The Washington Post has lost over 200,000 subscribers after its owner, Jeff Bezos, decided not to endorse any candidate for the November 5 U.S. presidential election, as reported by the media.
On Monday, Bezos defended the decision, calling it “right” and “principled,” saying it was made within the company without pressure from either Donald Trump or Kamala Harris. The editorial staff was ready to endorse Democratic nominee Kamala Harris, but on October 25, publisher Will Lewis said the choice should be left to readers.
According to NPR, by Monday afternoon, more than 200,000 people had canceled their digital subscriptions to the Washington Post, about 8% of its total paid subscribers, including print. Not all cancellations took effect immediately.
Former Washington Post Executive Editor Marcus Brauchli called the cancellations "colossal" and noted that subscribers were unclear about the reason for the no-endorsement decision. Another former Executive Editor, Marty Baron, said there was little serious discussion with the editorial board and suggested the decision was not based on principle.
JEFF BEZOS DEFENDS DECISION
On Monday evening, the Washington Post published a statement from its owner, Jeff Bezos, where he explained his decision to stop endorsing presidential candidates. Bezos wrote that endorsements don’t affect election outcomes but create a perception of bias and lack of independence.
He called the decision to stop endorsements “principled” and “the right one.” Bezos acknowledged that he wished they had made this change further from election time, admitting the timing could have been better planned.
Bezos also clarified that no deals or influence from the candidates or their campaigns affected this decision; it was made entirely within the company. He added that a recent meeting between Donald Trump and Blue Origin CEO Dave Limp on October 25 had nothing to do with the decision, emphasizing he was unaware of the meeting beforehand and that any claims of a connection were false.
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