Three members of the Washington Post’s editorial team resigned after the newspaper decided not to endorse any candidate in the presidential election.
The newspaper’s owner, Jeff Bezos, defended the decision yesterday, describing it as a “principled choice” after reports that over 200,000 people had canceled their online subscriptions.
In an opinion piece, Bezos said the decision “was made entirely internally,” emphasizing that his interests do not influence the newspaper’s choices. He noted, “You can view my wealth and business interests as a buffer against intimidation or potential conflict of interest. ”
The Washington Post endorsed Democratic candidates in the 2008, 2012, 2016, and 2020 presidential elections.
“I assure you that my views here are genuinely principled positions, and I believe my record as the owner of the Post since 2013 supports this,” Bezos added.
In the 1800s, newspapers were highly partisan, both in news coverage and opinion writing. Even as independent journalism gained traction in the 1900s, opinion sections remained separate from the newsroom.
More recently, in 2008, 92 of the 100 most prominent newspapers in the country endorsed either Democrat Barack Obama or Republican John McCain for president. By 2020, however, only 54 chose between Donald Trump and Joe Biden.
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