Chicago Tribune among newspapers that won't endorse for president

Context: This isn't breaking news. Alden Global Capital, the owner of the Chicago Tribune, announced in 2022 that its fleet of newspapers wouldn't make political endorsements for president, governor or Senate anymore.

• At the time, the Tribune editorial board was allowed to endorse candidates for governor and senator in the 2022 race, since the process had already started.

Yes, but: A 2024 presidential endorsement is off the table.

What they're saying: "It wasn't an editorial board decision," Tribune editorial page director Chris Jones tells Axios.

• "I respectfully disagree with it, but it's their right to do so as owners of the paper. I'm just grateful they announced their decision when they did."

Zoom out: Newspaper editorials have caused major headaches this week, as the Washington Post and the L.A. Times' editorial boards were allegedly told by their respective owners to not endorse Vice President Kamala Harris.

• This decision led to widespread resignations at both papers, as well as hundreds of thousands of canceled subscriptions.

Flashback: The Tribune has a long, sordid history with endorsing candidates. The once right-leaning paper endorsed Abraham Lincoln in 1860, but also endorsed Libertarian candidate Gary Johnson in 2016, famously rebuffing Chicago area-native Hillary Clinton.

Reality check: Most major newspapers and regional chains have stopped presidential endorsements, citing everything from objectivity, lack of resources, failing trust in media and potential fallout that hurts the bottom line.

The intrigue: The Tribune joins the Sun-Times on the sidelines this year. The other major Chicago newspaper was bought by Chicago Public Media in 2022.

• Since they are run by a not-for-profit organization, they are no longer legally allowed to endorse candidates.