The Chinese-American billionaire owner of the Los Angeles Times has expressed his commitment to bringing the newspaper back to the right path, separating news from opinions. He believes that “media should only report facts” and ensure that all voices are heard. The billionaire faced criticism in the final days of the US election for refusing to endorse a presidential candidate.
At 72 years old, Patrick Soon-Shiong, the Chinese-American billionaire, acquired the Los Angeles Times in 2018. Born in South Africa, he is known as the “richest doctor in the world.” With a background as a surgeon, he founded two pharmaceutical companies and made a profit of $9 billion when he sold them.
In an interview with Fox News on Thursday, Soon-Shiong expressed his desire for the newspaper to distinguish between news and opinions, emphasizing the importance of reporting only facts.
He explained, “If it’s news, it should only report facts, that’s all. If it’s an opinion, maybe it’s an opinion on the news, that’s what I call a voice. So, we want all voices to be heard, we want news to be just facts.”
In the final days before the 2024 US presidential election, Soon-Shiong faced backlash for canceling the editorial board’s plan to endorse Vice President He Jinli, amid protests from three members who resigned in protest of the paper’s refusal to endorse a presidential candidate. Since 2008, the Los Angeles Times has supported Democratic candidates in every presidential election.
On Friday, Soon-Shiong took to the social media platform X to express his determination to rejuvenate the Los Angeles Times.
“We have laid out a path for the Los Angeles Times to ensure that when we publish ‘news,’ we report only facts. These facts should be labeled as ‘news.’ We have a duty to ensure that readers can distinguish between what is news and what is just an expression of opinions. Every American’s viewpoint should be heard, and we will label ‘opinions’ as ‘Voices’… representing the voices of California and America.”
He added, “We need to revitalize this institution and allow for diverse viewpoints to be expressed, whether from the left, right, or center. It’s not easy, but I promise to work towards this goal and help heal our divided country by promoting a platform for civilized dialogue. Stay tuned.”
Amazon founder and owner of The Washington Post, billionaire Jeff Bezos, also refused to endorse a presidential candidate before the election. It was the first time in 36 years that The Washington Post declined to endorse a Democratic candidate. Bezos stated that this decision was made to restore the American people’s trust in the media.