Nika Soon-Shiong, daughter of Los Angeles Times owner Patrick Soon-Shiong, has publicly criticized her father's publication for running an Israeli tourism advertisement. Soon-Shiong, who founded the pro-Palestinian outlet Drop Site News in 2024, stated that the advertisement, which included a map of Israel, "completely erases the occupied Palestinian territories."
On her platform, Soon-Shiong argued that while the ad might not violate U.S. law, it contradicts international law. The map, according to Drop Site News, depicts a unified Israel from the Mediterranean Sea to the Jordan River, omitting the West Bank and Gaza, and appearing to include the occupied Syrian Golan Heights within its borders.
Soon-Shiong expressed her dismay on X (formerly Twitter), posting, "WHAT ON EARTH?"
This is not the first time Nika Soon-Shiong has voiced strong opinions on the Israel-Gaza conflict and its relation to her father's newspaper. In the lead-up to the 2024 presidential election, she claimed the LA Times did not endorse Kamala Harris because the endorsement "was an opportunity to repudiate justifications for the widespread targeting of journalists and ongoing war on children." At the time, Patrick Soon-Shiong responded by stating that his daughter's views were personal and did not reflect the newspaper's editorial stance. He emphasized that she had no role in the LA Times' decision-making processes.
The Israeli tourism advertisement was reportedly paid for by the Israeli government's Ministry of Tourism. A Los Angeles Times staff writer, James Queally, clarified that the advertisement was not produced by the journalistic arm of the newspaper but by LA Times Studios, a separate entity within the Los Angeles Times Media Group that handles sponsored content and advertising. Queally noted that the lack of clear separation between the news organization and its studio division is a source of frustration for the staff.
The masthead above the ad and its URL point to the Los Angeles Times, indicating a connection to the main publication's branding and digital presence, despite the distinction made by Queally regarding LA Times Studios' operational independence from the editorial board.