In a rare public explanation, Nika Soon-Shiong, daughter of Los Angeles Times owner Patrick Soon-Shiong, revealed that the newspaper’s non-endorsement of Vice President Kamala Harris was linked to the Biden-Harris administration’s stance on the Israel-Hamas conflict in Gaza.
According to Soon-Shiong, 31, her family made a joint decision not to endorse either Harris or former President Donald Trump. In an interview with the New York Times, she emphasized that this decision was driven by the US government’s backing of Israel, which she sees as a “country openly financing genocide.” Soon-Shiong, who has personal experience with apartheid, drew a parallel between the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and the South African regime she witnessed.
Soon-Shiong’s statement was met with a clarification from a Patrick Soon-Shiong spokesperson, who stated that the owner’s daughter “speaks in her own personal capacity” and had no involvement in the Times‘s editorial process. The spokesperson emphasized that Soon-Shiong did not participate in any decision or discussion with the editorial board.
Just days after the Los Angeles Times‘s non-endorsement of Harris, the Washington Post announced that it would also refrain from endorsing a presidential candidate. In an opinion piece, publisher and CEO William Lewis attributed this decision to the Post‘s return to its historical practice of not endorsing presidential candidates.
This move by the Los Angeles Times and the Washington Post comes as the Teamsters Union, which represents millions of workers, also declined to endorse a candidate. Despite a poll showing that nearly 60 percent of union members supported Trump, while 34 percent supported Harris, the Teamsters chose not to take a stance in the election.
