LOS ANGELES— A trade magazine for the journalism industry said Wednesday that the editorials editor of the Los Angeles Times quit because the owner of the paper stopped the editorial board from endorsing Democratic Vice President Kamala Harris for president.
Maria Elías Garza told the Columbia Journalism Review that she quit because the Times wasn’t talking about the contest during “dangerous times.”
Garza said, “I’m quitting to make it clear that I don’t agree with us being quiet.” “Honest people need to stand up when things are dangerous.” So this is how I stand up.
This morning, L.A. Times owner Patrick Soon-Shiong said on the social media site X that the board was asked to look into the policies of Harris and Republican former President Donald Trump while they were in office. The post did not directly name the resignation.
He also wrote, “The board was asked to give its understanding of the policies and plans laid out by the candidates during this campaign and how they might affect the country over the next four years.” “Our readers could decide who should be president for the next four years by putting this clear and unbiased information next to each other.”
Soon-Shiong bought the paper in 2018 and said that the board “chosen to remain silent, and I accepted that choice.”
Garza told the Columbia Journalism Review that the board had planned to support Harris and that she had written the main points of an opinion that would be written.
An email to the L.A. Times asking for feedback did not get a response right away.
Trump’s campaign jumped on Garza’s resignation, saying that the state’s biggest newspaper had turned down to back the Democrats after supporting Harris in her past runs for U.S. Senate and state attorney general.
About 10 months ago, Kevin Merida, who was Executive Editor at the time, quit the paper in what was called a “mutually agreed” fashion. At the time, the news organization said it had not met its goals for digital subscribers and needed more money to keep the newsroom and its digital activities going.
