‘Washington Post’ columnists push back against non-endorsement decision : NPR

A growing number of current and former journalists washington post The paper is criticizing traditional newspapers after owner Jeff Bezos decided to forego plans to recommend an editor to the president for the first time in 36 years.

“The Washington Post’s decision not to express support for the president’s campaign is a terrible mistake.” said joint column Signed by 17 post Columnist as of Saturday afternoon.

The opinion piece, posted on the paper’s website, argued that the president’s endorsement serves to remind readers what their endorsement means. post represents. The newspaper declared that it cannot shirk its responsibility to defend the core values ​​of democracy as they are threatened by Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump. The newspaper’s editorials have repeatedly warned that Trump is unfit to be president.

“Independent newspapers may someday decline their support for the president,” the column said, “but now is not the right time, when a candidate has advocated positions that directly threaten freedom of the press and constitutional values.” No,” he added. it was signed by several people postSome of the most celebrated authors include Pulitzer Prize winners Eugene Robinson, David Ignatius, and Jennifer Rubin.

NPR first reported Bezos’ decision. The column arrived just hours after publisher William Lewis announced it Friday afternoon. In Lewis’s own opinion, explained it is post He did not regularly voice his support until 1976. He said it was time to return to that tradition and support “the ability of readers to decide for themselves.”

of post earlier this month drafted an editorial endorsement for Democratic presidential candidate Kamala Harris. But it was ultimately scrapped by Bezos, the paper’s billionaire and Amazon founder. post reported. The Post’s revelations come just days after it was reported that: Los Angeles Times Owner Patrick Soon-Shiong blocked The paper’s editorial board did not support Harris.

Screenshots of Ann Ternas comics below washington postAnnouncement that they will not support the president.

Screenshot by The Washington Post/NPR

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Screenshot by The Washington Post/NPR

The other two columns published on Friday were: of the post decision. “I’ve never been more disappointed in a newspaper than I am today.” I wrote Ruth Marcus, editor and columnist. “Now is not the time to make such changes. We will continue to make what we made in 2016 and 2020, which is that Trump is dangerously unfit to hold the top office, as loudly and convincingly as possible.” It’s time to stand up and say it loud.”The office of the land. ”

Editor and Columnist Karen Tamalti I wrote“Editorial boards exist to make decisions and represent the institution.If this change in policy regarding presidential endorsements is based on long-ignored principles of the past, why should newspapers Did they wait to announce it until just 11 days before the election?” That? “

Pulitzer Prize-winning artist Ann Ternas painted large swaths of black paint in a chilling caricature titled “Democracy Dies in Darkness.”

“I was in the middle of completing the final draft of another comic, so I emailed my editor to change the idea,” she wrote. substack. “I grabbed a piece of bristol and a big brush and drew what I felt.”

Washington Post Guild leaders also said they were deeply troubled by the decision and how management interfered with the editorial board’s affairs. “We are already seeing cancellations from once-loyal readers. This decision undermines the work of our members at a time when we should be building reader trust, not losing it,” they said in a statement.

Readers on social media said they canceled their subscriptions post And after the news of the decision broke, they made it quickly. More than 1,600 people canceled their digital subscriptions in the first three hours, according to an internal exchange reviewed by NPR.

post Editor-in-chief Robert Kagan also announced his resignation on Friday after receiving negative support. In an interview with CNN, Kagan said the move showed a worrying relationship between Bezos and Trump. “This is clearly an effort by Mr. Bezos to try to get a leg up on Mr. Trump ahead of his inauguration,” he said.

Mr. Bezos holds significant business interests in the federal government, worth billions of dollars each year, from Amazon’s delivery business and cloud computing services to his space company, Blue Origin.

It was during President Trump’s time in office that Amazon threatened to personally review $10 billion worth of cloud computing contracts it had submitted to the Pentagon over dissatisfaction with the Pentagon. of the post his interview. The Pentagon awarded a contract to Microsoft instead, surprising outside industry analysts. After that, a lawsuit was filed and the company was split into four companies, including Amazon.

The Associated Press reported on Friday, just hours after the Post announced it would not support it. reported Trump reportedly met with executives from Bezos’ Blue Origin, which has a multibillion-dollar contract with NASA.

post “While we respect the traditional independence of our editorial pages, this decision comes just 11 days before the 2024 presidential election,” Watergate reporters Bob Woodward and Carl Bernstein said in a joint statement. , which ignored the Post’s own overwhelming reporting evidence.” That’s the threat Donald Trump poses to our democracy,” said CNN’s Brian Stelter. reported.

Pulitzer Prize-winning reporter and editor David Maraniss, who has worked at the paper since 1977 and calls himself a “Washington Post reporter,” wrote: ×: “Previous decisions not to support when democracy is at stake are contemptible.”

he later added“The newspaper company that I loved and worked for for 47 years is dying in the dark.”

NPR’s David Folkenflik contributed reporting.