Los Angeles Times Contributor Resigns Over Owner's Editorial Interference

Harry Litman steps down, citing Dr. Patrick Soon-Shiong's actions to influence editorial decisions and perceived alignment with Donald Trump.

Harry Litman, a senior legal columnist for the Los Angeles Times, resigned after 15 years, protesting owner Patrick Soon-Shiong's editorial interventions.
Litman criticized Soon-Shiong for blocking the paper's planned endorsement of Kamala Harris and for favoring a neutral stance toward Donald Trump, which he called dangerous for democracy.
Soon-Shiong has implemented new policies, including pre-approval of opinion headlines and the development of an AI-driven 'bias meter' for news and opinion content.
The Los Angeles Times Guild condemned Soon-Shiong's actions, defending the newsroom's adherence to strict ethics guidelines and journalistic independence.
The controversy follows broader concerns about billionaire ownership of newspapers, with similar editorial interference reported at The Washington Post under Jeff Bezos.