Source: Politics<\/p>\n
A writer who recently published an opinion column in the Los Angeles Times that warned of Robert F. Kennedy Jr.\u2019s confirmation as Health and Human Services Secretary says the paper gave the piece a misleading headline and omitted portions of his argument in order to promote Kennedy.<\/p>\n
The paper\u2019s billionaire owner, Patrick Soon-Shiong, posted the piece on social media<\/a>, which was headlined \u201cTrump\u2019s healthcare disruption could pay off \u2014 if he pushes real reform<\/a>.\u201d Soon-Shiong added his own commentary as part of a string of pro-Kennedy posts, saying the president\u2019s pick \u201cis our best chance of doing so.\u201d<\/p>\n The author of the piece, Eric Reinhart, said in an interview with POLITICO that he was advocating for a \u201cpopulist\u201d approach to health care \u2014 but clearly not arguing for Kennedy\u2019s confirmation. He added that late changes to the piece \u2014 in particular the choice of headline and photo, which he said he did not see or approve prior to publication \u2014 happened \u201cin such a way that it distorts and changes the intended meaning\u201d of his story.<\/p>\n \u201cMy suggested title, which reflects the content I expected to go to press, was \u2018RFK Jr\u2019s Wrecking Ball Won\u2019t Fix Public Health,\u2019\u201d Reinhart wrote on X<\/a>, in response to Soon-Shiong. \u201cA vote for RFK Jr. is a vote for nothing but chaos, the opposite of the essential public-systems building I argue for in the OpEd, and mass death.\u201d<\/p>\n In a statement, a spokesperson for the Los Angeles Times pushed back on Reinhart\u2019s assertion that he did not approve of the piece before it was published.<\/p>\n \u201cOur editors in Opinion work with op-ed contributors to edit pieces for length, clarity and accuracy, among other things,\u201d vice president of communications Hillary Manning said in a statement. \u201cNo op-ed pieces are published, as edited, without the permission of the author. That includes the op-ed written by Eric Reinhart.\u201d<\/p>\n Reinhart, a political anthropologist who is also a psychoanalytic clinician and social psychiatrist and has written for a number of other media organizations, said that he is very familiar with the publishing process and understands that an editor has final say on what goes to print and ultimately controls the headline and photo.<\/p>\n Some of the changes to the piece, which he said included cuts to portions in which he made clear Kennedy was the wrong choice to lead HHS, would have been fine with him if the piece ran with his suggested headline.<\/p>\n But instead, left with a headline that was more ambiguous and a photo of Kennedy at his confirmation hearing, Reinhart feels \u201cquite concerned that this was actually a deliberate manipulation.\u201d<\/p>\n These changes, Reinhart said, left open the possibility that he was actually endorsing Kennedy rather than warning of the threat he poses while calling for a new public health care model in the U.S.<\/p>\n \u201cWhat makes it concerning to me is the background of the owner\u2019s politics and known record of interference and editorial processes of the newspaper,\u201d Reinhart said, referencing Soon-Shiong\u2019s recent interventions<\/a> in editorial decision-making. Tension has been building among staffers over his ownership of the paper<\/a> for years.<\/p>\n Soon-Shiong on Tuesday gave his total support to Kennedy, saying on X, \u201cI truly believe he has the American public\u2019s best interests at heart.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI have worried about toxins and the cause of cancer my entire career,\u201d he added. \u201cAs a physician scientist I really hope he is confirmed tomorrow.\u201d<\/p>\n Reinhart made clear that he believed no contracts or agreements were violated by the processes of his op-ed, but said the entire situation was \u201cnot consistent with the spirit of editing\u201d given the proximity of the publishing time to Kennedy\u2019s hearing. <\/p>\n \u201cThe depressing public health issue that was unfolding just as the op-ed was published,\u201d he said, \u201cwhich is, \u2018are we or are we not going to confirm RFK Jr. for this incredibly important position for which he is massively and dangerously under qualified?\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n