Los Angeles Times owner Patrick Soon-Shiong’s embrace of conservative media, and his desire to feature more Trump-friendly commentary, could expand to a new venture catering to the MAGA base, tentatively titled LAT Next.
Details of the plan remain sketchy, but according to a report in the media newsletter Status, Soon-Shiong has been in contact with several “digital-first personalities,” including high-profile right-wing commentator Candace Owens.
Soon-Shiong has already alarmed the newsroom at the Times with some of his involvement in editorial decisions, and has made clear that he wants to bring more conservative voices into its opinion pages, among them Scott Jennings, a commentator for CNN. That followed his move not to endorse Kamala Harris during the presidential campaign after the endorsement had been written, which resulted in the resignation of editorials editor Mariel Garza in October.
Since then, Soon-Shiong has announced the relationship with Jennings and discussed introducing a “bias meter” on Times stories, all resulting in mounting concern within the ranks of the newspaper’s staff.
Soon-Shiong also expressed support for Trump’s Health and Human Services secretary nominee Robert F. Kennedy Jr., and was accused by a contributor to the opinion section, Eric Reinhart, of editing a column he had written regarding Kennedy in a misleading way. The changes including revising the headline from “RFK Jr’s Wrecking Ball Won’t Fix Public Health” to “Trump’s healthcare disruption could pay off — if he pushes real reform.”
Soon-Shiong has been more publicly outspoken since veering right. Last month, for example, he appeared on “The Morning Meeting” podcast and again criticized Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass over her handling of the Los Angeles wildfires, calling the Times’ endorsement of her during the 2022 campaign “a mistake.”
The Times also continues to struggle economically, and earlier this month offered buyouts to all employees who had been with the paper two years or more. In a memo obtained by Semafor, management said, “The economic landscape of the media industry continues to be extremely challenging,” requring that the Times “remain diligent in managing costs.”
In January 2024, the Times laid off more than 20% of its newsroom, translating to more than 100 positions.
Representatives for the Times didn’t respond to a request for comment.