family made the joint decision not to endorse a Presidential candidate. This was the first and only time I have been involved in the process. As a citizen of a country openly financing genocide, and as a family that experienced South African Apartheid, the endorsement was an opportunity to repudiate justifications for the widespread targeting of journalists and ongoing war on children."
Her father replied to her comments with his own statement to The Times, his spokesman telling the outlet that Soon-Shiong is only speaking for her own opinion and does not speak for the Los Angeles Times.
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{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}In a statement to The New York Times, a spokesperson for L.A. Times owner Dr. Soon-Shiong clarified that his daughter doesn't speak for his company. (Marcus Yam / Contributor)
"Nika speaks in her own personal capacity regarding her opinion, as every community member has the right to do," the spokesperson said, adding, "She does not have any role at The L.A. Times, nor does she participate in any decision or discussion with the editorial board, as has been made clear many times."
Semafor reporter Max Tani broke the news of The LA Times decision on Tuesday, reporting, "But according to two people familiar with the situation, executive editor Terry Tang told editorial board staff earlier this month that the paper would not be endorsing a candidate in the presidential election this cycle, a decision that came from the paper’s owner Dr. Patrick Soon-Shiong, a doctor who made his fortune in the healthcare industry."
The editorial board issued presidential endorsements from the 1880s through 1972, only returning to the practice to endorse Obama in 2008. Since then, they have exclusively endorsed Democratic presidential candidates.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}The move sent shockwaves throughout the outlet’s staff. Los Angeles Times editorials editor Mariel Garza announced her resignation from the company following the decision, telling the Columbia Journalism Review (CJR) on Wednesday, "I am resigning because I want to make it clear that I am not okay with us being silent. In dangerous times, honest people need to stand up. This is how I’m standing up."
Garza explained that the outlet had already started drafting its endorsement of Harris when the decision was made.
The Daily Mail reported Saturday that "Two other members of the LA Times editorial board, veteran journalists Robert Greene and Karin Klein, also resigned following the decision."
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}The LA Times did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital's request for comment.