The decision set off a firestorm of criticism, internal resignations, and reportedly the cancellation of some 200,000 of the paper’s subscribers.
Amazon.com Inc. founder Jeff Bezos, the owner of the Washington Post, said the newspaper’s decision to stop endorsing presidential candidates addresses a “credibility gap” afflicting the media industry.
“Most people believe the media is biased,” Bezos said in an essay published on the Post’s website. “Anyone who doesn’t see this is paying scant attention to reality.”
Bezos also said the Post’s action was unrelated to former President Donald Trump’s meeting with executives from Blue Origin, another of his businesses, on the day of the announcement.
[time-brightcove not-tgx=”true”]“I sighed when I found out, because I knew it would provide ammunition to those who would like to frame this as anything other than a principled decision,” Bezos wrote.
The Post’s publisher, William Lewis, announced on Oct. 25 that the newspaper would no longer choose sides in presidential races, something it has done regularly since 1978. Editorial staff had been prepared to endorse Trump’s Democratic rival, Vice President Kamala Harris.
The decision set off a firestorm of criticism, both inside and outside of the newspaper. Multiple editors and writers resigned. As many as 200,000 subscribers, or 8% of the total, canceled, National Public Radio reported. A spokesperson for the Post declined to comment.
Among those criticizing the decision were former Post executive editor Marty Baron, as well as Bob Woodward and Carl Bernstein, the Post reporters whose reporting on the Watergate scandal led President Richard Nixon to resign.
In his essay, Bezos said presidential endorsements do “nothing to tip the scales of an election.” Instead they “create a perception of bias.”
That has allowed the space to be filled by social media posts and other unverified news sources. He urged readers to realize that changes like the endorsement decision are necessary.
“I will also not allow this paper to stay on autopilot and fade into irrelevance—overtaken by unresearched podcasts and social media barbs—not without a fight,” Bezos wrote.