Key Takeaways:
– Former U.S. Attorney Harry Litman resigns from the L.A. Times due to the owner’s apparent support for Donald Trump.
– Dr. Patrick Soon-Shiong, the newspaper’s billionaire owner, allegedly obstructs an editorial endorsing Vice President Kamala Harris.
– Litman joins a list of other staff leaving the publication citing Soon-Shiong’s increased meddling in editorial content.
Harry Litman, a former U.S. Attorney and Deputy Assistant Attorney General, declared on Thursday that he has resigned his role as a contributor to the L.A. Times. The seasoned legal professional made this decision in protest of the newspaper’s owner, Dr. Patrick Soon-Shiong’s, seeming support of former President Donald Trump.
The Fallout at The L.A. Times
The L.A. Times has been swirling in turmoil following Soon-Shiong’s alleged refusal to permit an editorial piece endorsing Vice President Kamala Harris. This action triggered a series of staff resignations, including Litman and editorials editor Mariel Garza. Litman, in particular, took issue with what he saw as Soon-Shiong pushing a pro-Trump agenda within the paper.
Litman’s Departure For Democracy’s Sake
With a solid 15-year association with the L.A. Times, including three years as the Senior Legal Columnist, Litman made his parting public in a robust statement. He claimed that he no longer wanted to work for an organization that seemed to be appeasing Trump potentially to the detriment of democratic rule. He laid out that his exit was due to what he felt to be significant threats to democracy posed by a possible second term for Trump and apparent attempts by Soon-Shiong to curry favor with Trump.
The Significant Repercussions Of Scrapping the Pro-Harris Editorial
Issuing his views on the controversial move to scrap the Harris editorial, Litman expressed that the motivation behind this decision was untenable. He believed that it was unlikely for Soon-Shiong to suddenly raise concerns over Harris’s criminal justice record or show a newfound fondness for Trump’s immigration policies.
Instead, he speculated that Soon-Shiong was perhaps trying to play safe, keeping his options open in case Trump won. Litman suggested that the motive wasn’t just to safeguard the paper but possibly Soon-Shiong’s multi-billion-dollar holdings in other business spheres. He said it was reasonable to infer that Soon-Shiong might be attempting to gain Trump’s favor by capitulating to his infamous tempestuousness.
A Media’s Vital Role in Democracy
Litman also noted how Trump’s repeatedly made it clear that he would cause issues for media outlets that don’t align with him. Instead of facing this challenge head-on and defending the newspaper’s crucial role in a democracy, he raised concerns that Soon-Shiong appeared to have disconcertingly conceded to Trump’s demands.
Litman Affirms his Stand
In spite of regular appearances as a legal commenter on TV, Litman may not view his resignation as a significant blow against Soon-Shiong’s alleged pandering to Trump. However, he felt it critical enough to disassociate from a revered national institution that seemed to decline to resist a potential authoritarian rule due to dubious and selfish interests. This, he believes, could lead to the paper’s shift in core identity from a strong journalistic entity to one that placates an authoritarian leader, an identity he was reluctant to align with.