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Dr. Patrick or Dr. Doom?

Los Angeles Times owner Patrick Soon-Shiong backed false claims against his own reporter, sparking newsroom fury. Meanwhile, he unveiled more details about his mysterious, MAGA-friendly LAT Next venture.

Author

Oliver Darcy
February 13, 2025

Los Angeles Times owner Patrick Soon-Shiong. (Photo by Darren McCollester/Getty Images for NantHealth, Inc.)

On Wednesday morning, Los Angeles Times Executive Editor Terry Tang and Managing Editor Hector Becerra contacted the newspaper’s owner, Patrick Soon-Shiong, seeking to “set the record straight” about an important matter, according to a message Becerra posted in the company's Slack channel. Their concern: Soon-Shiong had endorsed “unfair and false” claims about reporter Jaclyn Cosgrove on the "Ask Dr. Drew" podcast.

Indeed, just hours earlier, Soon-Shiong appeared for a lengthy interview on Drew Pinsky’s program. Saying he had "been waiting" a "long time" to question Soon-Shiong on the topic, Pinsky started aggressively criticizing a 2021 story Cosgrove had written about him. Pinsky called the article "disgusting" and claimed Cosgrove never even reached out to him for comment—a demonstrably false claim. In fact, Cosgrove had sought Pinsky’s comment and quoted him at length in the story. Yet he used his platform to baselessly attack Cosgrove’s ethics.

Soon-Shiong should have known that his reporter had in all likelihood abided by standard ethical guidelines and requested comment from Pinsky. Even if he had not known that, he obviously should have declined to weigh in on a matter he was not briefed on. But Soon-Shiong, eager to assail the news media these days, responded by joining in on the bash session.

"I think you're right," Soon-Shiong told Pinsky at the end of his rant, which the pharmaceutical billionaire smiled throughout. "The unfairness—and that was supposed to be a news reporter rather than opinion. And that's what I also think is wrong about media. You have to be fair—that's all you ask. Fair and honest. And to call you on some of these things."

Suffice to say, Soon-Shiong's comments did not go over well with the newsroom…

The rest of this article is for paid subscribers only. Here’s what’s behind the paywall:

  • 💬 The backlash inside the newsroom: How staffers reacted to Soon-Shiong’s remarks and what they’re saying behind closed doors.

  • 📜 The Guild’s scathing letter: The strong message journalists sent to Soon-Shiong.

  • 🗣️ What the Times told Status: The paper responded to the backlash—but dodged an important question.

  • 🎙️ Inside the Pinsky interview: The new details Soon-Shiong revealed about his LAT Next venture.

  • 📉 What this all means for the Times: The broader implications of Soon-Shiong’s actions on the future of the newspaper.

The Information Wars

The Associated Press logo. (Status illustration/AP)

A Pressing Problem: The Associated Press issued another sharply worded statement Thursday after its reporter was once again blocked from a White House event—this time, a press conference with Donald Trump and Prime Minister Modi. Executive Editor Julie Pace called it a “deeply troubling escalation of the administration’s continued efforts to punish The Associated Press” for refusing to refer to the Gulf of Mexico as the “Gulf of America.” Pace said that the action "is a plain violation of the First Amendment," again signaling that the wire service will likely take legal action if the White House doesn't stand down.

► The White House Correspondents Association weighed in, saying in a statement, "This is a textbook violation of not only the First Amendment, but the president's own executive order on freedom of speech and ending federal censorship."

► Joshua Benton asked several news outlets whether they will use the "Gulf of America" name. Most said they'll stick with Gulf of Mexico.

The remainder of this newsletter is for paid subscribers only.

Scoop-driven reporting and unafraid analysis. See why top industry professionals rely on Status for their media news.

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📜 Cohere We Go Again: Major media companies just took A.I. startup Cohere to court. What are they alleging?

🪓 ABC Axing: ABC News boss Almin Karamehmedovic confirmed what we reported: Joshua Hoyos is out. Learn what he told employees.

🏆 Magazine Showdown: The National Magazine Award nominations are in, and two powerhouses are tied at the top.

📲 TikTok’s Time-Out Ends: The app is back after a sudden disappearance from app stores. Why did Apple and Google just take action?

🍅 Marvel’s Rotten Problem: The early reviews are in, and “Captain America: Brave New World” is struggling with a rough Rotten Tomatoes score. Another Marvel meltdown?