On Friday, several days after the Los Angeles Times announced it would decline to endorse any candidate for president, the Washington Post announced it would be following suit.
NEWS: The Washington Post will not be making an endorsement in this year's presidential race, the editor of the editorial pages has told colleagues at a tense meeting this morning
— David Folkenflik (@davidfolkenflik) October 25, 2024
THREAD AND LINK: https://t.co/papQiStKDC
The newspaper staff and wider news media world responded with almost uniform condemnation:
A member of the Wash Post editorial department tells me: Bezos's decision not to endorse is "an outrageous abdication of responsibility. Democracy doesn't die in darkness, it dies when people anticipatorily consent to a fascist's whims."
— Brian Stelter (@brianstelter) October 25, 2024
Today has been an absolute stab in the back.
— Karen Attiah (@KarenAttiah) October 25, 2024
What an insult to those of us who have literally put our careers and lives on the line, to call out threats to human rights and democracy.
Welp, that's certainly a new type of October Surprise.
— Ashley Parker (@AshleyRParker) October 25, 2024
UPDATE: Robert Kagan confirms to NPR that he has resigned from WaPost editorial board after disclosure it would not make an announcement.
— David Folkenflik (@davidfolkenflik) October 25, 2024
Kagan has been a persistent conservative critic of Trump, tying him to an autocratic tradition.
Uniformly outraged response from staff.
Opinion staff at WaPo are furious about the paper's endorsement decision. Several are contemplating what action to take, ranging from resigning, quitting the board, or a statement. "If you don't have the balls to own a newspaper, don't," one Post opinion employee tells me.
— Max Tani (@maxwelltani) October 25, 2024
Mini update: The furor at the WaPo is such that its chief tech officer is getting engineers to block Qs about its decision to not make an endorsement pm the Post's own AI site search,
— David Folkenflik (@davidfolkenflik) October 25, 2024
This according to internal WP correspondence I've reviewed
Our news side continues to report fearlessly. Even when it’s about our own bosses. pic.twitter.com/3zUh7NFYtz
— Fenit Nirappil (@FenitN) October 25, 2024
New statement from Bob Woodward and Carl Bernstein: "We respect the traditional independence of the editorial page, but this decision 11 days out from the 2024 presidential election ignores the Washington Post's own overwhelming reportorial evidence on the threat Donald Trump…
— Brian Stelter (@brianstelter) October 26, 2024
Former WaPost Executive Editor Marty Baron on paper's decision not to endorse in WH race:
— David Folkenflik (@davidfolkenflik) October 25, 2024
"This is cowardice, a moment of darkness that will leave democracy as a casualty. "
MORE BELOW:
New Yorker EIC David Remnick, who started his career at the Washington Post and worked there for a decade, emails me his thoughts on today’s non-endorsement decision pic.twitter.com/0csnlq2S9S
— Max Tani (@maxwelltani) October 26, 2024
I used to write for the Washington Post. I now write for The Atlantic. The Post just made an absurdly pathetic, cowardly decision not to endorse. Meanwhile, the Atlantic endorsed for only the 5th time in 167 years of publishing because the stakes are so high.
— Brian Klaas (@brianklaas) October 25, 2024
So the Republican mayor of Oklahoma City comes out for Kamala Harris against Trump, and the Washington Post takes a pass. #2024
— Susan Glasser (@sbg1) October 25, 2024
This entire episode once again raises serious questions about the viability of a healthy and independent journalism industry when leading outlets are funded by individuals with major corporate interests, with an obvious emphasis on Washington Post owner Jeff Bezos.
the throughline is tech corporate stewardship and bracing for a trump presidency
— rat king 🐀 (@MikeIsaac) October 25, 2024
big tech moguls who dont own media companies doing the same
even if you believe editorial board influence is waning in the internet age, i cant see how this does anything but neuter them further https://t.co/onJkcDV8ya
the fact that both the Post and the LAT editorial boards had drafted their endorsements before their owners pulled the plug sure suggests that it was the content driving the decision and not a principled desire to stay above the fray https://t.co/STHrq9IxTW
— Sam Adams (@SamuelAAdams) October 25, 2024
Seeing big national newspapers decline to make a presidential endorsement because they don't want to risk Trump's retaliation if he wins is really dark. That's not something I ever expected to see in the United States.
— Ryan Moulton (@moultano) October 25, 2024
the Washington Post and LATimes Harris endorsements should be leaked and published elsewhere without delay — not so much to sway voters, because who knows if they ever do — no, to let the owners know that they can ruin their papers but not silence their journalists
— Philip Gourevitch (@PGourevitch) October 25, 2024
If you’re afraid that a presidential candidate will retaliate against your business interests due to a paper you own’s endorsement of their opponent, that should be the first sentence in your endorsement.
— David Weiner (@daweiner) October 25, 2024
The last time Bezos tweeted https://t.co/HnY8iDn5Py
— Noah Shachtman (@NoahShachtman) October 25, 2024
The AP reported that hours after the Post announced its endorsement decision, Trump greeted executives from Blue Origin, the space company owned by Bezos that has a $3.4bn contract with Nasa to build a spacecraft to carry astronauts to the moon and back. https://t.co/EOGqNw45JK
— Catherine Belton (@CatherineBelton) October 26, 2024
can anyone tell me if it’s a good or bad thing that we let 4 billionaires control every news outlet
— Zack Bornstein (@ZackBornstein) October 25, 2024
The dumbest part of the WaPo/LA Times not endorsing at the behest of their billionaire owners is that it turned a non-story into a major one. Their endorsements of Harris would have been a blip. Their silence is a bright light shining on their cowardice. https://t.co/dRm0ymRF3O
— Mike Rothschild (no relation) (@rothschildmd) October 25, 2024
Though there is a case for newspapers not endorsing candidates at all, the timing and manner of this move is hard to overlook.
Ever wonder why so many voters don’t trust plenty of media outlets’ hard reporting as objective/neutral? Perhaps because those outlets’ editorial boards and personalities have literally endorsed candidates, and voters don’t get the distinction.
— Dave Wasserman (@Redistrict) October 25, 2024
There is no logic that isn't damning as to why the Washington Post and LA Times feel they can endorse in every local, state and federal election other than a presidential race.
— Ben Rhodes (@brhodes) October 25, 2024
There is a very important distinction between "We've decided our paper shouldn't endorse in presidential races," which is perfectly defensible, and sweaty last-second moves made at the top when owners have government interests. https://t.co/v6OS8wHhpe
— Benjy Sarlin (@BenjySarlin) October 25, 2024
Readers, including celebrities, responded by canceling their subscriptions en masse.
Democracy dies in darkness. pic.twitter.com/AV3eaAol8w
— Bradley Whitford (@BradleyWhitford) October 25, 2024
I understand the anger at Jeff Bezos and the Washington Post for its endorsement decision, but cancelling your subscription means less revenue to pay all the Post's reporters. Do what you gotta do but Bezos won't feel it in his pocket while some great journalists might.
— Tommy Vietor (@TVietor08) October 25, 2024
And, with impeccable timing, other major outlets including the Philadelphia Inquirer and Boston Globe announced their endorsements.
Unlike the LA Times & Washington Post who are owned by billionaires, the Philadelphia Inquirer is owned by The Lenfest Institute for Journalism, a non-profit org. The Philadelphia Inquirer is the largest newspaper in America operated as a public-benefit corporation https://t.co/CQ03W3HOZm
— Britni Danielle (@BritniDWrites) October 25, 2024
The @BostonGlobe editorial board endorses Kamala Harris for president https://t.co/GgiQfS3mx4
— Renée Graham 🏳️🌈 (@reneeygraham) October 25, 2024
Unlike the cowards at the Washington Post, The Onion proudly made its presidential endorsement weeks ago.https://t.co/0fGipl9yHW
— Tim Onion (@oneunderscore__) October 25, 2024
lmao pic.twitter.com/xACfhyu7ox
— Dave Itzkoff (@ditzkoff) October 25, 2024
In a much anticipated rally in Houston, Texas for Ted Cruz challenger Rep. Colin Allred and Kamala Harris, Beyoncé formally endorsed the Vice President.
.@Beyonce’s full remarks in support of Vice President Harris pic.twitter.com/CPCaFKkO9o
— Kamala HQ (@KamalaHQ) October 26, 2024
Beyonce's teleprompter skills are off the charts. https://t.co/OwURlvVf58
— Tim Miller (@Timodc) October 26, 2024
You know how much Beyoncé cares about this if she actually gave a live speech in public? And she didn't even mention her whisky line? https://t.co/ElrRBnvdab
— Brown Anthony™ (@anthelonious) October 26, 2024
BOTUS pic.twitter.com/0XABumjrC0
— 𐚁 (@beygifz) October 26, 2024
I apologize for the person I became when Beyoncé mentioned 3rd Ward tonight.
— Lauren Ashley Simmons (@LASimmonsTX146) October 26, 2024
Bey took off that Targaryen unit to be a real serious bitch tonight 😭😂
— II Cheeks II Heaven. (@themrwest) October 26, 2024
People watching Kamala vs Donald. pic.twitter.com/CKkVsWZE2v
— Alex Cole (@acnewsitics) October 26, 2024
No word yet, or ever, on the visuals.
Continued in Part 2
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