clear

Creating new perspectives since 2009

LA Times withdraws support for Harris over ‘Gaza genocide’, owner’s daughter claims

October 28, 2024 at 10:04 am

US Vice President Kamala Harris speaks during the 2024 Democratic National Convention in Chicago, Illinois, United States on August 19, 2024. [Jacek Boczarski – Anadolu Agency]

Dr Patrick Soon-Shiong, owner of the Los Angeles Times, has decided to withdraw his newspaper’s support for Kamala Harris’s bid for the US presidency due to her pro-Israel stance in the ongoing Gaza genocide, his daughter has claimed.

The decision caused three editorial board members to resign in protest, and around 200 employees signed a letter calling for clarification from management.

“I have no regrets whatsoever. In fact, I think it was exactly the right decision,” Soon-Shiong said in an interview with The Times on Friday afternoon. “The process was [to decide]: how do we actually best inform our readers? And there could be nobody better than us who try to sift the facts from fiction” while leaving it to readers to make their own final decision.

Commenting on the decision, Soon-Shiong’s daughter Nika wrote on X: “This is not a vote for Donald Trump. This is a refusal to ENDORSE a candidate that is overseeing a war on children […] There is no such thing as human animals.”

“For me, genocide is the line in the sand,” she added.

Nika previously highlighted the high child death rate as a result of Israel’s air strike in Gaza just three weeks after Tel Aviv launched its genocidal campaign.

Patrick Soon-Shiong responded Saturday, saying his daughter did not play a role in the endorsement.

“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,” he said in a statement.

Dr Patrick Soon-Shiong, a biotech industry billionaire of South African and Chinese descent, acquired the Los Angeles Times in 2018.

BLOG:  CNN has just tried to garner even more impunity for Israel and its genocide