(Dmytro “Henry” Aleksandrov, Headline USA) The Los Angeles Times owner, Dr. Patrick Soon-Shiong, said in a Monday interview that the newspaper made a mistake when it endorsed Democratic Mayor Karen Bass in 2022, adding that the Times would “accept some blame.”
Soon-Shiong’s recent remarks came after Bass and Gov. Gavin Newsom, D-Calif., became infamous for letting Los Angeles and other parts of the state burn, leaving many people homeless.
“At the L.A. Times, we endorsed Karen Bass. I think right now that’s a mistake, and we admit that,” Soon-Shiong said on the Morning Meeting podcast. “This fire has given us a wake-up call as a paper.”
Even though Bass previously voted for leftist legislation in Congress, lectured Americans about racism and indicated that she has a Trump Derangement Syndrome, the Times’ editorial board endorsed her, claiming she was the right person for “Angelenos [to] look to in a crisis, who can set the tone of the political discourse and should act as the moral compass for city policy.”
The leftist editors also stated that Bass was the “most experienced public official in the race” and an outsider willing to challenge the status quo.
“Los Angeles needs a leader who can bring Angelenos together and who has a holistic vision for a better city. Karen Bass is that person,” the Times wrote.
However, after realizing President-elect Donald Trump would win the 2024 election, the newspaper quickly changed its tune, primarily by refusing to endorse former Democratic presidential nominee Kamala Harris. That decision resulted in one of the leftist newspaper’s editors quitting her job.
After that, the Times fired the entire editorial board to “work towards making [the] paper and media fair and balanced so that all voices are heard.”
“Coming soon. A new Editorial Board. Trust in media is critical for a strong democracy,” Soon-Shiong wrote.
The newspaper also hired CNN’s Scott Jennings and decided not to write about Trump as much as its reporters used to do.
