'Washingon Post' won't endorse in White House race for first time since 1980s

[demmiblue]

Source: NPR

Even though the presidential race between former President Donald Trump and Vice President Kamala Harris remains neck and neck, The Washington Post editorial page has decided not to make a presidential endorsement for the first time in 36 years, the editorial page editor told colleagues at a tense meeting Friday morning.

The meeting was characterized by someone with direct knowledge of discussions on condition of anonymity to speak about internal matters.

The editorial page editor, David Shipley, told colleagues that the Post's publisher, Will Lewis, would publish a note to readers online early Friday afternoon.

Shipley told colleagues the editorial board was told yesterday by management that there would not be an endorsement. He added that he "owns" this decision. The reason he cited was to create "independent space" where the newspaper does not tell people for whom to vote.

Read more: https://www.npr.org/2024/10/25/nx-s1-5165353/washingon-post-presidential-endorsement-trump-harris

---

Link to tweet

Link to tweet

Wow.

[FBaggins]

1. ???

Stunning

[calilama]

17. not stunning

Eat The Rich...I get it now

[PedroXimenez]

2. Bezos n/t

[spooky3]

15. Bezos bought them long ago and largely has stayed out

of operations. This is the first year for this weak, cowardly, and unprincipled decision. However, he surely had a hand in selecting top management and they have trended red.

[Farmer-Rick]

84. Time to cancel my Prime

I was thinking of doing it and kind of felt ashamed that I still had a subscription.

Time to cancel Bezos money pot.

[dweller]

3. 🫤

Democracy Dies in Defeatism





✌🏻

[Dennis Donovan]

4. Bezos doesn't want to lose contracts w/ the govt

...in case Trump wins. 🐔💩

[cstanleytech]

18. More likely he doesn't want to have to finally pay a fair share of taxes.

Mind you, if people like him were true well paying job creators in this country I wouldn't mind but the only jobs they create are low paying ones that drive more and more people every year into poverty

[thesquanderer]

60. or maybe is trying to get off his "enemy within" list and whatever may follow (n/t)

[Ocelot II]

5. "Democracy Dies In Darkness," WaPo?

No, you craven poltroons, it dies in broad daylight.

[NJCher]

6. after your lackluster record

combined with that of the NY Times, you should definitely make this move. You can avoid embarrassing yourselves because no one would listen to either of you anyway.

[SarcasticSatyr]

7. Serously .. that's BS

They endorsed Biden in 2020

[spooky3]

16. And they have always endorsed in lower level races. Isn't

The principle the same?

[50 Shades Of Blue]

8. I grew up in a WaPo home and have had my own subscription since 1982. I just canceled it.

[moreland01]

40. Me too.

Don't know which direction to go next for daily news, but Im done with WaPo. Did they really think their subscribers wouldn't care?

[cilla4progress]

47. Try "independent media"

Like Bryan Tyler Green, Mary Trump, Mueller She Wrote, Meidastouch Toouch network

[50 Shades Of Blue]

49. I've been looking at the comments section on the announcement. MANY cancellations!

[Prairie Gates]

9. Democracy Dies in Silence

[liberalmuse]

10. Hello fascism.

We see you. Fascism couldn’t take over without the complicit press and corporations. This is how it happened in Nazi Germany. The choice of who to endorse couldn’t be any clearer, yet here we are. It takes courage to stand up for what’s right. Cowards! Those of us who love democracy need to demand more from our media. If they fail us, we tune out.

[chowder66]

11. Then "Democracy Dies in Darkness" was an announcement, not a motto.

[cilla4progress]

12. Unbelievable

Comments are only private as well

They will rue the day

[underpants]

13. The LA Times isn't either. Disgraceful

[BigmanPigman]

100. I was wondering if The WaPO was going to

make this their policy before the LA Times did it.

[FalloutShelter]

14. Another "newspaper " Dead to me.

[Dennis Donovan]

19. Democracy dies in darkness.

[Ray Bruns]

46. Excellent.

https://m.

[wolfie001]

20. I posted this earlier and at Reddit

Murdoch thug:

[Keepthesoulalive]

21. They are showing you who they are

Why won’t you believe them? I am canceling my subscription today, I will not support any company that will destroy our democracy by not endorsing the person best suited to lead this country. I was going to wait until after the election but if this is true I’m out.

[Freethinker65]

22. Let the Post die in darkness

Obviously the owner has told the editor he is hedging his bets and should Harris lose, the Post intends to be at the trough to scarf up and disseminate any and all of second term President Trump's fascist propaganda.

[Marigold]

23. They are all hedging their bets

In case he wins. Even though these news papers are evil, fake, and failing according to Trump. He always forgives those who recant and later kiss the ring. He loves bringing them to heel.

[Marthe48]

24. When top newspapers won't endorse

They are speaking volumes.

[pat_k]

25. Murdoch-ization of the Washington Post

https://www.politico.com/news/magazine/2024/06/03/rupert-murdoch-washington-post-00161279

It's up to We the People to save the country.

The far right may be very loud right now but there are more of us and we are a mighty force.

23:45
We've gotta win this thing for our families, our democracy, our freedoms and our future. . . . We've gotta close here with joy, and confidence, and strength, and power, and not from fear and worry. Fear and worry are what they want. What we want is we close this thing with joy and love of country and love of one another. These are far more powerful emotions than fear and worry.

24:20
Let me say one last thing. . . I want to remind everybody about one of the central reasons that we're all here together at hopium, which is that -- and Joe Biden talked about this in his State of the Union speech this year. He talked about FDR's speech in 1941; FDRs State of the Union address. He talked about how that address was the beginning of the call of America to rally against fascism and rising authoritarianism in wht became the rallying cry tht began to move America into World War II. That speech though was also the speech where FDR laid out his vision of the four freedoms and how he wanted a world that was not base on dominion and control, one country having control over another or one person having control over another. A world based not on dominion, but freedom. And he laid out the Freedom from Want, Freedom from Fear, Freedom of Religion, Freedom of the Press. He laid out these four freedoms for all of us . . . And these four freedoms became the foundation of the modern world. The four freedoms became the basis of the Atlantic Charter that got the United States and the United Kingdom together in 1941, that became the basis of the alliance that won World War II. The four freedoms became the basis of the United Nations Charter in 1945, which laid out an international law, a global system where one nation could not have control of another; dominion over another. And it was the beginningg of the unraveling of all holdings by European powers, their colonial system. FDR forced the unraveling of all that to be consisten with the United Nations view that no nation should have dominion over another. This is part of the the war in Ukraine is about. Russia is trying to go back to a period prior to the United Nations where countries coul have dominion over one another. And then in 1948, negotiated in part by Eleanor Roosevelt, there waas the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, which ws the first time in international law individual people had human rights... And that world of freedom -- of these four freedoms, that world of Pax Americana over the last 80 years has created a golden age in human history. There's never been better time to be alive in all of human history that there's been in over these past 80 years. We've seen life expectancy go from 45 years to over 70 years now in the world, we've seen extreme poverty, dispite huge explosion of population, plummet in raw numbers. We've seen more people living under democracy that any time in human history. We've seen more people being literate an being able to read and write. Three times as many people today can do so as a percentage of the population than in the 1940's. Meaning they have more capacity to do and contribute and live out their dreams than anytime before. This has been a golden age in human history.

What's important for us is we get this final fuel to go do the work that we need to do for our country and our democracy and for our kids. We have to remind ourselves that that world - this golden age in human history -- was something that WE did. The Democratic Party of the United States did that. We created a golden age in human history. And it's my view that there has never been an organized force that's done more good for more people than the Democratic Party that we're all part of.

One of the reasons I'm so confident that we're going to prevail here in the next 13 days is that when our party was called in the 1940s, we all answered. We rose to the occasion, and we defeated authoritarianism and fascism then. And what Joe Biden began in his State of the Union speech, he was making a new call asking our party to once again answer a all to defeat fascism here and all around the world; to make sure that freedom continued to prevail over dominion.

The reason I end all of this so confident and so optimistic is because all of you have been answer this call. Millions and millions of Americans have been going to work, donating money, writing postcards -- 80 million postcards are in the process of hitting all across the country -- canvasing every day, texting, phone banking, info warring, working your networks with good informtion. You guys have gone to work, you've answered the call. Millions of you have done this. And the millions of you who have answered this call is more powerful than the dancing dipshits on the other side, right? Let them have Elon Musk and a bunch of these oligarchs. We've got all of you. We're more powerful than they are. And we are doing the work for our democracy...

Do more, worry less...

[sarisataka]

26. Choosing to not choose is still a choice

and it is more revealing than if you had the courage to take a stand.

[William Seger]

51. It's the choice that says both candidates are equally valid

Fuck the Washington Post.

[SunSeeker]

78. Exactly. WaPo's (Bezos') move to step in and block the draft Harris endorsement was simply reprehensible. nt

[epreic01]

27. Boycott

Money talks. Boycott WP, NYT, CNN.

[BoRaGard]

28. Colossal cowardly whimp-out at the Hour of Consequence

The Post's chickenshit stance will ruin their reputation for all all time.

Sell outs. No honor. No integrity.

Ain't gonna get any respect.

[usonian]

29. This is not an election. It's a choice between democracy and fascism, life and death for countless people.

AND I'M NOT GOING TO WAIT FOR ANOTHER 6 MILLION PEOPLE TO DIE
for equivocating morans to find that out.

Dear Equivocating Morans.
Your "independent space" is IN HELL.

On Edit: Neville Chamberlain has a resemblance to Fred .......

[BeyondGeography]

30. That's 144 bucks a year back to me

Like I’m supposed to subsidize criminal gutlessness.

[Basso8vb]

31. Bezos can eat my last bowel movement.

Fuck that fascist.

[SpankMe]

32. "Anticipatory obedience"

Definition: Pulling back from [an] obligation to tell the truth in order to placate the tyrant so he doesn’t come after them.

This is from a Columbia Journalism Review article by Ian Bassin and Maximillian Potter, here.

Such cowardice is unbecoming supposed media "giants".

I wonder if Democrats should be doing the same thing?

[onetexan]

36. What? Which side are u on?

[SpankMe]

95. Well, we're losing ground

Trump and his supporters should be 20% or less of the voter base; they should be a crackpot fringe. Instead, this race appears to be 50-50.

Being nice and adhering to democratic and institutional norms hasn't helped us (Democrats and progressives) gain a clear majority. Conservatives are in total control of a majority of the 50 US states and are implementing a theocratic, authoritarian version of government under a ruling minority. The more power they gain under these principles, the more barriers there are for us to counter it with humanity, decency and democracy and ever gain a leadership mandate again. At some point real soon, they will become permanently in charge and will wield all power necessary - including violence - to force their narrow views on society and suppress dissent or even meek expressions of opposing points of view.

They've already succeeded in nullifying parts of the constitution and are openly trying to alter it to an extent that basically makes liberal ideas - and possibly even liberal people - illegal. Project 2025 tells you most of what you need to know.

We are becoming less of a free and equitable society with each election.

The point of that last comment of my post was to ask if we should start fighting fire with fire instead of responding to authoritarianism with platitudes, "logic", "facts", and compassion - which is clearly not working.

I don't want to live in a country that operates off of an oppressive version of the "Jesus doctrine". But there's no place else to go. People come to America for freedom because almost everywhere else in the world is less free to one degree or another.

This is it. The United States of America - sandwiched between Canada and Mexico - is the end of the line. We have to take back this country using techniques that work. We all won't be able to migrate to New Zealand or Canada if the Orange Asshole® takes over and makes us all illegal. We have to make THIS PLACE work for us and for all.

If you think anything I've said above is hyperbole, you're just not paying attention.

[onetexan]

99. You're ill informed

[SpankMe]

103. How so?

Don't just toss a non-sequitur turd in the pubchbowl. Which aspects of my opinion are ill-informed? On its own, "You're ill informed" is pretty vague and meaningless. Context? Examples? Discussion?

[Maeve]

33. Cowards. Cancelling

[onetexan]

34. WTF???😡

[RockRaven]

35. Recognize that this isn't an isolated incident. The same people, same judgement

go into other decisions of what to (not) write and (not) publish in the WaPo. Every day the headlines and stories you see in the WaPo have been shaped by the same people with the same priorities.

So ask yourself: what else are they not telling you? What else are they misrepresenting? How else are they being mewling cowards?

[Mz Pip]

37. I just canceled my subscription

It runs until the end of the year, though.

I wish there was a place where I could have written why. Not of the reasons given included my reason.

[PortTack]

39. Thank you...other DUers and Dems, this how to respond!

[Marigold]

57. Mine goes until March

And there is no option to give feedback. Checking off the box "other", hope the coincidence is a clear message. I did however leave a post on their facebook page.

[Socal31]

98. I wouldn't worry too much about it.

Any cancellation starting from this morning, thats above the normal "background" cancellation (or failure to renew) rate, will have a huge fuggin arrow on it, pointing to one J. Bezos.

[BlueInPhilly]

38. Seriously

When did a newspaper endorsement change anyone's vote? HRC had like 90% of all newspapers endorsed her. Didn't change the needle. Polls, newspaper endorsements... they are just noise.

[PortTack]

41. You're right..but it's the principle. And one has to ask themselves...what's next? Gonna be okay with a fascist prez?

[moreland01]

44. Extraordinary times call for

Extraordinary character. WaPo fell off the fence, in my eyes. Newspapers could help save democracy thru brave reporting and they choose not to? Cowards.

[pnwmom]

55. It's not about changing minds. There are undecided voters whose minds aren't made up.

And some might be open to ideas clearly, thoughtfully and urgently expressed in an editorial.

[thesquanderer]

59. TFG can use this as he used the same LA Times decision, as "proof" that even the left doesn't think much of Kamala (nt)

[dchill]

42. There's no more need for an editorial board..

If you're not going to have an opinion, then there's no need for an opinion page.

[Zorro]

43. They are cutting their own throats

If Trump wins he will force them and others out of business.

[spooky3]

86. And dozens of subscribers have posted on social media that

They have canceled their subscriptions.

So WaPo’s fate may be sealed earlier rather than later.

[cilla4progress]

45. Subscription

cancelled

[Ray Bruns]

48. "The reason he cited was to create "independent space" where the newspaper does not tell people for whom to vote"

Buuuuuullllllssshhhhiiiiitttt!

[SunSeeker]

76. How can someone be "independent" or neutral to fascism?

[Wild blueberry]

50. Murdoch protegee Lewis protecting Donald

No surprise. When he was named editor, I cancelled my subscription. WaPo's been heading right-wing ever since.
This is disgusting.

[SunSeeker]

74. Like with the LA Times, the WaPo editorial board had drafted a Harris endorsement.

Bezos stepped in to block it.

An endorsement of Harris had been drafted by Post editorial page staffers but had yet to be published, according to two sources briefed on the sequence of events who spoke on the condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak publicly. The decision not to publish was made by The Post’s owner — Amazon founder Jeff Bezos — according to the same sources.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/style/media/2024/10/25/washington-post-endorsement-president/

[WilliamLouis]

52. Like

👍

[qanda]

53. Just canceled my subscription

I'm going to divert the funds elsewhere. Starting with renewing my DU membership.

[demmiblue]

54. Marty Baron, retired Executive Editor of The Washington Post:

On political endorsement https://wapo.st/3YmeD3T

This is cowardice, with democracy as its casualty. @realdonaldtrump will see this as an invitation to further intimidate owner @jeffbezos (and others). Disturbing spinelessness at an institution famed for courage.

Link to tweet

[CloudWatcher]

56. Canceled my subscription n/t

[Mr. Mustard 2023]

58. Of course. When a brown skinned woman

is running against a fascist - suddenly WaPo is silent.

Do not discount the amount of men afraid of women with power. They're weaklings, but unfortunately there are many.

I know, it may be much more than just misogyny, but I think it's not a coincidence either. I'm a white male and still shocked by how many weakling white men are in this country. Those who act "oh so tough" then run to government for hand outs, who whine when they don't get their way and nearly wet themselves when I woman dares tell weaselly men to fuck off.

[mjvpi]

61. Yet another "logical" conclusion to Reagan policy. Ending the Fairness Doctrine lead to this.

A functioning Fourth Estate is required to maintain a functional democracy. The editorial section should be this sacred place where those who fearlessly report the facts 24 hours a day take the responsibility to come to some conclusions based on those facts. It shouldn’t be the mouthpiece of the owners.

[Kid Berwyn]

62. Cowards.

Who work for one really big (and rich) coward.

[TBF]

63. Here is my cancelation -

They say "thanks for your feedback" - I picked the one about having a problem with their content. They don't actually give you a box to write a comment in. Cowards!



Subscription & Billing
Thanks for your feedback.

We’ve canceled your subscription
You'll continue to have access until November 21, 2024.
Until then, you can reactivate your subscription at any time by visiting your Subscription & Billing page in your account.

[TBF]

65. And then their ridiculous response -

"trusted news and analysis" my a**.


We’re sorry to see you go.

Hi xxxxxx,

Your Washington Post Basic Subscription has been canceled and your unlimited access will end on November 21st, 2024.

If you’ve changed your mind we’re offering you a discounted rate of $6 every four weeks for the next year when you reactivate your subscription now.

Reactivate Now
Our subscribers enable our newsroom to continue bringing you trusted news and analysis from Washington, and around the world. So for that, thank you.

- The Washington Post Team

[Jon Ace]

64. Another nail in the coffin for legacy media (n/t)

[moniss]

66. Sure thing WP. Like you have a shred of credibility

about this when you spent hour after hour attacking Joe about his age and gave crickets for the other guy. The WP has honestly had little credibility as a journalism endeavor for many years. They know very well the money laundering game on K Street and the rest about most of the typical ways of corruption and the ones involved but they whistle past the graveyard and act as though scum like Tom DeLay are the rare exception. But the WP sold it's soul long ago in order to continue to be invited to the cocktail parties of the movers and shakers so they can be used as stenographers for the agenda of "sources within" this or that agency, office etc. So that internal rot of ethics leads us to where we are today with supposed "journalists" withholding information relevant to criminal investigations and/or an informed public and instead of turning it over they wait to make things public until their book comes out and they can monetize it.

Money grubbing scum with a college degree and a keyboard are still money grubbing scum no matter what, no matter where they go or how they try to dress it a different way.

[twodogsbarking]

67. Surrendering to facism.

[Martin68]

68. I am disappointed in the Post. I will continue to subscribe because their reporting, particularly deep investigations

into topics such as racial profiling, police abuse of authority, and Trump's fascist tendencies.

[Marigold]

71. Support others instead

The Atlantic is particularly good. They put out a daily newsletter of new articles. And they endorsed Kamala Harris, only endorsing a candidate for the 5th time in their 167 year old history.

[Martin68]

81. No thank you, the post is one of the best sources of international, national and local news (I live in Virginia).

As I said, the lack of an endorsement disappoints me, but it is not a deal breaker. The Pot is one of the last real newspapers left in in the country, and their reporting staff is world class.

[Tertullian]

69. I'm a Union guy. I thought WaPo was on my side.

I'm angry to learn that WaPo is NOT on my side.

[ificandream]

70. My question: Why all this now? Why not six months ago or earlier?

The timing really kills any argument that this was just a simple decision.

[SunSeeker]

77. Like with the LA Times, the WaPo editorial board had drafted a Harris endorsement.

Bezos stepped in to block it.

An endorsement of Harris had been drafted by Post editorial page staffers but had yet to be published, according to two sources briefed on the sequence of events who spoke on the condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak publicly. The decision not to publish was made by The Post’s owner — Amazon founder Jeff Bezos — according to the same sources.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/style/media/2024/10/25/washington-post-endorsement-president/

Yup, the timing sends all the wrong messages.

[demmiblue]

72. A member of the Wash Post editorial department tells me: Bezos's decision not to endorse is "an outrageous abdication of

A member of the Wash Post editorial department tells me: Bezos's decision not to endorse is "an outrageous abdication of responsibility. Democracy doesn't die in darkness, it dies when people anticipatorily consent to a fascist's whims."

Link to tweet

[demmiblue]

73. Scoop: Washington Post editor at large Robert Kagan confirms to me that he resigned from the Post following today's...

Opinion staff at WaPo are furious about the paper's endorsement decision. Several are contemplating what action to take, ranging from resigning, quitting the board, or a statement. "If you doin't have the balls to own a newspaper, don't," one Post opinion employee tells me.

Scoop: Washington Post editor at large Robert Kagan confirms to me that he resigned from the Post following today's decision not to endorse in the presidential race.

Link to tweet

[Moebym]

92. Makes two editors that have resigned in protest

I admire their integrity and bravery.

[SunSeeker]

75. Like with the LA Times, the WaPo editorial board had drafted a Harris endorsement.

Bezos stepped in to block it.

An endorsement of Harris had been drafted by Post editorial page staffers but had yet to be published, according to two sources briefed on the sequence of events who spoke on the condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak publicly. The decision not to publish was made by The Post’s owner — Amazon founder Jeff Bezos — according to the same sources.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/style/media/2024/10/25/washington-post-endorsement-president/

[demmiblue]

79. A statement from Post Guild leadership on the Washington Post's decision to not endorse a presidential candidate

Link to tweet

[Mark.b2]

80. Newspapers becoming less and less relevant...

No one cares what the last few in existence think. Endorsing or not endorsing won’t change one vote at this point, if ever.

[BattleRow]

85. Considering the increasingly limited attention span of many today,

I tend to agree.

And although reading the paper was a ritual I grew up with,the metastatic,corporate corruption of the press is disheartening.

Better they be cast into the dustbin of oblivion than continue to infect and proliferate their yellow journalism .

[LtTx]

82. Houston Chronicle

endorsed Kamala.

And more than one million people have signed up for her rally here today. People started lining up this morning and the line is huge already. Helps to have Queen Bey!

[Moebym]

91. One million?

OMFG

Whatever venue they've booked, it won't be large enough.

[LtTx]

94. It is not

Big enough. People started lining up hours ago. The ticket says it doesn't guarantee entrance! I had tickets but gave them to my niece. She is quite a progressive Democrat. She was at a Beto rally a couple of weeks ago (at her college) and got three photos with him.

[TBF]

97. I think my daughter is there - I told her yesterday

and sent her the invite. She told me this morning she got 2 tickets and was going to find a friend to go along. Her car was gone when I got back from grocery shopping! And yes Beyonce is quite a draw!

Welcome to DU!

[littlemissmartypants]

83. Anticipatory obeisance right out of the fascist playbook. 🙀

[wss2001]

87. Is this the same newspaper...

that published the Pentagon Papers? That broke the Watergate scandal? They are too afraid to make a call of the most consequential election of our time?
They have as much or more to lose if our democracy fails. What cowardice…can we trust the Post anymore? What stories are they burying to save their hides?

[demmiblue]

88. Mini update: The furor at the WaPo is such that its chief tech officer is getting engineers to block Qs about its...

Mini update: The furor at the WaPo is such that its chief tech officer is getting engineers to block Qs about its decision to not make an endorsement pm the Post's own AI site search,

This according to internal WP correspondence I've reviewed

Link to tweet

[C0RI0LANUS]

89. What would these two say?

Bod Woodward and Carl Bernstein at the Washington Post investigating the Watergate Scandal which toppled Republican POTUS Richard M. Nixon.


(Photo: Circa 1973)

[tonekat]

90. The WaPo Ended its free subs to Federal workers yesterday

They announced a few weeks ago they would do this.

I can still access the best part. The Comics.

[MistakenLamb]

93. The paper that helped break the Pentagon Papers and Watergate

shows its absolute cowardice at our countries greatest trial and shows it revels in wanting to be a relevant to readers now as TV Guide except the TV Guide is more honest. Legacy media wants to die out this way fine, it will just fasten their certain demise. Shame on the billionaire class who owns the media more concerned about their bottom line than a functional Democracy.

[Doctoris Extincti]

96. Apparently Amazon prefers unfettered chokepoint capitalism to any semblance of democracy

Who would have thought?

[Ilsa]

101. Bezos and others are afraid of Trump.

Trump will try to shut them down.

[Taraman]

102. So in a contest between American democracy and movement toward total fascism, WaPo stays in the darkness?

I need to re-assess my spending. I cannot support this.

[C0RI0LANUS]

104. Bob Woodward and Carl Bernstein used the word "disappointed" for this faux-pas.

https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/politics-news/bob-woodward-carl-bernstein-washington-post-decision-not-endorse-president-1236046029/