(Ken Silva, Headline USA) The Washington Post is in turmoil in the wake of its decision to not endorse a presidential candidate this election, with thousands of readers reportedly cancelling their subscriptions in outrage—accusing Post owner Jeff Bezos of hoping to curry favor with a potential Trump administration for his various government contracting ventures.
Receiving lesser attention is the LA Times’ decision not to endorse a candidate. And unlike the cynical reasons Bezos is being accused of, the Los Angeles-based newspaper has clearly stated its reason for withholding an endorsement. According to Nika Soon-Shiong, the daughter of Los Angeles Times owner Patrick Soon-Shiong, the newspaper withheld an endorsement because Vice President Kamala Harris has supported Israel’s war in Gaza, which has resulted in an estimated 118,00 dead Palestinians, the majority of them women and children.
“This is not a vote for Donald Trump. This is a refusal to ENDORSE a candidate that is overseeing a war on children,” Soon-Shiong said.
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.
— Nika Soon-Shiong 🇵🇸 (@nikasoonshiong) October 25, 2024
“For me, genocide is the line in the sand,” she said Saturday on Twitter/X.
The father backtracked from her statement later on Saturday.
“Nika speaks in her own personal capacity regarding her opinion, as every community member has the right to do. 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,” Patrick Soon-Shiong’s spokeswoman said in a statement to The New York Times.
Meanwhile, the Post and Bezos continue to receive the lion’s share of criticism for declining to endorse Harris.
“People concerned about Bezos’ impact, including one editor who quit after the Post’s decision, pointed to a meeting the billionaire’s space-exploration company, Blue Origin, had with Trump on Friday, the same day of the nonendorsement announcement,” the Journal reported Sunday.
According to the Journal, Blue Origin CEO Dave Limp was in Texas for a meeting with Gov. Greg Abbott, “and afterward had a chance to briefly meet Trump.”
Limp told the Journal that “the meeting with Trump was opportunistic and planned only that morning after meeting with the Governor.”
“Given that, it’s crazy to think there was some quid pro quo because of this meeting,” he added.
Ken Silva is a staff writer at Headline USA. Follow him at x.com/jd_cashless.
