Who is Nika Soon-Shiong? LA Times owner's daughter called out after Israel 'Apartheid' comment
CARLSBAD, CALIFORNIA: The daughter of the LA Times' owner is being slammed fo having a Palestinian flag on her X profile after saying that calling Israel an 'Apartheid state' is not 'journalistic malpractice'.
It’s not journalistic malpractice to describe the state of Israel as an Apartheid state. This is well-established in international law. It’s the legal term for unlawful “killing, torture, forcible transfer, and denial of basic rights." pic.twitter.com/hIoi3FiuSB
— Nika Soon-Shiong 🇵🇸 (@nikasoonshiong) November 1, 2023
Posting on her X account, Nika Soon-Shiong wrote, "It's not journalistic malpractice to describe the state of Israel as an Apartheid state."
“This is well-established in international law. It's the legal term for unlawful killing, torture, forcible transfer, and denial of basic rights.”
Who is Nika Soon-Shiong?
Nika, the daughter of billionaire Dr Patrick Soon-Shiong, has also added the Palestinian flag to her X profile as the conflict in Gaza rages.
Originally from South Africa, her father Patrick Soon-Shiong was a bio-scientist and transplant surgeon.
He is the inventor of the medication Abraxane, which is well-known for treating lung, breast, and pancreatic cancer. According to Forbes, his net worth is $5.6 billion.
Dr Patrick Soon-Shiong bought the Los Angeles Times and San Diego Tribune for $500 million in June 2018.
As per an article published in Politico, Nika, a Stanford graduate, has been “actively involved” with the LA Times recently, and some staff members have also accused her of “meddling” to promote her woke message.
According to the outlet, Soon-Shiong criticized an article about a horrific robbery in West Hollywood written by a young reporter last year to push her pro-defund the police position.
Even though her parents reside in a Four Seasons gated community in San Diego with high security, Soon-Shiong has advocated for fewer police officers.
Soon-Shiong claimed the LA Times supported the “protection of luxury watches and Rolls-Royces” while ignoring police practices such as “overcharging, manipulating crime stats, or lying about the cost per deputy” in a since-deleted post.
Politico claimed that her parents' appearance the following day to celebrate winning a Pulitzer Prize added to the tension in the newsroom.
In addition, the Los Angeles Daily News reports that she forbade the use of the word "looting" in Times articles to describe looting during the summer riots of 2020.
After George Floyd's death and the ensuing riots and widespread protests, she publicly objected to the word's use, tweeting, "Absolutely the wrong messaging @latimes."
According to an article in LA Magazine, a newsroom committee declared that it would limit the use of the word "looting" due to its potential racial connotations.
When the Wall Street Journal reported in February 2021 that her father was considering selling the Times, she retorted, saying, "WSJ is 100% wrong."
More than thirty current and former employees told Politico that the newspaper was going through growing pains because of its billionaire owner. After completing her studies at Stanford University, Soon-Shiong was appointed to the Public Safety Commission of the City of West Hollywood in 2021.
She advocated for the LA Sheriff's Department to be defunded while she served on the commission.
“Police and law enforcement agencies are asked to do so many functions in society that they aren't trained to do, and that real public safety means further investments in affordable housing, permanent supportive housing, mental health, and alternative response teams,” she stated at the time.
“These are solutions that we know work. That we know keep people safe.”
In the end, the city council decided to remove four sheriff's deputies from Los Angeles County.
Her recent remarks coincide with the announcement made by the Hamas-run Health Ministry in Gaza that 9,061 Palestinian lives have been lost in the ongoing Israel-Hamas war.
Over 130 Palestinians have died in Israeli raids and acts of violence in the occupied West Bank.
Over 1,400 Israelis have lost their lives, the majority of them in the Hamas attack on October 7 that sparked the conflict, and the militant group has taken about 240 Israeli hostages into Gaza.
Diplomatic efforts have stepped up to bring about a temporary pause in the conflict as Israeli troops continue to advance into Gaza.
Reactions to her post on X
The Internet slammed Nika Soon-Shiong’s take on Israel and resorted to criticizing her in her post replies.
One X user said, “So does this reflect the editorial position of the @latimes?@DrPatSoonShiong can you confirm? And do you condone and agree with your daughter's statements?”
So does this reflect the editorial position of the @latimes ? @DrPatSoonShiong can you confirm? And do you condone and agree with your daughter's statements?
— Houman David Hemmati, MD, PhD (@houmanhemmati) November 1, 2023
Another X user wrote, “You are a terrible human on so many levels”
One user wrote, “Okay, then it’s just incorrect.”
Another user said, “Sorry is there a different definition for apartheid? Linguistically it has a more basic definition about systems and rights.”
Sorry is there a different definition for apartheid? Linguistically it has a more basic definition about systems and rights.
— A God of Hogs #landback (@Kick_Puncher_) November 1, 2023
One X user had a cheeky comment, “Your daddy must be so proud. Hope he doesn’t cut the trust fund.”
Your daddy must be so proud. Hope he doesn’t cut the trust fund.
— Tim Lyons (@timlyons53) November 3, 2023
Another user snarked back, “Cancelling my LA Times subscription. You don’t need me. I don’t need the LA TIMES”.
Cancelling my LA Times subscription. You don’t need me. I don’t need the LA TIMES
— Lia Kamhi-Stein (@lia_kamhi_stein) November 3, 2023
Another X user said, “Nepo baby has thoughts."
And finally, this X user wrote, “You are so poorly misinformed. Poor thing.”
You are so poorly misinformed. Poor thing.
— None of Your Business (@GeneralNeyland) November 2, 2023