Sources and memos: the LA Times editorial board had planned a series, The Case Against Trump, to run this week, until Patrick Soon-Shiong quashed the project (Ross A. Lincoln/The Wrap)

Mediagazer: Sources and memos: the LA Times editorial board had planned a series, The Case Against Trump, to run this week, until Patrick Soon-Shiong quashed the project (Ross A. Lincoln/The Wrap)

Top News:

Washington Post:

Sources: Washington Post editorial staffers had drafted an endorsement of Harris for president, and then Jeff Bezos made the decision not to publish it— Publisher Will Lewis explained the decision as a return to the newspaper's roots. — For the first time in 36 years …
Discussion: NPR, Salon, Fox News, Columbia Journalism Review, Adweek, CNBC, @karaswisher@threads.net, The Bulwark, Mediaite, MediaPost, The Verge, Politico, The Nation, Breitbart, @maxwelltani, New York Post, @kongakong@masto.ai, RedState, Raw Story, Finding Gravity, @palafo@threads.net, @tigerbeat@threads.net, @farhip, @Nonilex@masto.ai, Gizmodo, The Hill, Scripting News, Associated Press, KDFX-TV, The Daily Beast, New York Magazine, The Wrap, Rolling Stone, UPI, @whstancil, @nealcurtis@mas.to, Janine Vanderburg on LinkedIn, @zeblarson@hcommons.social, Iowa Starting Line, @froomkin, @vladaknowlton@threads.net, @1elizabeth_jacobs@threads.net, @ericschmeltzer@threads.net, @philnelson@xoxo.zone, @maxwelltani, @davew@threads.net, @kibblesmith, @michaelhobbes.bsky.social, @suldrew@xoxo.zone, @digiphile, @ycombinator@rss-mstdn …, @emilybell, Rich Glover on LinkedIn, @aaronschaffer.com, @fenitn, @heidilifeldman@mastodon …, @jbouie@threads.net, @ianbassin, @marisakabas.bsky.social, @stevenray@sfba.social, @daveweigel.bsky.social, @gregggonsalves@med …, @kimberlyeatkins@threads.net, @c_9@mstdn.ca, @robsonfletcher@mas.to, @harrymccracken@mastodon …, @pwnallthethings.bsky.social, Washington Examiner, @brooklynmarie.bsky.social, @brianstelter, @bymikedavis, @schaffertom@mastodon.social, @eric_ginsburg@threads.net, @davidfolkenflik, @fraying@xoxo.zone, Dovi Frances on LinkedIn, PinkNews, @karenattiah@threads.net, GeekWire, @pwnallthethings.bsky.social, MeidasTouch News, @steinkobbe, @sarahjeong.bsky.social, Alternet.org and r/Journalism

Discussion:

David Folkenflik /
NPR: ‘Washington Post’ won't endorse in White House race for first time since 1980s

Dan Froomkin /
Salon: Billionaires have broken media: Washington Post's non-endorsement is a sickening moral collapse Fox News: Washington Post union, staffers revolt over decision not to endorse a presidential candidate, blame Bezos

Sewell Chan /
Columbia Journalism Review: The Washington Post opinion editor approved a Harris endorsement. A week later, Jeff Bezos killed it.

Mark Mwachiro /
Adweek: Ticker: The Washington Post and The Los Angeles Times Will Not Endorse a Presidential Candidate

Kara Swisher /
@karaswisher@threads.net: If someone wants to leak the Kamala Harris endorsement that Bezos quashed, it would make for interesting reading. And I, for one, am good at getting such documents, as Bezos knows from the old days. Game fucking on.

Jonathan V. Last /
The Bulwark: The Guardrails Are Already Crumpling

Ahmad Austin Jr /
Mediaite: 'We Aren't Afraid to Take a Stand': Editorial Writer at The Philadelphia Inquirer Roasts LA Times And Washington Post For Not Endorsing

Ray Schultz /
MediaPost: ‘The Washington Post’ Blocks Kamala Harris Endorsement

Elizabeth Lopatto /
The Verge: Jeff Bezos reportedly killed the Washington Post's Kamala Harris endorsement

Michael Schaffer /
Politico: The Post's Non-Endorsement: Poor Timing, Worse Message

Elizabeth Weibel /
Breitbart: Washington Post Editor Robert Kagan Resigns After Newspaper's Non-Endorsement of Harris

Max Tani /
@maxwelltani: 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.

Alexandra Steigrad /
New York Post: Jeff Bezos reportedly killed Washington Post's Kamala Harris endorsement: ‘This is cowardice’ @kongakong@masto.ai: I cancelled my Washington Post subscription when the new CEO Matt Murray fired Sally Buzbee, the executive editor at the time, and tried to parachute a very dubious Robert Winnett from The Telegraph into the role. It was around Jun/July this year. — I know the newspaper would head in the wrong direction. …

Ward Clark /
RedState: All Aboard the Kamala Express! Next Stop: Press Conference in Word Salad City

Erik De La Garza /
Raw Story: Jeff Bezos just taught American businessmen a ‘lesson’: Bulwark editor

Jamison Foser /
Finding Gravity: The Washington Post Chooses Darkness

Patrick LaForge /
@palafo@threads.net: I don't think that newspaper editorials or endorsements really matter all that much, especially for national races. Ironically, suppressing them gives them far more weight and says a lot about your institution's health and integrity. …

Steve Rhodes /
@tigerbeat@threads.net: And if a newspaper in DC shouldn't endorse for president, it also shouldn't endorse for senate & congress like the Washington Post has this year https://www.washingtonpost.com/ ...

Paul Farhi /
@farhip: This is getting ugly. Publisher/CEO Will Lewis has been under an ethical cloud since joining the ⁦Post⁩ in January. And now this? ⁦@CJR⁩: Post opinion editor approved a Harris endorsement. A week later, the paper's publisher killed it. https://www.cjr.org/... @Nonilex@masto.ai: CJR: “Ian Bassin, a #democracy expert, calls these moves ‘anticipatory obedience’: fear by owners that if #Trump wins he could take #vengeance on companies that cross him. They noted that the leadership at CNN & the #WashingtonPost changed after the Trump administration tried to block the takeover of CNN's parent company & tried to deny a cloud computing contract for #Amazon, #Bezos's company.” …

Dominick Mastrangelo /
The Hill: Bezos made decision to kill Harris endorsement, reports Washington Post

Dave Winer /
Scripting News: Journalism dies in darkness

Ted Anthony /
Associated Press: Jeff Bezos blocked the Washington Post's endorsement of Harris after it was written but not yet published

Harry Lambert /
The Daily Beast: Top Editors Eviscerate Jeff Bezos' Decision to Kill WaPo Endorsement

Jonathan Chait /
New York Magazine: Trump Has Already Punished Jeff Bezos Over the Washington Post's Independence

JD Knapp /
The Wrap: Washington Post Resignations and Cancellations Begin, Guild Says Bezos Axed Endorsement: ‘Management Interfered’

Nikki McCann Ramirez /
Rolling Stone: Washington Post Staff Is Furious That Bezos Nixed Presidential Endorsement

Will Stancil /
@whstancil: Again: if you work in journalism, and you're horrified at the WaPo decision, the best thing you can do is finally commit yourself to covering Trump's threat to democracy with the vigor it deserves, starting TODAY. Just hours ago he threatened to round up critics. Talk about it. @nealcurtis@mas.to: Bezos is a Trump supporter. File with the Pope is Catholic stories. — The Washington Post opinion editor approved a Harris endorsement. A week later, the paper's publisher killed it. - Columbia Journalism Review — https://www.cjr.org/... [image]

Janine Vanderburg /
Janine Vanderburg on LinkedIn: “Democracy dies in darkness.” Or, in the light of day, The Washington Post? — #Cowardice — https://www.washingtonpost.com/ ...

Zeb Larson /
@zeblarson@hcommons.social: Whatever else is true (and a lot is true), 2024 is the year where national media in the U.S. revealed how hopelessly inadequate it is, at all levels. I don't fault reporters or individual editorialists: this is an indictment of its leadership and its business structure. …

Isabel Soisson /
Iowa Starting Line: How Trump exploited a willing media to convince Americans that nothing matters

Dan Froomkin /
@froomkin: To honor Kagan, read his marvelous 2023 op-ed about Trump as dictator. https://www.washingtonpost.com/ ...

Vlada Knowlton /
@vladaknowlton@threads.net: Yes, during this very frightening period, when we are understandably expressing outrage at all the news media cowards bowing down to fascism, this is an important reminder to recognize and thank all the journalists fighting the good fight and reporting the truth about the GOP's fascist candidate. …

Elizabeth Jacobs /
@1elizabeth_jacobs@threads.net: TL;DR of Washington Post non-endorsement announcement: The race is too close and Jeff Bezos may have all the money but he's morally bankrupt.

Eric Schmeltzer /
@ericschmeltzer@threads.net: There is nothing - nothing - keeping the editorial boards of the LA Times and Washington Post from publishing their endorsements online, on Substack or elsewhere, and explaining in blunt terms why they were silenced by their own newspaper. In fact, I would very highly urge them to do so, immediately.

Phil Nelson /
@philnelson@xoxo.zone: The guy who owns Amazon is such a big Trump supporter he ordered the newspaper he also owns to not publish their already-written editorial endorsement for Harris. When I talk about the wealthy protecting class interests at the expense of all else this is exactly what I mean https://www.cjr.org/...

Max Tani /
@maxwelltani: 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 don't have the balls to own a newspaper, don't,” one Post opinion employee tells me.

Dave Winer /
@davew@threads.net: Do not obey in advance.

Daniel Kibblesmith /
@kibblesmith: I am canceling my subscription to the incognito window I read free Washington Post articles in.

Michael Hobbes /
@michaelhobbes.bsky.social: People are going to spin this as “I can't believe you rubes think the WaPo endorsement would have moved any votes” but it's not about the poll results, it's about elite institutions doing the bare minimum to stave off authoritarianism.

Alex Howard /
@digiphile: @davidfolkenflik ... This is anticipatory obedience by an oligarch with business before US government: https://www.cjr.org/... As with @latimes not endorsing, the timing left no question. If it had been 6 months ago, fine. @JeffBezos just made a tragic mockery of “Democracy died in darkness.” @ycombinator@rss-mstdn.studiofreesia.co m: Jeff Bezos kills Washington Post editorial board presidential endorsement — https://www.washingtonpost.com/ ... #ycombinator

Emily Bell /
@emilybell: Imagine owning a news organisation where one of your journalists was hacked to death by a dictator, and then not doing *everything* in your power to defeat his fans and enablers...

Rich Glover /
Rich Glover on LinkedIn: Washington Post is not endorsing Kamela Harris — Kamela Harris - “He's Hitler” — Washington Post - “Yeah we've thought about it and we're still not going to endorse you over Hitler. …

Aaron Schaffer /
@aaronschaffer.com: A statement from Post Guild leadership on the Washington Post's decision to not endorse a presidential candidate [image]

Heidi Li Feldman /
@heidilifeldman@mastodon.social: Here's former Washington Post executive editor Marty Baron saying what needs to be said about the Post's decision not to endorse a Presidential candidate: “This is cowardice, a moment of darkness that will leave democracy as a casualty. ... …

Jamelle Bouie /
@jbouie@threads.net: unbelievable to me that institutions like the washington post are rolling over in advance for an addled old man who is visibly falling apart before our eyes. disgraceful

Ian Bassin /
@ianbassin: If billionaires and newspapers are refusing to endorse against Trump *before* he's even in power, imagine how they'll act when he can direct the federal govt against them. Imagine how the press will act after FOUR years of this. How will voters get accurate information in 2028?

Marisa Kabas /
@marisakabas.bsky.social: let me make something perfectly clear: the endorsements are a secondary issue. this is about billionaires exerting control over the editorial process. freedom of the press is under direct threat. [embedded post] @stevenray@sfba.social: “This is cowardice, a moment of darkness that will leave democracy as a casualty. Donald Trump will celebrate this as an invitation to further intimidate The Post's owner, Jeff Bezos (and other media owners),” former Post executive editor Martin Baron, who led the paper while Trump was president, said in a text message to The Post. …

Dave Weigel /
@daveweigel.bsky.social: “The decision not to publish was made by The Post's owner — Amazon founder Jeff Bezos.” — I worked at the paper for seven years and Bezos never interfered with a thing. This is five-alarm fire stuff. — www.washingtonpost.com/style/media/ ...

Gregg Gonsalves /
@gregggonsalves@med-mastodon.com: A non-endorsement in this election with the seriousness of what is at stake is an implicit endorsement of Donald J. Trump. This is complicity, cravenness and cowardice. https://www.cjr.org/...

Kimberly Atkins Stohr /
@kimberlyeatkins@threads.net: If this was really about “returning to our roots” y'all would have made this call before the election season started. We see you. https://www.washingtonpost.com/ ...

Cameron MacLeod /
@c_9@mstdn.ca: Jeff Bezos in 2013: “I understand the critical role the Post plays in Washington, D.C., and our nation and the Post's values will not change. Our duty to readers will continue to be the heart of the Post, and I am very optimistic about the future,” Bezos said in a statement. https://www.pcmag.com/... …

Robson Fletcher /
@robsonfletcher@mas.to: “This is cowardice, a moment of darkness that will leave democracy as a casualty,” former Washington Post Executive Editor Martin Baron said. — “Donald Trump will celebrate this as an invitation to further intimidate The Post's owner, Jeff Bezos (and other media owners). …

Harry McCracken /
@harrymccracken@mastodon.social: Not a great sign that it's the CEO writing this note to readers. He shouldn't be involved in this decision. https://www.npr.org/... @pwnallthethings.bsky.social: for folks cancelling their WaPo subscriptions, I get it, but consider also cancelling your Amazon Prime membership or deciding to buy things later this year from another retailer

Ross O'Keefe /
Washington Examiner: Washington Post announces it won't endorse presidential candidate for first time since 1988

Brooke /
@brooklynmarie.bsky.social: I've never liked the “benevolent billionaire” model of journalism and feel pretty validated in that dislike now [embedded post]

Brian Stelter /
@brianstelter: Kudos to the @washingtonpost media reporting team today (and every day!)

Mike Davis /
@bymikedavis: I don't have much of an issue with newspapers not endorsing candidates. In 2024, they aren't moving the needle one bit. But to decline to do so two weeks be for an election simply in an act of fence-sitting, so you can curry favor with whoever wins? That's cowardice.

Tom Schaffer /
@schaffertom@mastodon.social: “This makes it more clear than ever: You cannot be a truly independent news organization if you are owned by an oligarch.” — https://www.salon.com/...

Eric Ginsburg /
@eric_ginsburg@threads.net: A reminder who controls mainstream media. https://www.cnbc.com/...

David Folkenflik /
@davidfolkenflik: UPDATE: Robert Kagan confirms to NPR that he has resigned from WaPost editorial board after disclosure it would not make an announcement. Kagan has been a persistent conservative critic of Trump, tying him to an autocratic tradition. Uniformly outraged response from staff.

Derek Powazek /
@fraying@xoxo.zone: If you wanna read something great, just this one time, read the comments on this story. Every one is livid. 10k so far and coming in too fast to keep up with. — https://www.washingtonpost.com/ ... [image]

Dovi Frances /
Dovi Frances on LinkedIn: Shocking - One of the most left wing publication in the Americas The Washington Post, with 11 days left for the elections …

Sophie Perry /
PinkNews: Beyoncé set to join Kamala Harris at Texas rally

Karen Attiah /
@karenattiah@threads.net: Today has been an absolute stab in the back. What an insult to those of us who have literally put our careers and lives on the line to call out threats to human rights and democracy.

Kurt Schlosser /
GeekWire: Jeff Bezos blamed for spiking Washington Post's presidential endorsement of Kamala Harris

@pwnallthethings.bsky.social:
WaPo losing subscriptions won't impact Bezos much; he won't care. Amazon losing a bunch of prime subscribers and their black friday sales being lower than expected will cause more alarm at the meetings he attends

Aaron Parnas /
MeidasTouch News: Washington Post Editor At Large Resigns Over Newspaper's Non-Endorsement: Report @steinkobbe: That's crazy can't believe one of the good liberal billionaires would do that. The ultra rich have historically been so good at fighting fascism

Sarah Jeong /
@sarahjeong.bsky.social: i will defend anyone's right to cancel a subscription as an act of conscience. that said, this may be relevant to those thinking about it: — wapo news desk was the first to publish that bezos had a direct hand in killing the endorsement, and that's *fucking wild as shit*

David Badash /
Alternet.org: ‘Cowardice’: Washington Post faces backlash after refusing to endorse in presidential race r/Journalism: Editor resigns, subscribers cancel as Washington Post non-endorsement prompts crisis at Bezos paper

RELATED:

NPR:

The Washington Post will not endorse a presidential candidate in the 2024 election, “nor in any future election,” writes CEO Will Lewis in a note to readers— Even though the presidential race between former President Donald Trump and Vice President Kamala Harris remains neck and neck …

Discussion:
Washington Post, The Hollywood Reporter, Los Angeles Times, @brianstelter, The Hill, @brianstelter, @daweiner, @maxwelltani, Janine Zacharia on LinkedIn, Breitbart, @tvgrimreaper, Althouse, @tvietor08, @jessicalessin, @maxwelltani, New York Magazine, Fox News, Washington Times, @swelljoe@mas.to, HuffPost, @bgrueskin, @jvlast@threads.net, @mikeisaac, @igb@mastodon.hccp.org, @martyswant, Agence France-Presse, @ilvestoomas, @drewsav, @nkulw, @dfeldman.bsky.social, ZeroHedge News, @jonnelledge, @deggans, Media Nation, @mlbellar@universeodon.com, New Republic, The Gateway Pundit, @abbymcdonald, Post-Texas Stress Disorder, @mikiebarb, @alex@masto.digittante.com, @mccartneywp, @brhodes, @rexhuppke, @semaforben, @markjacob16, @davekarpf.bsky.social, @pblest, @zurch.bsky.social, @janemayernyer, @robertbalkovich, @blogoftheirown, Vanity Fair, @benjaminwittes …, @cgasparino, @sjjphd.bsky.social, @davekarpf.bsky.social, The Moderate Voice, @dylanbyers, @virtualbri@mastodon.online, @jimstewartson, @jvlast@threads.net, @dfeldman.bsky.social, The Wrap, @kashana.bsky.social, The Guardian, Michael Learmonth on LinkedIn, Deadline, @benmullin, @radleybalko.bsky.social, CNN, @jesseltaylor.bsky.social, @jvlast@threads.net, @kevin_kinkead, @leahmcelrath, @ditzkoff, @danpfeiffer, @davidu, @greene.haus, @jamellebouie.net, @heerjeet, @statindy, @greene.haus, @tomcoates, @bri_sacks, New York Times, @touge@hachyderm.io, @tomtomorrow.bsky.social, @davekarpf.bsky.social, acecomments.mu.nu, The National Pulse, Business Insider, RedState, Boston.com and r/Journalism

Discussion:

William Lewis /
Washington Post: On political endorsement — A note from the publisher: — William Lewis is publisher …

Alex Weprin /
The Hollywood Reporter: Washington Post Surprise: Paper Now Won't Endorse Presidential Candidates

James Rainey /
Los Angeles Times: L.A. Times owner's decision not to endorse in presidential race sparks resignations, questions

Brian Stelter /
@brianstelter: Washington Post's announcement: “The Washington Post will not be making an endorsement of a presidential candidate in this election. Nor in any future presidential election. We are returning to our roots of not endorsing presidential candidates.”

Dominick Mastrangelo /
The Hill: Washington Post reels from Bezos decision to not endorse

Brian Stelter /
@brianstelter: New statement from Bob Woodward and Carl Bernstein: “We respect the traditional independence of the editorial page, but this decision 11 days out from the 2024 presidential election ignores the Washington Post's own overwhelming reportorial evidence on the threat Donald Trump

David Weiner /
@daweiner: If you're afraid that a presidential candidate will retaliate against your business interests due to a paper you own's endorsement of their opponent, that should be the first sentence in your endorsement.

Max Tani /
@maxwelltani: New Yorker EIC David Remnick, who started his career at the Washington Post and worked there for a decade, emails me his thoughts on today's non-endorsement decision [image]

Janine Zacharia /
Janine Zacharia on LinkedIn: I have been in discussions over the years with the editorial page editors of major news outlets. I am familiar with the arguments for and against endorsing national political candidates. …

Nick Gilbertson /
Breitbart: Susan Rice Has Conniption After ‘Chicken Sh*t’ Washington Post Refuses to Endorse Kamala Harris @tvgrimreaper: Tired: Laying off newspaper staff because the business loses money. Wired: Getting newspaper staff to lay themselves off by not endorsing a presidential candidate.

Ann Althouse /
Althouse: “The Washington Post will not be making an endorsement of a presidential candidate in this election. Nor in any future presidential election.”

Tommy Vietor /
@tvietor08: The WaPo endorsing Harris would move exactly zero voters her way, but still lol at this cowardly shit from the crew that brought us “democracy dies in darkness”

Jessica Lessin /
@jessicalessin: A person could make interesting arguments on both sides of whether today, a newspaper should endorse a political candidate or whether readers should care. But you cannot argue changes in policy at washpo and Latimes within two weeks of an election— as the polls tip slightly more

Max Tani /
@maxwelltani: 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.

Ed Kilgore /
New York Magazine: Before Harris Snub, Washington Post Refused to Endorse Doomed Dukakis

Fox News:
Washington Post editor at large quits after paper declines to endorse presidential candidate

Jeff Mordock /
Washington Times: Washington Post won't endorse presidential candidate for first time in decades

Joe Cooper /
@swelljoe@mas.to: The billionaires who own the largest media are putting their thumbs on the scale with more enthusiasm of late. I guess there's no point in owning the media, if you can't use it to lower your taxes at the expense of literally every other human on earth. https://www.npr.org/...

Sara Boboltz /
HuffPost: Washington Post Declines To Make Presidential Endorsement For First Time In Decades

Bill Grueskin /
@bgrueskin: Here's the thing about these LAT/WPost non-endorsements. They're unimportant politically; few votes would be swayed. But the billionaire owners are (intentionally or not) sending a signal to the newsrooms: Prepare to accommodate your coverage to a Trump regime. [image]

Jonathan V. Last /
@jvlast@threads.net: The thing to understand about the WaPo's Friday afternoon news dump about scuttling their endorsement is that the endorsement doesn't matter at all. Even the media angle doesn't matter at all. This story is *entirely* about the relationship of the business community to the prospect of a second Trump administration. …

Rat King /
@mikeisaac: the throughline is tech corporate stewardship and bracing for a trump presidency big tech moguls who dont own media companies doing the same even if you believe editorial board influence is waning in the internet age, i cant see how this does anything but neuter them further

Marty Swant /
@martyswant: For context, here is @oliverdarcy's report from this week: https://www.status.news/... [image]

Sebastian Smith /
Agence France-Presse: Washington Post announces it will not endorse Harris or Trump in US election @ilvestoomas: When major newspapers begin pre-emptively to self-censor you can no longer trust their content. My parents saw this when the Sovs occupied Estonia. Friends from a number of once liberal democracies have seen it. We always see it in the dimming crepuscular light before a @drewsav: These newspapers are making strange decisions given that their subscriber base is overwhelmingly Democrats.

Noah Kulwin /
@nkulw: “We” has never meant Jeff Bezos this much

Daniel Feldman /
@dfeldman.bsky.social: I've been speculating for a while that the media wasn't going gloves-off on Trump because they feared retaliation if he wins. I never expected them to just come out and say it though! [embedded post]

Jonn Elledge /
@jonnelledge: well this feels fucking stupid @deggans: The Washington Post makes it official: It has published a statement from its publisher saying that, for the first time in many years, it will not endorse a candidate in the presidential race, though it has endorsed candidates in other races. https://www.cnn.com/...

Dan Kennedy /
Media Nation: Jeff Bezos, too, shows Trump ‘anticipatory obedience’; plus, death for sale, and Billy Penn at 10 @mlbellar@universeodon.com: “Fascism comes to America” - the silence of bent knees — If we the people survive this election, Never Forget, Never Forgive. — https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/ ...

Adrienne Mahsa Varkiani /
New Republic: Gutless Jeff Bezos Kills The Washington Post's Harris Endorsement

Cristina Laila /
The Gateway Pundit: IT'S OVER: In Huge Blow to Kamala Harris, the Washington Post Won't Endorse a Presidential Candidate For First Time Since 1980s After Tense Meeting with Editor

Abby McDonald /
@abbymcdonald: Democracy dies in darkness, except when 43% of our potential customer base prefers the darkness, in which case it's a valid viewpoint that must be respected by keeping the lights off for everyone. Post-Texas Stress Disorder: Washington Post Says Jeff Bezos Banned it From Endorsing Kamala Harris DIES IN DARKNESS... …

Michael Barbaro /
@mikiebarb: A WaPo endorsement for president had been written and was ready to publish before Jeff Bezos decided the paper would not endorse. [image] @alex@masto.digittante.com: Seems strange that #WilliamLewis, publisher of the #washingtonpost and an employer of journalists, would choose ‘independence’ rather than condemn a candidate who threatens to imprison him and his workforce. But I guess, “go with the billionaire who brought you”, right? — https://www.washingtonpost.com/ ... …

Robert McCartney /
@mccartneywp: There are reports that The Washington Post may decline to endorse anyone for president. It would be first time that's happened since 1988. There's speculation in newsroom that owner Jeff Bezos may want to avoid risk of endangering Amazon's government contracts if Trump wins.

Ben Rhodes /
@brhodes: There is no logic that isn't damning as to why the Washington Post and LA Times feel they can endorse in every local, state and federal election other than a presidential race.

Rex Huppke /
@rexhuppke: These are not good signs. I don't think newspaper endorsements matter much anymore, honestly, but the reluctance to do them suggests timidity and a fear of retribution from Trump. That ain't the way news organizations are supposed to function.

Ben Smith /
@semaforben: Just... impossible timing for this announcement to be read as a statement of principal

Mark Jacob /
@markjacob16: As fascism rose in America, the Washington Post adopted the slogan “Democracy dies in darkness.” Now WaPo has turned cowardly, skipping a presidential endorsement to appease Trump. Perhaps WaPo will change its slogan to: Democracy dies in our silence. https://www.npr.org/... @davekarpf.bsky.social: This is extraordinary on three levels. (All of them bad. We're talking levels-of-hell here, obviously.) — 1. From a narrow business perspective, news orgs like WaPo benefitted in 2017-21 by branding themselves as courageous journalistic defenders of democracy. — (...) [embedded post]

Anthony Zurcher /
@zurch.bsky.social: Newspaper editorials have been dying for a while. A vestigial organ from a different era, like an appendix. This year is going to speed along their demise.

Jane Mayer /
@janemayernyer: When Bezos brought in Lewis, a Murdoch guy, the handwriting was in the wall.

Robert Balkovich /
@robertbalkovich: Legacy media is facing a red alert crisis. If the paper whose slogan is “Democracy Dies in Darkness” cannot bring itself to endorse the candidate running against someone vowing to destroy press freedom there needs to be some kind of serious intervention and change. @blogoftheirown: It just reeks of integrity for the WaPo to wring their hands over whether to risk Bezos's wrath by endorsing Kamala....while still proudly displaying the “Democracy dies in darkness” slogan they added after the 2016 election.

Natalie Korach /
Vanity Fair: “Cowardice”: Washington Post Blasted for Not Endorsing in 2024

Benjamin Wittes /
@benjaminwittes@thecooltable.wtf: As a longtime member of the Washington Post editorial page staff, this genuinely shocks me. My thoughts are with my former colleagues. And I'm just going to say out loud that this would never have happened under Fred Hiatt or Meg Greenfield. Never. — https://www.npr.org/...

Charles Gasparino /
@cgasparino: woke reporters over there are losing their minds

Sarah J. Jackson /
@sjjphd.bsky.social: It's almost like there's an argument to be made that billionaires shouldn't control newspapers or universities

@davekarpf.bsky.social:
(2) This decision is obviously some mix of “we would like access if Trump wins,” “we would like Trump not to attack our business if Trump wins, and “we would like Trump not to punish our owner's other companies if Trump wins. All of those reasons are semi-rational, but extraordinarily cowardly.

Kathy Gill /
The Moderate Voice: Washington Post joins LA Times in journalistic malpractice: neither paper will issue presidential endorsement

Dylan Byers /
@dylanbyers: Marty Baron, famed former Washington Post editor of the Democracy Dies in Darkness era, weighs in >

Brian Tatosky /
@virtualbri@mastodon.online: https://www.npr.org/... MSM is not on your side, example #12313141 — #USPol #WashingtonPost @jimstewartson: I cannot imagine a more disgraceful move by a newspaper I grew up with—whose motto is “Democracy dies in darkness.” Just devastating to see once great institutions be laid so low. However, and this is important, now you will get to really see who is who. Never let them forget.

Jonathan V. Last /
@jvlast@threads.net: And that's the take-away from the Washington Post's refusal to endorse Kamala Harris. It's not about the paper or the journalists. It's about every wealthy executive and business owner in America being shown that if *Jeff Bezos* fears retribution from Trump, they should, too. …

Daniel Feldman /
@dfeldman.bsky.social: (Keep in mind Bezos' own marriage was blown up due to retaliation during the first Trump campaign. So he has some experience with this.)

Sean Burch /
The Wrap: Washington Post Won't Endorse a Presidential Candidate for First Time in 36 Years

Anna Betts /
The Guardian: Washington Post says it will not endorse candidate for first time in 30 years

Michael Learmonth /
Michael Learmonth on LinkedIn: What's unconscionable about this is the timing: fine to say you're getting out of the presidential endorsements business …

Ben Mullin /
@benmullin: new: Washington Post publisher Will Lewis explains why The Post won't be endorsing for president: [image]

Radley Balko /
@radleybalko.bsky.social: I don't know how this ends, but it's now abundantly clear that It Could Happen Here. — I'll never get over the craven blind-eyeing and preemptive supplication from people, groups, and institutions who ought to know better. — I hope voters bail us out. But we've been tested. And too many have failed.

Hadas Gold /
CNN: Washington Post will not endorse a candidate in 2024 presidential election, breaking decades of tradition @jesseltaylor.bsky.social: democracy dies in darkness, but we exhibited massive moral cowardice at noon eastern when the sun was out, so

Jonathan V. Last /
@jvlast@threads.net: Jeff Bezos is the most consequential entrepreneur of his generation. And if *he* has to preemptively accommodate Trump, then *everyone* at every level of business and industry will notice it. If you run some widget factory in MA that makes parts for the DoD, you're taking note of this. …

Kevin Kinkead /
@kevin_kinkead: find me one person under the age of 30 who cares about newspaper political endorsements

Leah McElrath /
@leahmcelrath: To be fair, the @washingtonpost said, “Democracy dies in darkness.” They never said they wouldn't participate in killing it in broad daylight.

Dan Pfeiffer /
@danpfeiffer: The @washingtonpost endorsement moves less than zero votes in a presidential race, but announcing this with 10 days to go right after Trump's COS says he's a fascist is so dumb. Proving once again there is no one worse at PR than media companies

David Ulevitch /
@davidu: Incredible to see the major cracks appearing as a result of the constant media lies (on Kamala, on Trump, on Biden, on Israel, on Europe, etc.). They can't say the truth about Kamala nor can they endorse a man they compare to Hitler, so WaPo now, and LA Times endorse nobody—Wild! [image]

Greg Greene /
@greene.haus: WaPo leadership then: “Democracy dies in darkness.” — now: (*hits the dimmer switch, sets mood lighting*) [embedded post]

Jamelle /
@jamellebouie.net: a free press is essential to democracy but these specific institutions are not www.npr.org/2024/10/25/n...

Jeet Heer /
@heerjeet: Billionaires know that Trump will exact revenge if they endorse Harris and he wins but that Harris will not exact revenge if she wins and they didn't endorse anyone. That's what these non-endorsements are about.

Sherrod Brown Dem /
@statindy: Insane actually. WaPo endorses all the time for Virginia/Maryland/DC elections

Greg Greene /
@greene.haus: Exactly. More nonprofit news co-ops, please, and more policy at the federal level to nurture and subsidize them. Enough waiting for billionaires or Godot to save us; we'll have to do it ourselves. [embedded post]

Tom Coates /
@tomcoates: Genuinely cannot imagine a scenario where a serious journalistic organization ought to be rising to the occasion and articulating the clarity of the choice. They're like, “Hannibal Lecter vs. Clarice Starling - reasonable people can come to different positions about who is best”

Brianna Sacks /
@bri_sacks: We won a Pulitzer for public service for our coverage of the Jan. 6 insurrection

Mike Tougeron /
@touge@hachyderm.io: What the actual $*&?!? With all of their editorial posts, criticisms of #Trump, warnings about what his presidency would entail, etc, they decide not to endorse #Harris?!? What a spineless, weak, pitiful decision. How can they make all of those claims yet not endorse her? … @tomtomorrow.bsky.social: With all respect to many talented and thoughtful journos within the system, big media has failed spectacularly.

@davekarpf.bsky.social:
(3) the only POSSIBLE defense of this decision is “eh, our editorial statements don't really matter anyway.” — And y'know what? That's semi-true. The election outcome isn't going to hinge on Will Lewis possessing a spine or a conscience. — But you cannot run a newsroom if you don't think it matters. acecomments.mu.nu: Confirmed: Washington Post Will Not Endorse Kamala; Leftwing Activists Pretending to be Journalists Cope and Seethe

Geoff Weiss /
Business Insider: Washington Post reports that owner Jeff Bezos stopped it from endorsing Kamala Harris

Susie Moore /
RedState: YUGE: WaPo Declares It Will Not Endorse a Presidential Candidate This Election

Washington Post:

A group of 11 WaPo columnists says it's the wrong time to not endorse for president, as one candidate advocates for positions that threaten freedom of the press— The newspaper's refusal to endorse a presidential candidate is a mistake. — By 10 Post Opinions columnists

Discussion:
Breitbart, Sydney Morning Herald, RedState, New York Post, @oliverdarcy@threads.net, @milbank, @postopinions, @benmullin, @kasparov63, @drewharwell@threads.net, @bencollins.bsky.social, @mccartneywp, Power Line, PBS NewsHour, Axios, Townhall, Fox News and The Daily Caller

Discussion:

Elizabeth Weibel /
Breitbart: Media, Democrats Freak Out Over Washington Post's Non-Endorsement of Kamala Harris

Michael Koziol /
Sydney Morning Herald: Washington Post refuses to endorse a candidate in US election

Joe Concha /
New York Post: Kamala Harris' failure to secure key endorsements suggests her campaign is in free-fall

Oliver Darcy /
@oliverdarcy@threads.net: Woodward and Bernstein release joint statement: “We respect the traditional independence of the editorial page, but this decision 11 days out from the 2024 presidential election ignores the Washington Post's own overwhelming reportorial evidence on the threat Donald Trump poses to democracy.” (1/2)

Oliver Darcy /
@oliverdarcy@threads.net: “Under Jeff Bezos's ownership, the Washington Post's news operation has used its abundant resources to rigorously investigate the danger and damage a second Trump presidency could cause to the future of American democracy and that makes this decision even more surprising and disappointing, especially this late in the electoral profess.” …

Dana Milbank /
@milbank: The Washington Post's decision not to endorse in the presidential race is “an abandonment of the fundamental editorial convictions of the newspaper that we love.” A statement from me and other longtime Post columnists: https://www.washingtonpost.com/ ... @postopinions: “The Washington Post's decision not to make an endorsement in the presidential campaign is a terrible mistake,” @EJDionne, @IgnatiusPost, Ruth Marcus, Dana @Milbank, @Eugene_Robinson, @JRubinBlogger, @perrybaconjr and @ktumulty write. https://www.washingtonpost.com/ ...

Ben Mullin /
@benmullin: The dissenting Post opinion columnists: https://www.washingtonpost.com/ ... [image]

Garry Kasparov /
@kasparov63: Preemptive and self-censorship is the greatest victory of authoritarians, without a shot being fired. As Havel and others wrote, when the press and regular citizens cower and cringe to toe the line without coercion, freedom is dying.

Drew Harwell /
@drewharwell@threads.net: Nine @postopinions columnists: “a terrible mistake ... an abandonment of the fundamental editorial convictions of the newspaper that we love, and for which we have worked a combined 218 years” https://www.washingtonpost.com/ ...

Tim Onion /
@bencollins.bsky.social: “It doesn't work like this.” It sure as shit does! Just do it! Extraordinary times, extraordinary measures, etc. They took the radical step, you're just preserving your integrity.

Tim Onion /
@bencollins.bsky.social: Posties can (and should!) get a critical mass and revolt against the weird British guy who runs your paper. It's not like he knows how to use the CMS. All he knows how to do is tap your phone. The tech people will help you. Just publish the thing and stand together. Make him take it down.

Robert McCartney /
@mccartneywp: Top Post columnists denounce non-endorsement, including ⁦@ktumulty⁩ ⁦@IgnatiusPost⁩ ⁦@RuthMarcus⁩ Gene Robinson. https://www.washingtonpost.com/ ...

John Hinderaker /
Power Line: Newspapers Try to Reclaim Their Honor

Sara Fischer /
Axios: Newspapers flee presidential endorsements

Rebecca Downs /
Townhall: Another Major Newspaper Won't Make an Endorsement for President

Fox News:
The Washington Post announces it won't be endorsing in 2024 race or ‘in any future presidential election’

Nicole Silverio /
The Daily Caller: Washington Post Won't Endorse 2024 Presidential Candidate

Semafor:

WaPo editor-at-large Robert Kagan quits after the late move to not endorse in the presidential race; source: subscription cancellations are unusually high— The Scoop — The Washington Post's leadership recently sought meetings with the Democratic and Republican nominees for president …

Discussion:
Business Insider, The Guardian, Financial Times, @conniewilson_33931@me.dm, Mediaite, @AlanSill@mast.hpc.social, @farhip, @tvmojoe, @kateaurthur, @paezha@mastodon.online, Blue Virginia, @jppullen@threads.net, @davidfolkenflik, The National Pulse, The Daily Caller, HotAir, PoliticusUSA, @smurfburger.bsky.social, @bradfordpearson, Le·gal In·sur·rec·tion, @Bellison22@mastodon.social, @elienyc, The Wrap, Raw Story, @postguild and Instapundit

Discussion:

Lucia Moses /
Business Insider: ‘People are furious’: Bezos faces a Washington Post revolt after he reportedly blocked the paper from endorsing Harris

Anna Betts /
The Guardian: Furor over Washington Post's decision to not endorse presidential candidate: ‘Stab in the back’, ‘dying in darkness’ Financial Times: Jeff Bezos faces backlash at Washington Post over refusal to run endorsement of Kamala Harris

Connie Wilson /
@conniewilson_33931@me.dm: @Mediagazer. I just cancelled my WaPo subscription. Now I'm making plans to extricate myself from Amazon. I've wanted to do this for a long time. The straw that broke was unusually large and loud. My apologies to the Camel.

Isaac Schorr /
Mediaite: Washington Post Editor-at-Large Robert Kagan Resigns Over Paper's Decision Not to Endorse Kamala Harris

Alan Sill /
@AlanSill@mast.hpc.social: @Mediagazer Reminder to support news outlets that are doing the right thing. If you cancel your subscription over an issue like this, take action to find and subscribe to or send support to at least as many as you canceled!

Paul Farhi /
@farhip: Fallout from Jeff Bezos' decision not to have the @washingtonpost endorse a presidential candidate: —Widespread (negative) news coverage; —Internal staff protest; —Guild complaint; —Published protest letter from eight columnists; —~2,000(?) subscription cancellations...More... @tvmojoe: @KateAurthur I have annual subscriptions that don't expire until late December/April 2025. I canceled to send a message and will likely re-up at some point. Totally respect the other POV, but what other tool do readers have?

Kate Aurthur /
@kateaurthur: @TVMoJoe Nothing will stop the billionaires, which is the problem. Reaching out to them directly, and then making that public, would be what I'd do. But cancellations will just cause further layoffs. There's no real answer here! Like Jeff Bezos gives a fuck? And with this rotten family, @paezha@mastodon.online: #WaPo's editor-at-large Robert Kagan resigned, saying that “if [Bezos] does not have the balls to own a newspaper, then don't” — This is such a stupid take. — It is not a matter of Bezos having the balls to stand up for democracy: it is that Bezos is all balls in for fascism. …

Lowkell /
Blue Virginia: Thoughts on WaPo “bend[ing] to Trump's threat of dictatorship,” “self-censoring because you are afraid of retribution from an authoritarian”

John Patrick Pullen /
@jppullen@threads.net: It's kind of wild that The Washington Post had the courage to publish the Pentagon Papers (after NYT, but still) in 1971, exposing Vietnam decisions and military operations — but now in 2024, it's former military generals with the courage to speak out about what they saw in the Trump administration, and the Post is silent on its editorial page.

David Folkenflik /
@davidfolkenflik: As I reported on the air tonight, the Washington Post registered 1600+ cancelations of digital subscriptions in the first three hours after my story broke, according to internal WP correspondence I've reviewed. That's bananas.

David Folkenflik /
@davidfolkenflik: 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

William Upton /
The National Pulse: WaPo Columnist Resigns After Paper Refuses to Endorse Kamala. Guess Who He's Married To!

Robert McGreevy /
The Daily Caller: Pro-Harris Journos Resign En Masse After Major Papers Refuse To Endorse Kamala Harris

David Strom /
HotAir: Jennifer Rubin to Resign From Washington Post?

Jason Easley /
PoliticusUSA: Thousands Have Reportedly Cancelled Their Subscriptions After Bezos Blocked Kamala Harris Endorsement

Bradford Pearson /
@bradfordpearson: It's so disheartening to see people cancelling their LA Times and Washington Post subscriptions due to decisions made by billionaires. These cancellations hurt the reporters, editors, photographers, and designers doing the real work, not the owners.

Mary Chastain /
Le·gal In·sur·rec·tion: Washington Post Editorial Board Not Making Presidential Endorsement @Bellison22@mastodon.social: One has to speculate if these billionaires even care that they are stomping Democracy and destroying the careers of good journalists... Editor resigns, subscribers cancel as Washington Post non-endorsement prompts crisis at Bezos paper — https://www.semafor.com/... [image]

Elie Mystal /
@elienyc: I'm getting sick of people saying “cancelling subscriptions hurts the writers not the owners.” It's an objectively true statement that lacks the context of: A. Well if we're being real about NOTHING *hurts* billionaires. Being a billionaire literally buys you out of consequences

Sharon Knolle /
The Wrap: Washington Post Had Kamala Harris Endorsement Ready to Go Before Jeff Bezos Nixed It

Tom Boggioni /
Raw Story: ‘Plain old cowardice’: WaPo publisher facing wave of outrage over endorsement snub @postguild: Are you a Washington Post reader concerned with today's decision for the Editorial Board to not endorse a candidate this election cycle? Send a letter to CEO and Publisher Will Lewis and Editorial Page Editor David Shipley: https://actionnetwork.org/... [image]

@postbaron:

Ex-WaPo editor Martin Baron calls the paper's lack of an endorsement “cowardice” and says Trump will see it as “an invitation to further intimidate” Jeff Bezos— On political endorsement https://www.washingtonpost.com/ ... 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.

Discussion:
The Bulwark, The Hill, Salon, Status, Business Insider, Breitbart, @maranissdavid, CBS News, Robert Reich, @mollyjongfast, @davidfolkenflik, @annabower, @donmoyn.bsky.social, John Robinson on LinkedIn, @brianstelter, The Wrap, Raw Story, Balloon Juice, @wajahatali, Rolling Stone, @fraying@xoxo.zone, @ecgreaves, @bgrueskin, nationalinterest.org, @piersmorgan, @jeffjarvis, Mediaite, @espiers.bsky.social, @markjacob16, @ggreenwald, Newser, @debholleync@threads.net, @donwinslow, @johnburnsnc@threads.net, @ggreenwald, Blaze Media, NPR and The Gateway Pundit

Discussion:

Benjamin Wittes /
The Bulwark: The Washington Post Bends the Knee to Trump

Ashleigh Fields /
The Hill: Marty Baron on Post endorsement choice: ‘This is cowardice’

Charles R. Davis /
Salon: “This is cowardice”: Ex-editor blasts Washington Post after Jeff Bezos blocks Harris endorsement

Oliver Darcy /
Status: Democracy Dies in Darkness

Peter Kafka /
Business Insider: The Washington Post and LA Times just stepped into a bigger political mess than the one they tried to avoid

Alana Mastrangelo /
Breitbart: ‘Star Trek’ Star George Takei Calls for Amazon Boycott After WaPo Owner Jeff Bezos Blocks the Paper's Harris Endorsement

Aimee Picchi /
CBS News: Washington Post declines to endorse a presidential candidate, angering staffers and subscribers

Molly Jong-Fast /
@mollyjongfast: This is what @TimothyDSnyder calls “obeying in advance.”

David Folkenflik /
@davidfolkenflik: From the Post's former media reporter

Anna Bower /
@annabower: Lawfare editor-in-chief Benjamin Wittes, who wrote for the Washington Post's editorial page for nearly a decade, on the decision by the paper's ownership not to endorse a presidential candidate: “The Washington Post Bends the Knee to Trump.” https://www.thebulwark.com/...

Don Moynihan /
@donmoyn.bsky.social: The richest man in the world is bribing voters for Trump and turning his social media empire into a Trump website; the second richest man in the world is censoring his paper from explaining in plain terms why people should not support Trump. [embedded post]

John Robinson /
John Robinson on LinkedIn: It never occurred to me that the Washington “Democracy Dies in Darkness” Post would be afraid to endorse a presidential candidate.

Brian Stelter /
@brianstelter: 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.”

Sean Burch /
The Wrap: Washington Post Readers Revolt Over ‘Shameful’ Decision to Not Endorse Kamala Harris

Kathleen Culliton /
Raw Story: ‘Smash his toy’: Commentator says Bezos ‘capitulated’ to fascism and urges WaPo boycott

Betty Cracker /
Balloon Juice: Cowardice At The Post — The Washington Post announced today that the paper isn't endorsing …

Wajahat Ali /
@wajahatali: “Don't obey in advance” was the first warning by Timothy Snyder, an authoritarianist expert, on how to fight tyranny. Washington Post bent both knees.

Tim Dickinson /
Rolling Stone: ‘Death Wish’: Trump Menaces the Free Press in Dark Rallies

Derek Powazek /
@fraying@xoxo.zone: Refusing to pick a side when one of the sides is fascism is picking the fascist side. — It's not brave. It's not moral. It's just surrendering in advance.

Dr. Ellen Greaves /
@ecgreaves: @WajahatAli @IAmPoliticsGirl Ignoring its vaunted history of publishing the Pentagon Papers despite a court's temporary restraining order after Nixon went after the NY Times. Ben Bradlee & Kathryn Graham knew that if they caved to Nixon the reputation of the Post would be irreparably harmed.

Bill Grueskin /
@bgrueskin: Gotta love how the Washpost started endorsing candidates in 1952 LEST ADLAI STEVENSON BECOME PRESIDENT. [image]

Jacob Heilbrunn /
nationalinterest.org: The Capitulation of The Washington Post

Piers Morgan /
@piersmorgan: Journalists enraged because their newspaper wishes to remain impartial are revealing their true colours.. and confirming the shockingly partisan liberal bias in US mainstream media. @jeffjarvis: Sometime ago, I asked someone who had been at the Post—not who you think—whether the Post could be saved. The answer was immediately and unequivocal No. #BrokenPost

Diana Falzone /
Mediaite: ‘This is Cowardice’: Ex-Washington Post Editor Marty Baron Slams Paper For Declining Presidential Endorsement

Elizabeth Spiers /
@espiers.bsky.social: If I had Will Lewis's financial security I'd have said yes boss, published the endorsement anyway, and waited to be fired. There are good reasons to get fired—especially when democracy is at stake and the buck stops with you.

Elizabeth Spiers /
@espiers.bsky.social: And i don't know what Shipley's situation is but I'm surprised he's not walking over this.

Mark Jacob /
@markjacob16: When I was an editor at the Chicago Tribune, I'd tell colleagues that our product wasn't ink on paper or words on an iPhone. It was credibility. That's what we were selling. Credibility. To see the Washington Post flush away its credibility by kowtowing to Trumpism is crushing.

Glenn Greenwald /
@ggreenwald: This is collective paranoia and group think mania. Liberal elites have really convinced themselves that - for the first time ever - they're engaged in an act of courage, taking risks, by opposing Trump. Because if he wins, he'll put them into camps. Look at their madness:👇

Jenn Gidman /
Newser: In Surprise, Washington Post Won't Endorse

Deb HolleyNC /
@debholleync@threads.net: My final reader comment ever at @washingtonpost below. It was posted in response to the ridiculous statement by the owner. My subscription expires at the end of November and will not be renewed. I've now deleted the app from my phone and my iPad.

Don Winslow /
@donwinslow: Dear @washingtonpost You have done more damage with this failure than you can possibly imagine and you have managed at one of the most critical moments in our history to fail not only your readers but also this country. It's pathetic and nothing can explain or justify it away.

John Burns /
@johnburnsnc@threads.net: Democracy Dies in Darkness, indeed. The @washingtonpost just burned its own reputation to the ground. Utter cowardice.

Glenn Greenwald /
@ggreenwald: After Jeff Bezos bought the WashPost in 2013, the Post twice endorsed Trump's opponents: they endorsed Hillary in 2016 and Biden in 2020. Both times, Bezos ended up OK. Believing he fears Trump's wrath is an expression of liberal elite insanity from discouraging polls. Blaze Media: Nuclear meltdown ensues after Washington Post refuses to endorse in presidential election: ‘You feckless cowards’

David Folkenflik /
NPR: Washington Post won't endorse a presidential candidate

The Wrap:

Sources and memos: the LA Times editorial board had planned a series, The Case Against Trump, to run this week, until Patrick Soon-Shiong quashed the project— Patrick Soon-Shiong's interference with the paper's editorial freedom has sparked a crisis that includes canceled subscriptions and several high profile resignations

Discussion:

Karen Tumulty /
Washington Post: Refusing to endorse a candidate, The Post wounds itself

Saeed Jones /
@theferocity.bsky.social: Wait, waaaaaait, the owner of the LA Times is also from South Africa???? — *looks directly at camera* @NewsDesk@flipboard.social: When the LA Times' owner, Patrick Soon-Shiong, killed its endorsement of Kamala Harris, he also quashed a multi-part series, tentatively called “The Case Against Trump,” @TheWrap says. So far, three staffers — editorial writer Karin Klein, Pulitzer Prize-winner Robert Green and editorials editor Mariel Garza have quit over the lack of endorsement, with Klein calling Soon-Shiong a “chickensh**.” …

Jon Passantino /
CNN: Two more Los Angeles Times editorial board members resign amid turmoil over blocked Harris endorsement

Sara Libby /
San Francisco Chronicle: The real problem with the Washington Post and L.A. Times endorsement decisions

Greg Saunders /
@waltisfrozen@threads.net: Holy shit. The LA Times didn't just squash a Kamala Harris endorsement. They buried an entire series of articles about Donald Trump. — “According to internal memos viewed by TheWrap, the series, tentatively called ‘The Case Against Trump,’ would have ran throughout this week. …

Jay Barmann /
SFist: What Happens When Billionaires Own the Media: Two Major US Newspapers Decline to Endorse Harris Over a Fascist

Andrew Stiles /
freebeacon.com: Barred From Endorsing Kamala Harris, Journalists Freak Out and Quit Their Jobs

RELATED:

Semafor:

Two more members of the Los Angeles Times editorial board have resigned over the paper's decision not to endorse a candidate in the 2024 presidential election— The Scoop — Two more members of the Los Angeles Times editorial board resigned on Thursday over the paper's decision …

Discussion:

Ross A. Lincoln /
The Wrap: Two More LA Times Editorial Writers Quit Over ‘Chickens—’ Owner's Block of Kamala Harris Endorsement | Exclusive

Lois Beckett /
The Guardian: Los Angeles Times sees resignations and loss of subscriptions after owner blocks Harris endorsement

Alexandra Steigrad /
New York Post: Two more LA Times editors quit after owner calls off Kamala Harris endorsement

David Gilmour /
Mediaite: Three LA Times Editorial Staffers Quit In Protest After Owner Vetoed Kamala Harris Endorsement

Ben Smith /
@semaforben: More fallout at the LA Times, @maxwelltani scoops https://www.semafor.com/...

Kristina Bui /
L.A. Times Guild: Statement on the L.A. Times' decision not to issue a presidential endorsement

Maxwell Tani /
@maxwelltani@threads.net: Karin Klein, another LA Times editorial board member, tells me she has also resigned https://www.semafor.com/...

Maxwell Tani /
@maxwelltani@threads.net: NEW: LA Times editorial board member Robert Greene tells me he has also resigned from the paper over the decision not to endorse in the 2024 presidential race, as well as the statement yesterday from owner Patrick Soon-Shiong.

Marisa Kabas /
@marisakabas.bsky.social: masterful gambit, pat. [image]

Margarita Noriega /
@margarita.bsky.social: Los Angeles expects more from the LA Times than silence. www.cjr.org/business_of_...

Sewell Chan /
Columbia Journalism Review: Mariel Garza, editorials editor of the Los Angeles Times, resigns after the outlet's owner blocked the editorial board's plans to endorse Harris for president

Axios:

Meta strikes a deal with Reuters to use its news content to provide real-time answers in Meta AI chatbot, a first for Meta; sources: it's a multiyear deal— - Meta has backed away from news content in its platforms' main feeds amid regulatory scrutiny, but news content may prove harder …

Discussion:

Mia Sato /
The Verge: Meta signs its first big AI deal for news

Sean Burch /
The Wrap: Meta Strikes AI Deal With Reuters

Sara Fischer /
Sara Fischer on LinkedIn: Scoop: Meta has struck a multi-year deal with Reuters to use its news content for real-time answers to user queries about news in its Meta AI chatbot …

Maria Deutscher /
SiliconANGLE: Meta inks multiyear AI content licensing deal with Reuters

Aditya Soni /
Reuters: Meta Platforms to use Reuters news content in AI chatbot

Ashley King /
Digital Music News: Meta Inks an AI-Focused Deal with Reuters — Just Months After Reaching an AI-Related Accord with UMG

Sylvia Varnham O'Regan /
The Information: Meta Strikes AI Deal With Reuters

Sara Fischer /
@sarafischer: NEW: @Meta's first news deal in the AI era... $META has struck a multi-year deal with @Reuters to use its news content for real-time answers to user queries about news in its Meta AI chatbot - Reuters is a fact checking partner but never had news tab deal https://www.axios.com/...

Sarah Fielding /
Engadget: Meta AI gains access to Reuters news content in multi-year deal

The Atlantic:

A profile of Mike Solana, a Peter Thiel protégé whose Pirate Wires newsletter and podcast became popular among “anti-woke” tech figures since the “techlash”— Mike solana has opinions. Here are a few of them: Building stuff is good.

Discussion:
@micsolana, @jcbeam, @adriennelaf and @micsolana, more at Techmeme »

Discussion:

Mike Solana /
@micsolana: my house was only cramped for a little while growing up, and my parents always worked (my dad just moved from drywall to teaching). I don't hate talking “about” peter, I hate talking FOR him, because I don't want to mischaracterize his opinions. I only manned the PR inbox at FF

Chris Beam /
@jcbeam: Spent some time with Mike Solana, the Peter Thiel protégé whose work provides a glimpse into how some of Silicon Valley's most powerful people think: https://www.theatlantic.com/ ...

Adrienne LaFrance /
@adriennelaf: A great profile of Mike Solana, the hilarious and pugnacious mind behind Pirate Wires, the latest anti-media media startup for VCs and VC wannabes: https://www.theatlantic.com/ ...

Mike Solana /
@micsolana: a few things in here I would have characterized differently, a few characterizations I disagree with, and a couple points missing context, but this is an essentially honest piece on my history to pirate wires, and I'm happy I participated

Bloomberg:

Sources: Integral Ad Science, which measures digital advertising reach, is exploring a sale after receiving takeover interest; stock closed up about 9%— - Company working with Jefferies as it considers options — US-based Integral Ad Science has received takeover interest

BBC:

Three journalists have been killed in Lebanon by an Israeli airstrike on a building known to be housing reporters, whose courtyard had cars marked “press”— Three journalists have been killed in an Israeli airstrike on a building known to be housing reporters in south-eastern Lebanon, witnesses have told the BBC.

Discussion:
Mediaite, New York Times, ZeroHedge News, Agence France-Presse, Al Jazeera, The Wrap, Committee to Protect …, CBS News, Le Monde.fr, Associated Press, Reuters, National Union of Journalists …, Algemeiner.com, UPI, Washington Post, Deadline, Irish Examiner, Financial Times and TheJournal.ie

Discussion:

Michael Luciano /
Mediaite: Israel Bombs Iran

Neil MacFarquhar /
New York Times: Media Organizations Criticize Israeli Strike That Killed Three Journalists

Tyler Durden /
ZeroHedge News: Lebanon Expresses Outrage After Israeli Warplanes Strike Group Of Journalists: ‘War Crime’

Josh Dickey /
The Wrap: Israeli Airstrike Kills 3 Hezbollah-Aligned Journalists as They Sleep in Lebanon Guest House Committee to Protect Journalists: 3 killed, 3 hurt in Israeli strike on journalists' compound in Lebanon

Ramy Inocencio /
CBS News: Israel accused of killing journalists in Lebanon strike and children as troops storm Gaza hospital National Union of Journalists (NUJ): NUJ condemns killing of three Lebanese journalists by Israeli air strike Algemeiner.com: Israel and Hezbollah Trade Fire Across Lebanon Border, Blinken Calls for Urgent Resolution

Raya Jalabi /
Financial Times: Three journalists among those killed in Israeli air strikes in Lebanon

The Verge:

The US Copyright Office denies a request from video game preservationists to let libraries, archives, and museums lend games via remote access for study— When video game scholars want to study games that are no longer on sale, they sometimes have to drive many hours to do it legally — and that won't be changing anytime soon.

Discussion:
@SuffolkLITLab@esq.social, Gizmodo, Ars Technica and Game Developer, more at Techmeme »

Discussion:
@SuffolkLITLab@esq.social: TL;DR: Video game preservationists have faced a setback as the US Copyright Office denies their request for remote access to study games no longer on sale, limiting the ability of libraries and museums to lend out digital copies. https://www.theverge.com/... #law #tech #legaltech ⚖️ 🤖 #autosum

Kyle Barr /
Gizmodo: Feds Say You Don't Have a Right to Check Out Retro Video Games Like Library Books

Kyle Orland /
Ars Technica: Video game libraries lose legal appeal to emulate physical game collections online

Justin Carter /
Game Developer: U.S. Copyright Office rejects DMCA exemption to support game preservation

Wall Street Journal:

Sources: Chinese hackers targeting US political figures also unsuccessfully tried to access an account of a WSJ journalist involved in covering the breaches— The major spy operation is said to have attacked dozens of others, including a Journal reporter — WASHINGTON—The Chinese hackers …

Discussion:
Sarah Krouse on LinkedIn, Mediaite, New York Daily News, NewsNation, Metro.co.uk, Washington Post, Associated Press, Politico, Fox News, The Hill, South China Morning Post, Wired, CNN, Washington Examiner, The Independent, Benzinga, Bloomberg, Financial Times, The Guardian, HotAir, CBS News, New York Post, Le·gal In·sur·rec·tion, The Sun, The Daily Caller, The Cyber Express, New York Times, The Gateway Pundit and Daily Mail, more at Techmeme »

Discussion:

Sarah Krouse /
Sarah Krouse on LinkedIn: China-linked hackers that infiltrated U.S. internet infrastructure have targeted people affiliated with the Harris campaign in addition to Trump and Vance. …

Phillip Nieto /
Mediaite: JUST IN: Trump And Vance's Phones Allegedly Hacked By Chinese Ahead of Election

Brian Niemietz /
New York Daily News: Chinese phone hackers believed to have targeted Trump, Vance, Harris campaign Associated Press: AP sources: Chinese hackers targeted phones of Trump, Vance, people associated with Harris campaign

Miranda Nazzaro /
The Hill: US points finger at China amid reports of Trump, Vance phone hacks

Kawala Xie /
South China Morning Post: Chinese hackers targeted Trump, Vance, as well as Harris election campaign, US reports say

Mike Bedigan /
The Independent: Chinese hackers reportedly targeted data on phones used by Trump and Vance

Jamie Tarabay /
Bloomberg: US Investigating Breach of Telecoms by China-Linked Hackers The Guardian: Chinese believed to have targeted Trump's and Vance's phones in US telecommunications breach

Josh Christenson /
New York Post: Chinese hackers tried to break into Donald Trump and JD Vance's cellphones: report

Mary Chastain /
Le·gal In·sur·rec·tion: Report: Chinese Hackers Targeted Phones Belonging to Trump, Vance

Annabel Bate /
The Sun: Donald Trump and JD Vance's phones ‘HACKED’ as probe launched into potential breach

Jim Hᴏft /