LA Times editor speaks of staff ‘concern’ after owner suggests he wants to overhaul paper

Senior editor at The Los Angeles Times he reportedly reassured concerned employees on Friday after the billionaire owner vowed to take the paper in a different direction to make sure “every voice was heard.”

LA Times owner Dr. Patrick Soon-Shiong said he wants to remake the paper “as a whole”, after promising earlier in the week that there would be a “new editorial board.”

“If it’s news, it should be the facts,” Soon-Shiong explained to “Fox News @ Night” host Trace Gallagher on Thursday. “And if it’s an opinion, that’s probably a news opinion, and that’s what I call now a voice. So, we want voices from all sides to be heard, and we want the news to be just the facts.”

LA Times editor Terry Tang reportedly emailed staff after the interview aired to express “concern” about Soon-Shiong’s comments.

LOS ANGELES TIMES OWNER WANTS TO TAKE THINGS DOWN, MAKE HISTORY PAPER A PLACE WHERE ‘ALL VOICES’ ARE HEARD.

“Patrick has expressed his full support and confidence in me and the editorial leaders that they will manage the news as we do. The LA Times newsroom has always strived for factual accuracy, responsive journalism, and comprehensive reporting, and that policy is being made and not changing,” he wrote, according to a message shared by the reporter. of the New York Times Ben Mullins.

“Patrick’s interest, as he has expressed in interviews, is to have a variety of viewpoints represented in the Opinions section and clearly label for our readers the difference between a news piece and an opinion piece. In the coming weeks, there will be more to share about how the newspaper can do this,” Tang’s email continued.

The editor closed his email promising that there would be staff meetings to discuss the new policies in the coming weeks.

Shiong immediately caused an uproar among the newspaper’s staff in October after he said there would be no endorsement of a 2024 presidential candidate. The paper’s editorial board has endorsed every Democratic presidential candidate since 2008 and planned to endorse Vice President Kamala Harris.

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Vice President Kamala Harris delivers the concession speech after the 2024 presidential election, Wednesday, Nov. 6, on the campus of Howard University in Washington, DC. (AP/Jacquelyn Martin)

The decision sparked a backlash from staff, which led to three members of the editorial board resigning in protest.

Shiong immediately pledged over the weekend that the paper would have a “new editorial board” to improve “trust” in the media after President-elect Donald Trump’s victory.

“When the President has won the majority vote of the American people ALL voices must be heard. Opinions are what they are. I will work to make our paper and our media fair and balanced so that all voices are heard and we can exchange respect for all Americans. watch ..from left to right coming soon A new editorial board is important for a strong democracy.

LOS ANGELES TIMES OWNER ANNOUNCES PAPER WILL HAVE NEW EDITORIAL BOARD SOON TO ‘EVERY VOICES ARE HEARD’

He also emphasized to Fox News that he wants the paper to be more than an “echo chamber”.

Former Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump arrives at a campaign rally at the Santander Arena, Monday, Nov. 4, 2024, in Reading, Pa. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci) (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)

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“Also, it’s going to be dangerous and difficult. I’m going to take a lot of heat, which I already am, but you know, I’m coming from a position where it’s important that every voice be heard,” Gallagher told FNC.

Fox News Digital reached out to the LA Times and Tang for comment but did not immediately receive a response.

Lindsay Kornick of Fox News contributed to this report.