The US newspaper The Washington Post has decided not to publish an endorsement for Kamala Harris for the US presidency, following a direct decision by the owner Jeff Bezos, founder of Amazon. Instead, the newspaper released an editorial by current editor Will Lewis, already a leading figure in Rupert Murdoch’s media empire, declaring that the newspaper would not support any candidate in this election. This decision comes just weeks before a crucial election and follows the Los Angeles Times’ recent refusal to publicly support Kamala Harris. Even in that case, it was the newspaper’s owner, Patrick Soon-Shiong, who personally intervened to block the endorsement, which led to the resignation of the head of the editorial page. The issue quickly escalated, with numerous readers choosing to cancel their subscriptions to the Washington Post in protest of what many see as a violation of journalistic independence.
In the editorial, Lewis justified the choice by referring to the historic decision of the Washington Post not to take sides between John F. Kennedy and Richard Nixon in the 1960 elections, mentioning the principles of integrity and respect for the law that the newspaper is committed to maintaining. However, for many observers, the statement sounds more like a justification than a commitment. Some saw in Lewis’ words an ambiguous move, a choice that many consider a “surrender” to the interests of Bezos, whose commercial empire includes significant contracts with the American government, such as the Amazon agreement with the NSA and Blue Origin with NASA to build a lunar lander.
According to The Columbia Journalism Review, the pro-Harris endorsement had already been written by two members of the editorial team, Charles Lane and Stephen W. Stromberg, with initial approval from editorial page editor David Shipley, who later rescinded the endorsement. endorsement citing a review by Bezos. The decision led to strong reactions within the newsroom and among commentators, with the Post workers’ union saying it was “deeply concerned” about an interference perceived as an intrusion of ownership into journalistic work. Former Washington Post executive editor Marty Baron called the move “cowardly,” noting that the episode represents a “moment of darkness that could affect democracy.”
