L.A. Times twisted op-ed author’s argument before publication, he says
The author of an op-ed that ran in the Los Angeles Times is claiming that the paper changed the thrust of his argument without his consent.
Eric Reinhart said his Jan. 29 opinion piece titled “Trump’s healthcare disruption could pay off — if he pushes real reform” was actually intended to argue the opposite.
Reinhart made clear his stance when the paper’s owner, Dr. Patrick Soon-Shiong, posted to X, formerly Twitter, a link to the altered piece with his belief that Health and Human Services Secretary nominee Robert F. Kennedy Jr. is “our best chance of” pushing that real reform.
Reinhart said in his own X post that he is no fan of Kennedy’s.
“I am the author of this OpEd, which was given a misleading title and from which key lines were cut—lines that made very clear that RFK Jr is dangerously ignorant, has absolutely no business near HHS, and is effectively a mass murderer in waiting,” Reinhart wrote.
Reinhart added that his suggested headline was “RFK Jr’s Wrecking Ball Won’t Fix Public Health.”
“Editors edit and control final copy and [headline]; I get that,” Reinhart wrote. “But editing out a very central and timely point in the minutes before sending to press while then also assigning a title and image that suggest an argument entirely opposite to the author’s clear intent is bad.”
A Los Angeles Times spokesperson disputed Reinhart’s recollection of events.
“Our editors in Opinion work with op-ed contributors to edit pieces for length, clarity and accuracy, among other things,” said Hillary Manning, vice president of communications, in an email. “No op-ed pieces are published, as edited, without the permission of the author. That includes the op-ed written by Eric Reinhart.”
Reinhart said he doesn’t expect to publish in that newspaper again.
“My first time working with the Los Angeles Times, and I expect also my last,” he said.