*Media Bias Alert* CA Newspaper Publishers to Newsom in LA Times Ad: “Spend on Prop 50 Ads in Our Papers”

Trade group representing hundreds of California newspapers openly urges governor to direct campaign dollars into their pages to help pass Proposition 50

⏱️ 6–7 min read

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A Public Plea in the Los Angeles Times

Last Sunday, readers flipping through the Los Angeles Times may have noticed something unusual: a full-page ad, not from a company or political committee, but from the California News Publishers Association (CNPA), the trade association representing hundreds of California newspapers and outlets.

The ad wasn’t subtle. Under the headline “An Open Letter to Governor Gavin Newsom,” the CNPA urged the governor to pour ballot measure advertising dollars into their pages. The letter touted newspaper readers as “high-turnout voters who will determine the outcome of Proposition 50” and asked Newsom to place ballot-measure ads in California-based outlets.

That’s not journalism. That’s lobbying for cash.

Public reporting highlights a Newsom-directed appeal; I have not seen public ads comparable to those of Kevin McCarthy or Charles Munger, Jr. in the Los Angeles Times. And when you consider that the paper itself sits on CNPA’s board, you can’t help but wonder: did they even pay for the space?

A Public Campaign, Not a Private Ask

Interestingly, CNPA made an affirmative decision to wage this campaign publicly, not behind closed doors. Usually, publishers seeking campaign advertising would quietly appeal to media buyers.

Instead, the association chose to run a full-page ad thousands of Californians would read — effectively handing Governor Newsom a political gift. To the extent Newsom’s strategy is not just to pass Prop 50 but to use it as a platform for his national ambitions, he benefits from this kind of publicity. The ad tied him publicly to the campaign, while newspapers positioned themselves as eager partners.

Does anyone doubt the publisher of a major California newspaper could reach media-obsessed Newsom directly? This wasn’t about access. It was about shaping a narrative — giving Newsom free campaign coverage while angling for paid ads.

A Watchdog Calls It Out

Joel Fox, the longtime president of the Howard Jarvis Taxpayers Association, now writes on his California & Beyond Substack, which he flagged the CNPA’s appeal as another troubling example of how the state’s media establishment chooses sides rather than reporting fairly.

Here’s how Fox put it:

“By publicly advertising their desire to see campaign dollars spent in their papers to promote Proposition 50, the industry association confirms the worst fears of critics—that news outlets are not neutral observers but rather financial stakeholders in partisan outcomes.”

Fox is right. When an association of newspapers openly campaigns for dollars from one side of a ballot fight, how can the public trust their coverage of that same issue?

Shrinking Trust, Shrinking Circulation

This is hardly an isolated incident. The newspapers’ credibility crisis is real, reflected in circulation and readership numbers that continue to fall yearly. Is it any wonder?

When people see newspapers openly tilting their coverage—or in this case, advertising their desire for partisan campaign spending—they conclude the product is biased. For readers who disagree politically, it’s a turnoff. But even for those who may align ideologically, the expectation of fairness still matters.

If you choose to overlook their bias and want to take this news coverage as fact, the Los Angeles Times last year published a piece detailing in gruesome detail the massive drops in subscriptions (print and digital) in California’s major papers. Worth noting that the context of the piece was basically showcasing their woes to the legislature who was at the time considering taxpayer subsidies for newspapers (which passed — see below).

Newspapers often argue they provide an essential check on government and corporate power. But when the same publishers make public pitches to help pass ballot measures pushed by the governor, they trade away that credibility.

The New Model: Subsidies and Partisanship

California already has a law providing taxpayer subsidies to struggling news outlets. I wrote earlier this year about how this was framed as “saving journalism,” when it risks turning publications into wards of the state.

Now add this latest CNPA move: subsidies, followed by a direct appeal to Newsom to pour millions more into their ad pages to help him win a ballot measure. At what point do these newspapers stop pretending they are independent voices and admit they have aligned themselves financially with one political faction?

It is not a good look for an industry that says they pursue and deserve public trust.

A Web of Influence

To underscore the scale, here is a partial list of newspapers represented on CNPA’s board, either directly or through parent companies:

The Argonaut, Bay Area Reporter, Beverly Hills Courier, Black Voice News, Burbank Independent, Burbank Leader, Chino Valley Champion, Daily Breeze, Desert Sun, El Monte Examiner, El Sol, Excélsior, Glendale Independent, Glendale News-Press, Hanford Sentinel, India Currents, Inland Valley Daily Bulletin, La Opinión, La Prensa Sonoma, La Cañada Outlook Valley Sun, Los Angeles Daily News, Los Angeles Downtown News, Los Angeles Times, Lompoc Record, Monrovia Weekly, Monterey County Weekly, North Bay Business Journal, Orange County Register, Pasadena Independent, Pasadena Outlook, Pasadena Star-News, Pasadena Weekly, Patterson Irrigator, Petaluma Argus-Courier, Press-Telegram, Press Democrat, Press-Enterprise, Redlands Daily Facts, Redding Record Searchlight, Rosemead Reader, Sacramento Bee, San Fernando Valley Sun, San Gabriel Sun, San Gabriel Valley Tribune, San Marino Tribune, Santa Maria Times, Santa Ynez Valley Extra, Santa Ynez Valley News, Sierra Madre Weekly, Six Acorn Newspapers, Sonoma County Gazette, Sonoma Index-Tribune, Sonoma Magazine, South Pasadena Review, The Sun, Tracy Press, Ventura County Reporter, Ventura County Star, West Covina Press, Whittier Daily News. (Note, I just asked ChatGPT to make a list of papers associated with the companies of the Board Members, and dropped it in here.)

So, Does It Matter?

Yes. When California’s leading newspapers and umbrella association openly campaign for the governor’s ballot measure dollars, they cross a line.

It matters because media outlets are supposed to be watchdogs, not political allies of those in power. When they choose the latter role, their coverage becomes suspect, their independence compromised, and their readership continues to erode.

I have already documented how bias is built into the very words reporters are instructed to use — you can revisit that column here: 11 Examples of Liberal Biased Media. Combine that kind of word-level slant with public appeals for campaign cash, and you have an industry not just shading the news but openly advancing one side’s political agenda.

A healthy democracy needs fair coverage of ballot measures and campaigns. But when the papers themselves seek to profit from one side’s success, voters should be skeptical of every word they print on the subject.

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Below the paywall I have put together some information on plummeting circulation numbers (both in print and digitally) of major publications. I think you would find it interesting.

Which gives me a chance to make my pitch. If you believe in this sort of independent writing, calling balls and strikes while not beholden to anyone, then please consider upgrading your membership. It’s not a lot of money (it’s priced at less than half of what Substack recommends). It helps me A LOT!