The editorials editor of the Los Angeles Times has resigned after the newspaper’s owner refused to endorse a presidential candidate.
“I am resigning because I want to make it clear that I am not okay with us being silent,” Mariel Garza said, according to the Columbia Journalism Review.
“In dangerous times, honest people need to stand up. This is how I’m standing up,” Garza added.
Breaking exclusive from @thewrap: the #LAtimes editorial page editor @marielgarzaLAT has resigned in the wake of the paper not endorsing a presidential candidate. https://t.co/xNt7G0nHFS
— Sharon Waxman (follow me on Threads @sharonwaxman (@sharonwaxman) October 23, 2024
The publication has endorsed every Democratic presidential nominee since the 2008 election.
New: The Los Angeles Times will not endorse a candidate for president this year. This decision was made by the paper’s owner Patrick Soon-Shiong. The LA Times has endorsed every Democratic presidential candidate since 2008. pic.twitter.com/GyymizsUoF
— The Calvin Coolidge Project (@TheCalvinCooli1) October 22, 2024
Per Columbia Journalism Review:
On October 11, Patrick Soon-Shiong, who bought the newspaper for $500 million in 2018, informed the paper’s editorial board that the Times would not be making an endorsement for president. The message was conveyed to Garza by Terry Tang, the paper’s editor.
The board had intended to endorse Harris, Garza told me, and she had drafted the outline of a proposed editorial. She had hoped to get feedback on the outline and was taken aback upon being told that the newspaper would not take a position.
“I didn’t think we were going to change our readers’ minds—our readers, for the most part, are Harris supporters,” Garza told me. “We’re a very liberal paper. I didn’t think we were going to change the outcome of the election in California.
NEWS
The editor of the Los Angeles Times editorial page has resigned after the owner blocked the editorial board from moving forward with an endorsement of Vice President Kamala Harris.
“I am resigning because I want to make it clear that I am not okay with us being silent.… pic.twitter.com/bH3bJ4oKIi
— Yashar Ali
(@yashar) October 23, 2024
Los Angeles Times editorial boss resigns after billionaire owner Patrick Soon-Shiong scraps Harris endorsement https://t.co/kxI9HnWPmR pic.twitter.com/66bMgt0NUG
— New York Post (@nypost) October 24, 2024
From the New York Post:
After news broke that the LA Times would forgo a presidential endorsement, the move was cheered by the Trump campaign.
“Even her fellow Californians know she’s not up for the job,” the campaign said.
While the paper has chosen a Democrat for president since 2008, it didn’t endorse Harris for California attorney general in 2010, instead opting for Republican Steve Cooley, CJR reported.
The LA Times union said in an email to union members on Wednesday it sent a letter to Soon-Shiong, who has owned the paper since 2018, and editor Terry Tang asking for a reason why the endorsement was called off, but hadn’t received a reply, Semafor reported.
“We believe the company owes the staff an explanation about why this decision was made after years of endorsements in general elections,” the union reportedly wrote.
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