Washington Post refuses to endorse presidential candidate, angering staff and subscribers

Washington Post publisher William Lewis on Friday. said the newspaper would not endorse a presidential candidate in this year’s election or any future election, a position that has drawn outrage from some of its current and former employees and subscribers.

“The Washington Post will not endorse a presidential candidate in this election or any future presidential election. We are returning to our roots of not supporting presidential candidates.” – Lewis wrote in a note published on the newspaper’s website.

The decision follows Los Angeles Times owner Patrick Soon-Shiong’s decision to block the paper’s support for Vice President Kamala Harris, which prompted the resignation of editorial editor Mariel Garza, which was followed by resignations two other members its editorial board.

Both Soon-Shiong and Washington Post owner Jeff Bezos are billionaires who made their fortunes outside the media industry.

Objects of a former WaPo editor

Media observers condemned the decision, and some newspaper readers said they were canceling their subscriptions.

“This is cowardice to which democracy has fallen victim,” wrote Marty Baron, a former Washington Post editor who retired in 2021, spoke to X on Friday about the Washington Post’s decision. Former President Donald Trump “would view this as an invitation to further intimidate the owner.” @jeffbezos (and others). A disturbing lack of spine in an establishment known for its bravery.”

The Washington Post Guild, which represents about 1,000 journalists and other employees of the media company, expressed concern that corporate management was interfering in the newspaper’s editorial decision-making process.

“According to our reporters and Guild members, Harris’ endorsement was already in the works and the decision not to publish was made by The Post owner Jeff Bezos,” the task force said in a statement. mail on X. “We are already seeing cancellations from once loyal readers. This decision undermines the work of our members at a time when we should be building trust with our readers, not losing it.”

Robert Kagan, editor-in-chief of the Washington Post, resigned from the editorial board as a result of the decision not to endorse the candidate. according to to NPR’s David Folkenflik. “Kagan has been a persistent conservative critic of Trump, anchoring him in autocratic traditions,” Folkenflik wrote on X. “Constantly outraged reaction from staff.”

Some Post and Los Angeles Times readers said they planned to cancel their subscriptions, and some posted images of unsubscribe notices.

“Great, another billionaire is protecting his own interests, not the interests of the country. Nice to meet you, @washingtonpost. Subscription cancelled,” wrote Hollywood director Paul Feig on X.

Zach Wahls, an Iowa state senator and Democrat, wrote: “I firmly believe that serious, high-quality journalism should be paid for, and that is why I am canceling my @washingtonpost to subscribe to this timid, cowardly decision, which could not have been made at a worse—or more revealing—time.”

The vast majority of responses from readers on social media were negative, with many saying they had canceled their subscriptions, although some expressed support for the Washington Post. “For the first time in my adult life, I’m proud of the Washington Post,” one reader said. wrote.

Lewis did not immediately respond to a request for comment, nor did Los Angeles Times executive editor Terry Tang.

Los Angeles Times resignations

On Thursday, veteran Los Angeles Times journalists Robert Greene and Karin Klein announced their resignations, a day after editorial page editor Garza quit in protest of Soon-Shiong’s decision not to endorse the candidate.

Greene, a Pulitzer Prize winner for editorial writing, said in a statement published in the Columbia Journalism Review that he was “deeply disappointed” by the decision not to endorse Harris.

“I understand that this is a decision the owner must make,” he wrote. “But it’s especially galling because one of the candidates, Donald Trump, has demonstrated such hostility to the principles that are central to journalism—respect for truth and reverence for democracy.”

Garza said the board intended to support Harris and that she had prepared an outline for the proposed editorial, but it was blocked by Soon-Shiong.

The editorial board operates separately from the editorial board, and its authors’ job is to present an issue and then take a position and present arguments in its defense.

Associated Press

contributed to this report.