New LA Times Owner Discusses the Future of Journalism

LOS ANGELES, CA (FOX 11) - Dr. Patrick Soon-Shiong is a disruptive leader in multiple fields. He says he "connects the dots to make the world a better place."

He's one of the most influential and interesting people in all of Southern California. For just over 100 days, he's owned the Los Angeles Times. In an interview with Elex Michaelson on FOX 11's prime-time political show "The Issue Is:", Dr. Soon-Shiong discussed his vision for the future of journalism.

"Without journalism, we're not a democracy," he said. He's tasked the L.A. Times' leadership to focus on innovation.

"We can find not only paper distribution but a podcast, video, streaming over the top network like we're doing here…I think of ourselves as the Los Angeles Times media group more than a newspaper," he said.

Dr. Soon-Shiong would like to see journalism delivered to young people via E-sports. "Their viewership, which is tens of millions or sometimes a hundred million watch a game, its crazy we don't go there to engage."

In addition to journalism, the biotech entrepreneur is working to cure cancer. He told Michaelson, "I believe that you and I have an immune system that protects us today from cancer and its crazy to wipe out the immune system of someone with cancer."

His companies are working to develop medication to strengthen immune systems.

"We can not and should not be giving high dose chemotherapy, we can not and should not be giving high dose radiation. I believe that is a fundamental cause of wiping out the rest of the immune system and maybe, inadvertently, making it worse."

Dr. Soon-Shiong is also working to develop a zinc-air battery that could be rechargeable and renewable. He recently announced a battery that costs $100 k/w hr.

"When we looked at zinc, zinc is what Edison used 100 years ago to make as a rechargeable and failed. If you can break the code of how zinc works, you just use oxygen, and the sun and zinc, complete nature and make it completely rechargeable…you would have broken the code and zinc becomes the next lithium," he said.

Dr. Soon Shiong said this could be especially helpful in powering Third World countries.

Beyond that work, Dr. Soon -Shiong gets a lot of joy from his minority ownership stake in the Los Angeles Lakers.

He's already played basketball with LeBron James at this house. He's looking forward to the team going after high profile free agents next summer.

When asked to specify who, he smiled and said he "didn't want to get in trouble."

Watch "The Issue Is: with Elex Michaelson" on FOX 11 Los Angeles Fridays at 10:30PM, and also on Facebook Watch