The Los Angeles Times will not support the presidency

The owner of the Los Angeles Times has blocked the newspaper from endorsing a candidate for president this year.

Last week, the LA Times published its voting recommendations for the 2024 election. And while the paper noted in its first line that “it is no exaggeration to say that this could be the most consequential election in a generation,” that was the only mention of the presidential race in their endorsements.

The newspaper's editorial board, which has supported Democratic candidates in every presidential campaign since it first endorsed then-Sen. Barack Obama in 2008 prepared to do so again in this election.

But according to two people familiar with the situation, Editor-in-Chief Terry Tang told newsroom staff earlier this month that the paper would not endorse a candidate in the presidential election this cycle, a decision supported by the paper's owner, Dr. Patrick Soon, was hit. Shiong, a doctor who made his fortune in the healthcare industry.

The newspaper did not explain its decision, but noted at the bottom of its online endorsement page that “the editorial board endorses selectively, selecting the most consequential races in which to make recommendations.”

An LA Times spokesperson told Semafor: “We do not comment on internal discussions or decisions about editorials or recommendations.”