This decision has caused a stir internally. Some see it as the hand of one man, the owner of the newspaper: billionaire Jeff Bezos.
In every presidential election, the great American daily used to take a position in favor of a candidate. But this year, and for the first time in 40 years, there was no “endorsement” for the “WaPo”. Neither for Democrat Kamala Harris, nor for Republican Donald Trump. “The Washington Post will not endorse any presidential candidate in this election, or in any future presidential election ,” said Will Lewis, the newspaper’s CEO, in a statement published on the site from the media, Friday, October 25. We are returning to our roots which consist of not supporting presidential candidates.”
“We realize that this will be interpreted in different ways, as a tacit endorsement of one candidate or a condemnation of another, or as an abdication of our responsibilities. It’s inevitable,” says William Lewis, who explains that the Washington Post ‘s mission is to provide “nonpartisan information.”
“This is cowardice”
The decision has sparked widespread outrage among the newspaper’s staff. “Many members of the editorial board are surprised and angry ,” one employee was quoted as saying by CNN. According to the magazine for journalists Columbia Journalism Review, “two members of the Post’s board of directors, Charles Lane and Stephen W. Stromberg, worked on drafts of a plan to support Harris.”
Marty Baron, the newspaper’s former executive director, reacted strongly on X. “This is cowardice, whose victim is democracy. Donald Trump will see this as an encouragement to further intimidate Jeff Bezos (and others) ,” he wrote. The daily had supported Joe Biden in 2020 and Hillary Clinton in 2016, each time against Donald Trump.
A crisis similar to the “Los Angeles Times”
Earlier this week, Patrick Soon-Shiong, the billionaire owner of the Los Angeles Times , also blocked the publication of an op-ed in support of Kamala Harris. The move prompted the resignation of several figures at the newspaper, including editorial editor Mariel Garza. “It makes us look cowardly and hypocritical, maybe even a little sexist and racist ,” she said in her resignation letter, published by the Columbia Journalism Review.
Patrick Soon-Shiong tried to justify himself. “I think my fear is that if we choose one of the two candidates, we’re just going to add to the division , “he told Spectrum News. Like the Post, the Los Angeles Times had supported Joe Biden and Hillary Clinton in the last two presidential elections. “Donald Trump would be a disaster , ” it wrote eight years ago the California newspaper.
At the same time, the Philadelphia Inquirer and the Houston Chronicle have officially endorsed Kamala Harris. ” America deserves far more than a would-be autocrat who ignores the law, runs to avoid jail time, and cares about no one but himself , ” wrote the editorial board of the Inquirer.