Owner of the left-leaning LA Times says he is open to moderating the paper with new conservative voices

The owner of the Los Angeles Times, Dr. Patrick Soon-Shiong, stated that he intends to diversify the voices within the paper's editorial section to make it more balanced and include conservative viewpoints.

In a recent interview, Soon-Shiong explained that he has received criticism for not being unbiased, something the public expects from a newspaper. He assured that, in order to maintain the newspaper's credibility, it is necessary for its editorial board to include a variety of political opinions. "I think it’s important for us to differentiate the editorial board is responsible for these opinions on these voices," he commented, acknowledging that, at present, there is no balance in the perspectives presented. "So, right now, we don’t have an editorial board if we are truly honest about ourselves that are balanced. And so, I’ve gotten beaten up about fair and balance," he added.

Soon-Shiong mentioned that he is now looking to bring in people like Scott Jennings, a conservative commentator noted for his work at CNN since 2017, and who was even considered for the position of White House press secretary by President-elect Donald Trump. Although the position was ultimately filled by Karoline Leavitt, Jennings remains an influential figure in the U.S. political landscape.

Dr. Soon-Shiong also said editors must present stories from different perspectives because their decisions affect how important political issues are told. "Editors are responsible of stories that are told and stories that are not told. Editors have these nuances of the word hatred versus could the president-elect make a real impact," he commented. His goal, he added, is to integrate views from both sides of the political spectrum without altering the fundamental nature of the editorial board.

In addition, Soon-Shiong linked the editorial restructuring to a shift seen in California, where several formerly more liberal counties have leaned to the right in recent years. "If you look at the 2022 map of California, look at the 2024 map of California, the change has been rather dramatic moving towards the right as well as being very liberal as before," he said. " It's our responsibility to maintain democracy to have the views of all our California readers, in fact, the views of all the national readers to be — to be added," he concluded.