Antisemitic LA Times Captions Reveal Troubling Bias That Endangers the Safety Of Jewish Angelenos

Despite a decline in readership and extensive layoffs, reports of the demise of the LA Times are greatly exaggerated.  It remains the most important news outlet in California.

This makes its anti-Israel bias in a number of recent articles especially troubling.  The newspaper’s bias not only breeds distrust among its dwindling Jewish readership but advances blatant lies that endanger the safety of Jewish Angelenos.

Its bias was laid bare for all to seen on July 2nd.  Nine days prior, violent extremists descended on the heavily Jewish neighborhood of Pico Robertson, blocking access to a synagogue and attacking Jewish residents.  As posts and videos of Jews being attacked went viral online, strong condemnations followed from President Biden, Governor Newsom, and Mayor Bass, with promises to take “swift action” to protect the Jewish community from further attacks.  The LAPD conceded that it was ill-prepared, undermanned, and late to the scene of what some Jewish residents are calling the “Pico Pogrom.”  Fortunately, several Jewish non-profit organizations were on the scene on June 23rd to prevent fatal injuries from the antisemitic violence.

Recognizing that the LAPD (which has shrunk from 10,000 officers down to only 8,800) lacks the manpower to protect vulnerable Jewish institutions, the LA City Council swiftly proposed a motion to provide $1 million in security funding to three Jewish non-profit organizations.  The innocuous motion was modeled on the long-standing California State Nonprofit Security Grant Program.  The three non-profit organizations are the Jewish Federation of Los Angeles, the Jewish Community Foundation of Los Angeles, and Magen Am.  Each is a well-respected and vital mainstay of the Los Angeles Jewish community, especially the Jewish Federation, which dates back to 1911.

Fast forward to July 2nd, when extremists (including some of the same hate groups that participated in and promoted the Pico Pogrom) descended on the LA City Council to block the motion.  Bullied by these hate groups, the City Council quickly tabled the motion, reportedly to make the funding available to non-profits of all religious backgrounds.

However, when Angelenos read the LA Times story about the motion and the City Council proceedings, a far more sinister story was told.  Five photo captions described the motion as providing $1 million to “Pro-Israel vigilante/security companies for Zionist Defense training.”  Yes, you read that right.  Not only is the caption factually false and easily debunked (none of the three above organizations are “vigilante” or “Zionist defense” organizations), but the caption breeds the same hate that the motion seeks to address.  Anyone reading that caption would be outraged that her tax dollars would be handed over to “vigilante security companies for Zionist defense training,” this reader included.  Outrage like that breeds hate and violence.

The article itself was just as biased.  Not a single Jewish victim of the Pico Pogrom was quoted.  But, “multiple” unnamed “pro-Palestinian protesters” were, anonymously telling the LA Times that it was actually LAPD officers and “pro-Israel supporters” who were the violent ones.  Pro-Palestinian protester Ron Gochez (who was not even at the Pico Pogrom) was quoted about being “attacked” by “pro-Israel counter protesters” at the UCLA “encampment.” Pro-Palestinian protester John Parker (who was also not present at the Pico Pogrom) was quoted as calling Jews “fascists” and the LAPD “racist.”

The sole “Jewish” person quoted was from a virulently antisemitic fringe organization called “Jewish Voice for Peace,” which calls for the dismantlement of Israel and actively organizes violent protests, including the Pico Pogrom.  The LA Times effectively bolstered this violent fringe organization, giving the impression that it was speaking for Jewish Angelenos, which it does not.

The LA Times could have easily quoted the many Jewish residents of Pico Robertson who were attacked on June 23.  Interviewing the victims of hate crimes is a standard practice in journalism.  Seemingly every other local print and broadcast news outlet in town, including CBS, ABC7, Fox11, KTLA, and the Westside Current, rushed reporters to the scene and interviewed victims.  Conspicuously absent was the LA Times, who did not send a reporter to the scene.

When Jewish leaders expressed outrage about the antisemitic photo captions and biased reporting, the LA Times quietly changed the captions to “Groups protest a proposed City Council resolution to fund Pro-Israel security companies at Los Angeles houses of worship.”  When the Hollywood Reporter and the Westside Current covered the continuing “firestorm,” the caption was again changed to “Groups against a proposed City Council resolution speak out during public comments.”  No changes were made to the article.  No victims were quoted.  No explanation was provided about the antisemitic photo captions, other than the following note: “Earlier captions accompanying this article stated that city funding was being proposed to pay for pro-Israel vigilante groups. The proposal called for funding for pro-Israel security companies.”  This, of course, is still not accurate.  The Jewish Federation, the Jewish Community Foundation, and Magen Am are Jewish non-profit organizations, not “pro-Israel security companies.”

Most importantly, the LA Times never apologized for spreading in lies that fan the flames of antisemitism.  The newspaper did not apologize for slandering three leading Jewish organizations as “Pro-Israel vigilante/security companies for Zionist Defense training” and for giving legitimacy to a violent fringe organization.  The newspaper did not apologize for ignoring the experience of Jewish victims of hate crimes.

Unfortunately, the LA Times does not warrant the benefit of the doubt.  On November 17, 2023, the newspaper was forced to tackle its own anti-Israel bias by banning “more than three dozen reporters and editors from covering the war in Gaza after they signed an open letter condemning Israel’s response to the Oct. 7 massacre.”  It is also well-known that Nika Soon-Shiong, the daughter of the newspaper’s owner, proudly traffics in the same antisemitic vitriol reflected in the antisemitic July 3 photo captions.  On July 18th, Ms. Soon-Shiong repeated the same lie, tweeting “LA City Council funded and unleashed a new Zionist militia.”  Sadly, the antisemitic photo captions and tweets of the owner’s daughter gave air to antisemitic conspiracy theorists across the Internet to spread further lies and hate about Jews.

It is easy to imagine the outcry if racist, homophobic, or Islamophobic captions and reporting described a motion to provide security funding to protect a Black church, LGBTQ center, or mosque after a violent attack by hate-filled extremists.

Words matter.  Our hometown newspaper should devote itself to unbiased reporting with a better understanding of the concerns of the Los Angeles Jewish community.  Meanwhile, when the security funding motion reportedly returns for a vote on July 31, we should all demand that the LA Times and the LA City Council do the right thing and protect Jewish Angelenos.

Sam Yebri is a trial attorney, non-profit leader, and Jewish civic leader in Los Angeles.