In an unprecedented move, The Washington Post, a renowned newspaper owned by Jeff Bezos, the billionaire founder of Amazon, has chosen not to endorse a candidate in the presidential race.
This decision, a first in over thirty years, has sparked a wave of criticism and even led to a surge of subscription cancellations from prominent figures. Critics have pointed out the irony of this decision, given the newspaper's motto: "Democracy dies in darkness."
According to Raw Story, the decision was reportedly made by Bezos himself, as informed by four individuals privy to the matter. This choice has not been well-received internally, with fourteen columnists from the newspaper publicly expressing their disapproval. They penned a letter, published on The Washington Post's website, in which they labeled the decision as a "terrible mistake."
The columnists' letter stated, "It represents an abandonment of the fundamental editorial convictions of the newspaper that we love." They argued that this was a critical time for the newspaper to reaffirm its commitment to democratic values, the rule of law, international alliances, and to highlight the threat posed by Donald Trump to these principles. They pointed out that these were the same reasons the newspaper had previously endorsed Trump's opponents in the 2016 and 2020 elections.
The columnists further asserted that there was "no contradiction" between the newspaper's role as an independent entity and its political endorsements. They believed that these endorsements served dual purposes: providing guidance to readers and making a statement about the newspaper's core beliefs. They emphasized, "That has never been more true than in the current campaign."
The columnists also expressed their concern about the timing of the decision, stating, "An independent newspaper might someday choose to back away from making presidential endorsements. But this isnt the right moment, when one candidate is advocating positions that directly threaten freedom of the press and the values of the Constitution."
The columnists who signed onto the letter include Karen Attiah, Perry Bacon Jr., Matt Bai, E.J. Dionne Jr., Lee Hockstader, David Ignatius, Heather Long, Ruth Marcus, Dana Milbank, Alexandra Petri, Catherine Rampell, Eugene Robinson, Jennifer Rubin, and Karen Tumulty. Their collective voice underscores the internal discord this decision has caused within the newspaper, highlighting the tension between maintaining editorial independence and upholding democratic values.
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