For the first time in decades, The Washington Post will not endorse a candidate in this year’s US presidential election, the newspaper’s publisher announced on Friday in a decision that sparked widespread outrage among its staffers.
“The Washington Post will not be making an endorsement of a presidential candidate in this election. Nor in any future presidential election,” Will Lewis said in a published statement.
“We are returning to our roots of not endorsing presidential candidates.”
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The Post has endorsed a presidential candidate in every election since the 1980s. In his statement, Lewis referred to the Editorial Board’s past decisions to not endorse a candidate, noting that it is a right “we are going back to”.
“We recognise that this will be read in a range of ways, including as a tacit endorsement of one candidate, or as a condemnation of another, or as an abdication of responsibility. That is inevitable,” Lewis continued.
“We don’t see it that way. We see it as consistent with the values The Post has always stood for and what we hope for in a leader: character and courage in service to the American ethic, veneration for the rule of law, and respect for human freedom in all its aspects.”
The Post reported the decision not to endorse in the election was made by the newspaper’s owner, Amazon founder Jeff Bezos, citing two sources briefed on the matter.
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Newspaper owners typically play a role in their publication’s endorsements and sign off on the editorials which are seen as a reflection of their views. A spokesperson for the Post did not comment.
Ahead of Friday’s announcement, the Post’s editorial page editor, David Shipley, told staffers that Lewis would be publishing a public note with the decision.
“The news is significant – and I know there will be strong reactions across the department,” Shipley wrote in a memo.
A person with knowledge of the matter told CNN an endorsement of Vice President Kamala Harris had been drafted and was ready to be approved by the editorial board, but was never presented.
“Many on the editorial board are surprised and angry,” the person said.
Marty Baron, The Post‘s former executive editor who led the newspaper through its coverage of the January 6, 2021, attack, sharply criticised the decision on Friday.
“This is cowardice, with democracy as its casualty. Donald Trump will see this as an invitation to further intimidate owner Bezos (and others),” Baron wrote in a social media post. “Disturbing spinelessness at an institution famed for courage.”
https://x.com/PostBaron/status/1849847940761657353
Under Baron, the paper went on to win a Pulitzer Prize for public service for its coverage of the assault on the US Capitol, which it described as an “attempted coup”.
During Trump’s presidency, he famously feuded with Bezos, especially when it came to Amazon. Trump called the Post “The Fake News Washington Post” and derided it as Amazon’s “chief lobbyist”.
Trump directly accused Amazon of not paying enough taxes and taking advantage of the US Postal Service, among other claims.
The Trump administration also blocked Amazon’s $10 billion cloud computing contract with the Pentagon, which was widely seen as Trump seeking retribution against Bezos over The Post‘s reporting.
It was Bezos, Baron wrote in his book Collision of Power, who ultimately helped decide on the Post’s “Democracy Dies in Darkness” motto that was adopted during the Trump era.
A Washington Post journalist, speaking on condition of anonymity, told CNN on Friday they had mixed feelings about the decision.
“I’m glad the Post isn’t going to endorse anymore. But, what an awful time and way to roll that out,” the person said.
“If you’ve read the Post for the last few years and all the facts the news side has uncovered, I’m not sure you need the editorial board to tell you what to do.”
The decision comes just days after The Los Angeles Times owner Patrick Soon-Shiong blocked the newspaper’s planned endorsement of Vice President Kamala Harris, leading to resignations from three editorial board members.
Major US newspaper chains have also scaled back on endorsements in recent years.
McClatchy and Alden Global Capital, which owns hundreds of newspapers across the country, have ended the practice.
Earlier this summer, the New York Times announced it would no longer endorse in local races. The paper later endorsed Harris as “the only patriotic choice for president.”
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