'COMBATIVE'

L.A. Times Owner Irked by Reporter’s Questions on Pro-Trump Voices

Patrick Soon-Shiong wants to add pro-Trump CNN commentator Scott Jennings to the paper’s editorial board.

Los Angeles Times owner Dr. Patrick Soon-Shiong grew “combative” while being asked about his intention on adding Trump-defending CNN commentator Scott Jennings to the publication’s editorial board, former CNN senior media reporter Oliver Darcy wrote in his Status newsletter Tuesday. Soon-Shiong, who didn’t allow the Times editorial board to endorse Vice President Kamala Harris, praised Jennings in a post on X earlier that day. When Darcy asked about how Jennings' commentary is “at its core, dishonest,” the billionaire owner said it was mere “opinion” that president-elect Trump lies more often than other politicians. “If you want to talk about Donald Trump, that’s not the conversation I started with,” Soon-Shiong said, according to Darcy. The billionaire would go on to label Darcy a “so-called reporter“ and accuse him of having ”bias.“ The account of the call then states that after Darcy asked him about including on his editorial board “voices that are inherently dishonest,” Soon-Shiong “accused me of arguing that his entire editorial board will be dishonest...” Eventually, after Darcy disagreed with Soon-Shiong by saying he hadn’t answered all his questions, the billionaire’s spokesperson “ended the interview, signaling to Soon-Shiong to hang up the phone,” as Darcy described it.