CJR: Los Angeles Times editorials editor resigns after owner blocks presidential endorsement
Columbia Journalism Review
Los Angeles Times editorials editor resigns after owner blocks presidential endorsement
October 23, 2024
By Sewell Chan
Mariel Garza
Mariel Garza, the editorials editor of the Los Angeles Times, resigned on Wednesday, after the newspapers owner had blocked the editorial boards plans to endorse Vice President Kamala Harris for president.
I am resigning because I want to make it clear that I am not okay with us being silent, Garza told me in a phone conversation. In dangerous times, honest people need to stand up. This is how Im standing up.
On October 11, Patrick Soon-Shiong, who bought the newspaper for $500 million in 2018, informed the papers editorial board that the Times would not be making an endorsement for president. The message was conveyed to Garza by Terry Tang, the papers 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.
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