Chaos erupts as newspapers axe endorsements
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Washington Post owner Jeff Bezos tried to put out a media firestorm Monday night by publishing an op-ed defending the 11th-hour decision to kill an endorsement of Kamala Harris — but the damage was already done.
Why it matters: More than 200,000 people have already canceled their subscriptions to the Post, NPR reported. Three members of the 10-person editorial board — David Hoffman, Molly Roberts and Mili Mitra — left the board but are staying at the paper in other roles.
Between the lines: The Post's situation is especially chaotic, given Bezos' role as a billionaire business leader whose companies rely on billions of dollars worth of government contracts.
- Bezos aggressively defended his position Monday, writing, "I challenge you to find one instance in those 11 years where I have prevailed upon anyone at the Post in favor of my own interests. It hasn't happened."
- "I would also like to be clear that no quid pro quo of any kind is at work here."
- Across the country, The Los Angeles Times is also facing resignations and subscription cancellations for pulling a Harris endorsement ahead of the election.
Reality check: An endorsement from the Post or the Times would not have come as a shock to anyone, including Donald Trump.
- The Post has been endorsing presidential candidates for decades, mostly Democrats.
- The L.A. Times, which is owned by biotech entrepreneur and billionaire Patrick Soon-Shiong, is in Vice President Kamala Harris' home state, where she served as attorney general and then senator.
Zoom out: A growing number of newspapers across the country are choosing to back away from political endorsements, with many citing an increasingly polarized political environment.
- USA Today, one of the largest daily newspapers by circulation in the country, on Monday said it would also forgo a presidential endorsement, although local editors at the roughly 200 publications across USA Today's network "have the discretion to endorse at a state or local level," a spokesperson said.
- The Minnesota Star Tribune said in August it will not endorse candidates or causes in the 2024 elections, with an editor citing the polarizing nature of today's political environment.
- More than 200 publications owned by hedge fund Alden Global Capital, including the Chicago Tribune and Denver Post, declared in 2022 that they would no longer endorse national political candidates in their opinion pages, arguing the public discourse "has become increasingly acrimonious."
- The New York Times said earlier this year that it would stop endorsing candidates in New York races but would continue its more than 160-year tradition of endorsing presidential candidates.
What to watch: Several major newspapers have decided to proceed with endorsements, bucking the new trend.
- The New York Times, Las Vegas Sun, Philadelphia Inquirer, Boston Globe and others have endorsed Harris, while the New York Post, Las Vegas Review-Journal and the Washington Times have endorsed Trump.
Editor's note: This story has been corrected to say three members have left the 10-person Washington Post editorial board (not that nearly half had done so).
