The proprietor of LA Times intends to incorporate an AI-driven 'impartiality assessor' into their news articles, resulting in discord within the newsroom.
The proprietor of LA Times intends to incorporate an AI-driven 'impartiality assessor' into their news articles, resulting in discord within the newsroom.
Biotech tycoon Dr. Patrick Soon-Shiong, who bought the Times in 2018, disclosed to CNN's Scott Jennings, who is joining the Times' editorial board, that he's been discreetly crafting an AI moderator "under the radar." Due for release in January, this tool draws power from the AI technology he's been cultivating since 2010 for healthcare use, Soon-Shiong revealed.
"Someone may infer from the text that the news source carries some degree of bias," he mentioned on Jennings' "Flyover Country" podcast. "What we should avoid is the phenomenon of confirmation bias, and then the reader can simply tap a button to access the opposing viewpoint on the same story, and can subsequently offer their thoughts."
Soon-Shiong criticized major publishers for not effectively distinguishing news from opinion, which he viewed as a potential downfall of what's now referred to as traditional media.
This statement earned a rebuttal from the Times' union representing its newsroom personnel, who accused Soon-Shiong of imputing bias without any supporting evidence or instances.
"Our team members, and every Times employee, adhere to a strict code of principles of journalistic integrity, which encompass fairness, accuracy, transparency, vigilance against prejudice, and a conscientious pursuit to grasp all facets of an issue," the Los Angeles Times Guild stated in a communiqué on Thursday. "These long-standing principles will continue to guide our endeavors."
The political maneuvers of the paper's proprietor led to the exodus of Harry Litman, a prominent legal affairs columnist for the Times' Opinion page.
"My resignation is a protest and emotional reaction against the maneuvers of the Times' owner, Dr. Patrick Soon-Shiong. Soon-Shiong has spearheaded several initiatives to steer the paper, defying the firm objections of his staff, towards a more sympathetic stance towards Donald Trump," Litman penned on Thursday. "Given the looming perils for our democracy that I believe Trump's second term poses, and the evidence that Soon-Shiong is endeavoring to curry favor with the President-elect, these initiatives are repugnant and treacherous."
Kerry Cavanaugh, the Times' assistant editorial page editor, also declared her departure this week, as reported by Status. In addition to his multipronged alterations to the editorial board, a close associate claimed that Soon-Shiong has started examining the headlines of all opinion pieces before publication. A Los Angeles Times representative did not reply to CNN's request for comment.
The changes are part of Soon-Shiong's plans to reorganize the newspaper's editorial board, as he disclosed to CNN last month that he seeks to augment the paper's opinion section with more conservative and centrist voices following President-elect Donald Trump's triumph.
"If we were candid with ourselves, our current board of opinion writers veered quite left, which is acceptable, but to achieve balance, we ought to also accommodate someone who leans right, and most importantly, someone who aligns with the center," Soon-Shiong expressed to CNN in November.
The restructuring follows Soon-Shiong's contentious decision to veto a drafted endorsement of Vice President Harris two weeks before Election Day, which prompted the resignations of several members of the paper's editorial board, staff protests, and numerous readers canceling their subscriptions. Only three of the editorial board's eight members remain, according to the Times website. On Wednesday, Soon-Shiong told Jennings that when the editorial board announced that they had "prepackaged" a presidential endorsement "without having met with any of the candidates," he was "incensed."
"Everyone has the right to harbor an opinion, that's fair," Soon-Shiong emphasized, underlining the need for the newspaper to "actually cultivate a degree of balance when it comes to opinion and columnists, and then inform the reader that this is opinion."
In his resignation letter, Litman branded Soon-Shiong's decision to withhold the presidential endorsement a "grievous affront to the Times' readership."
"Trump has made it crystal clear that he will exact revenge on media outlets that transgress him," Litman wrote. "Instead of responding with indignation to this challenge to the paper's critical role in a democracy, Soon-Shiong surrendered to the wolves. This action was cowardly."
"Dr. Patrick Soon-Shiong, the Times' owner, aims to introduce an AI moderator to combat bias and confirmation bias in news reporting, as mentioned in the tool's development and upcoming release."
"The Los Angeles Times Guild, representing the newspaper's employees, emphasized their commitment to journalistic principles such as fairness, accuracy, and transparency, in response to the allegations of bias towards certain viewpoints."