WaPo CEO Will Lewis says "I do not believe in presidential endorsements" and Bezos "was not sent, did not read and did not opine on any draft" of an endorsement (CNN)

Mediagazer: WaPo CEO Will Lewis says “I do not believe in presidential endorsements” and Bezos “was not sent, did not read and did not opine on any draft” of an endorsement (CNN)

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: Salon, NPR, Columbia Journalism Review, @maxwelltani, @karaswisher@threads.net, The Bulwark, CNBC, The Verge, Axios, @teroterotero, @clarajeffery, How Things Work, NBC News, @whstancil, Debra Silimeo on LinkedIn, Just Security, @froomkin, John Davis on LinkedIn, @carolleonnig, @maxwelltani, @kibblesmith, @digiphile, Fox News, @farhip, @emilybell, @fenitn, @ianbassin, The Nation, Breitbart, @carolleonnig, @daveleebbg@threads.net, Showbiz411, Jon Adams on LinkedIn, @davidfolkenflik, @brianstelter, alicublog, @bymikedavis, @davewiner, @davidfolkenflik, @carolleonnig, @steinkobbe, @kongakong@masto.ai, Raw Story, Gizmodo, Finding Gravity, @palafo@threads.net, @tigerbeat@threads.net, RedState, Adweek, @Nonilex@masto.ai, Mediaite, Rich Glover on LinkedIn, @schaffertom@mastodon.social, The Daily Beast, Politico, New York Post, @stevenray@sfba.social, Iowa Starting Line, Rolling Stone, Janine Vanderburg on LinkedIn, @fraying@xoxo.zone, The Hill, @jbouie@threads.net, @ycombinator@rss-mstdn …, Associated Press, The Wrap, UPI, @vladaknowlton@threads.net, @davew@threads.net, @kimberlyeatkins@threads.net, @1elizabeth_jacobs@threads.net, @eric_ginsburg@threads.net, @ericschmeltzer@threads.net, @karenattiah@threads.net, Dovi Frances on LinkedIn, MeidasTouch News, @nealcurtis@mas.to, Washington Examiner, @michaelhobbes.bsky.social, @pwnallthethings.bsky.social, TalkLeft, @sarahjeong.bsky.social, @heidilifeldman@mastodon …, @gregggonsalves@med …, @brooklynmarie.bsky.social, GeekWire, @daveweigel.bsky.social, @aaronschaffer.com, @philnelson@xoxo.zone, @zeblarson@hcommons.social, @suldrew@xoxo.zone, @c_9@mstdn.ca, @robsonfletcher@mas.to, @harrymccracken@mastodon …, @marisakabas.bsky.social, r/technology and r/Journalism

Discussion:

Dan Froomkin /
Salon: Billionaires have broken media: Washington Post's non-endorsement is a sickening moral collapse

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

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

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.

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

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

Tero Kuittinen /
@teroterotero: Homepage editor took revenge

Clara Jeffery /
@clarajeffery: From the homepage of the @washingtonpost [image]

Hamilton Nolan /
How Things Work: Your Opinions Can Be Bad But You Still Have to Tell the Truth

Daniel Arkin /
NBC News: The Washington Post ends backing presidential candidates as paper says Bezos axed Harris 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.

Debra Silimeo /
Debra Silimeo on LinkedIn: Silence is complicity. I think the Post might want to think again about its motto, Democracy Dies in Darkness. The Washington Post #editorial #election #democracy #pressfreedom …

Rebecca Hamilton /
Just Security: On Dictatorship and Self-Censorship: Lessons the Owner of a Sudanese Newspaper Could Give Jeff Bezos

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

John Davis /
John Davis on LinkedIn: Jeff Bezos, owner of the The Washington Post, wants to defend his largest revenue streams in case America elects a president willing to use …

Carol Leonnig /
@carolleonnig: One last note: Please don't cancel your subscriptions. It will only hurt the independent newsgathering my colleagues and I strive to do for you every day. Thank you to many who reached out about this news and agreed to keep subscribing.

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.

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

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.” Fox News: Washington Post union, staffers revolt over decision not to endorse a presidential candidate, blame Bezos

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/...

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...

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?

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

Carol Leonnig /
@carolleonnig: I'm a reporter and I don't care who the Post's ed board endorses. A fearless independent newsroom — which we've so far enjoyed under Jeff Bezos' ownership — is what I hope we will maintain.

Dave Lee /
@daveleebbg@threads.net: Quite. And while I know we all love to see a parade of principled resignations, it's not so easy when it's your mortgage/kid's education/medical bills on the line. Let's be lenient here.

Roger Friedman /
Showbiz411: Watergate Stars Bob Woodward and Carl Bernstein Say Washington Post Editorial Decision is “Disappointing”

Jon Adams /
Jon Adams on LinkedIn: I typically don't comment much on media but I will just note that The Washington Post is highlighting that democracy doesn't die in darkness …

David Folkenflik /
@davidfolkenflik: Read to WaPo/LAT non endorsements from the Independence Caucus, “a group within the national NewsGuild formed to advance journalistic independence within Guild newsrooms and union affairs” They raise “serious Qs” about owners' “commitment to journalistic independence” 👇🏼 [image]

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

Roy Edroso /
alicublog: FRIDAY 'ROUND-THE-HORN: JEFF BEZOS IS A PARASITIC PIECE OF SHIT WHO SHOULD BE TAXED INTO OBLIVION EDITION.

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.

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.

Carol Leonnig /
@carolleonnig: Dear readers, sources, leaders and friends who have reached out in droves today asking me to quit the @washingtonpost : 1/ I too worry about the timing and odd explanation for The Post's change in endorsement policy. 2/ My fear is that this signals a tip-toeing deference to a @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 @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. …

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/ ...

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

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

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

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. …

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/...

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

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

Alexandra Steigrad /
New York Post: Jeff Bezos reportedly killed Washington Post's Kamala Harris endorsement: ‘This is cowardice’ @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. …

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

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

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

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]

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

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 @ycombinator@rss-mstdn.studiofreesia.co m: Jeff Bezos kills Washington Post editorial board presidential endorsement — https://www.washingtonpost.com/ ... #ycombinator

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

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

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. …

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

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/ ...

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

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.

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.

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 …

Aaron Parnas /
MeidasTouch News: Washington Post Editor At Large Resigns Over Newspaper's Non-Endorsement: Report @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]

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

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. @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

@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

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*

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. ... …

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/...

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

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

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/ ...

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

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/...

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. …

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/...

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] r/technology: Donald Trump meets with Blue Origin execs the same day WaPo declines to endorse a presidential candidate 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, @brianstelter, Washington Post, The Guardian, The Hollywood Reporter, @brianstelter, The Independent, Los Angeles Times, @tvietor08, New York Times, @jessicalessin, @maxwelltani, Mediaite, CNN, @bgrueskin, @ilvestoomas, @brhodes, @daweiner, BizPac Review, James Bruno on LinkedIn, @tvgrimreaper, Melanie Kahl on LinkedIn, @davidu, Janine Zacharia on LinkedIn, @maxwelltani, @cgasparino, @markjacob16, @jimstewartson, @robertbalkovich, @leahmcelrath, @abbymcdonald, @deggans, @mikiebarb, @mikeisaac, @dylanbyers, @jonnelledge, @janemayernyer, @heerjeet, @pblest, @tomcoates, @danpfeiffer, @ditzkoff, @semaforben, @benmullin, @statindy, Althouse, @rexhuppke, @bri_sacks, @drewsav, @kevin_kinkead, @nkulw, @blogoftheirown, @martyswant, Breitbart, @jvlast@threads.net, Balloon Juice, The Hill, @alex@masto.digittante.com, New York Magazine, The Guardian, Washington Times, Post-Texas Stress Disorder, Vanity Fair, The National Pulse, Raw Story, New Republic, The Gateway Pundit, Forbes, The Moderate Voice, HuffPost, acecomments.mu.nu, @mccartneywp, Michael Learmonth on LinkedIn, @mlbellar@universeodon.com, @touge@hachyderm.io, Deadline, @benjaminwittes …, @radleybalko.bsky.social, @tomtomorrow.bsky.social, @igb@mastodon.hccp.org, @zurch.bsky.social, @greene.haus, @jesseltaylor.bsky.social, @davekarpf.bsky.social, @swelljoe@mas.to, @virtualbri@mastodon.online, @davekarpf.bsky.social, @greene.haus, @jamellebouie.net, @davekarpf.bsky.social, @dfeldman.bsky.social, @sjjphd.bsky.social, @dfeldman.bsky.social, @kashana.bsky.social and r/Journalism

Discussion:

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

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

Ann Telnaes /
Washington Post: Democracy Dies in Darkness

Tim Adams /
The Guardian: The Washington Post sits on the fence at the most dangerous time in history

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

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.”

Graig Graziosi /
The Independent: Legendary Watergate reporters Woodward and Bernstein slam Washington Post for shying away from endorsement

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

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.

Kipp Jones /
Mediaite: Legendary Washington Post Watergate Reporters Blast Paper's Decision Not to Endorse a Candidate

Hadas Gold /
CNN: Washington Post will not endorse a candidate in 2024 presidential election, breaking decades of tradition

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] @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

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.

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.

James Bruno /
James Bruno on LinkedIn: Pay close attention. This is is a manifestation of creeping fascism - when moneybags owners of news media preemptively self-censor in fear of retribution by a would-be tyrant close to winning power. … @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.

Melanie Kahl /
Melanie Kahl on LinkedIn: “We'd like to accelerate our mission of ‘Democracy Dies in Darkness’ by turning off the lights.” - The Washington Post* (*not an actual quote, but could be) …

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]

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. …

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]

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

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/... @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.

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.

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.

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. @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/...

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]

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

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

Jonn Elledge /
@jonnelledge: well this feels fucking stupid

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

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.

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”

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

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

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

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

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.”

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.

Brianna Sacks /
@bri_sacks: We won a Pulitzer for public service for our coverage of the Jan. 6 insurrection @drewsav: These newspapers are making strange decisions given that their subscriber base is overwhelmingly Democrats.

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

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

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

Nick Gilbertson /
Breitbart: Susan Rice Has Conniption After ‘Chicken Sh*t’ Washington Post Refuses to Endorse Kamala Harris

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. …

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. …

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. …

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

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

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

Margaret Sullivan /
The Guardian: The Washington Post and LA Times refused to endorse a candidate. Why?

Jeff Mordock /
Washington Times: Washington Post won't endorse presidential candidate for first time in decades Post-Texas Stress Disorder: Washington Post Says Jeff Bezos Banned it From Endorsing Kamala Harris DIES IN DARKNESS... …

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

Tom Boggioni /
Raw Story: ‘Plain old cowardice’: WaPo publisher facing wave of outrage over endorsement snub

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

Conor Murray /
Forbes: Ex-Editor Baron Decries ‘Disturbing Spinelessness’ Of Washington Post Not Endorsing For President

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

Sara Boboltz /
HuffPost: Washington Post Declines To Make Presidential Endorsement For First Time In Decades acecomments.mu.nu: Confirmed: Washington Post Will Not Endorse Kamala; Leftwing Activists Pretending to be Journalists Cope and Seethe

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.

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 … @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/ ...

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? …

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/...

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. @tomtomorrow.bsky.social: With all respect to many talented and thoughtful journos within the system, big media has failed spectacularly.

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.

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] @jesseltaylor.bsky.social: democracy dies in darkness, but we exhibited massive moral cowardice at noon eastern when the sun was out, so @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.

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/...

Brian Tatosky /
@virtualbri@mastodon.online: https://www.npr.org/... MSM is not on your side, example #12313141 — #USPol #WashingtonPost

@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.

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...

@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]

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.)

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

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]

Washington Post:

A group of 16 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 13 Post Opinions columnists

Discussion:
Fox News, RedState, Raw Story, Australian Financial Review, @milbank, @benmullin, @oliverdarcy@threads.net, @dankennedy_nu@threads.net, Breitbart, @kasparov63, @byheatherlong, @jscalzi@threads.net, @StefanEJones@dice.camp, @mbrauchli@threads.net, Le·gal In·sur·rec·tion, @oliverdarcy@threads.net, @mccartneywp, Townhall, @postopinions, @simondowens@threads.net, @Bongolian@universeodon.com, @drewharwell@threads.net, New York Post, @bencollins.bsky.social, The Wrap and Axios

Discussion:

Becca Lower /
RedState: Schadenfreude Soars As Liberals Cancel Subs Over WaPo Non-Endorsement of Dem Nominee Harris

Daniel Hampton /
Raw Story: ‘Terrible mistake’: WaPo columnists fire back at paper's leadership over nixed endorsement

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/ ...

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

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)

Dan Kennedy /
@dankennedy_nu@threads.net: If Trump wins and he pardons himself, will the @washingtonpost and @latimes run outraged editorials? How about when he sets up detention camps? This goes way beyond a non-endorsement.

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

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.

Heather Long /
@byheatherlong: As a former member of the WaPo editorial board (Dec 2021 to Sept 2024), I was stunned by the news today not to endorse. I am one of 10 Post columnists (so far) who signed this joint statement tonight: “The Washington Post's decision not to make an endorsement in the [image]

Stefan Edward Jones /
@StefanEJones@dice.camp: The Washington Post editorial staff reacts to the management's decision not to issue an endorsement for president. — They are not happy. — https://www.washingtonpost.com/ ...

Marcus Brauchli /
@mbrauchli@threads.net: What courage and independence look like on the Washington Post editorial side, something the bosses there might want to learn from.

Stacey Matthews /
Le·gal In·sur·rec·tion: ‘October Surprise’: WaPo Newsroom, Leftists Erupt Over Decision Not To Endorse Kamala

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.” …

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

Matt Vespa /
Townhall: ‘The FloodGates Have Opened’: Libs Are Melting Down Over WaPo's Refusal to Drop a 2024 Endorsement @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/ ...

Simon Owens /
@simondowens@threads.net: I think what's especially chilling about this WashPo news is that it comes as Trump is getting increasingly explicit about his intentions to punish media outlets he doesn't like. If there were ever a time to not back down, this would be it. @Bongolian@universeodon.com: 16 Post columnists respond: The newspaper's refusal to endorse a presidential candidate is a mistake. — “The Washington Post's decision not to make an endorsement in the presidential campaign is a terrible mistake. It represents an abandonment of the fundamental editorial convictions of the newspaper that we love. …

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/ ...

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

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.

Sharon Knolle /
The Wrap: A group of 13 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

Sara Fischer /
Axios: Newspapers flee presidential endorsements

@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 Guardian, The Bulwark, The Hill, Press Watch, @maranissdavid, Salon, Raw Story, @brianstelter, @yonetteajoseph@threads.net, @jswatz_tx@threads.net, @wajahatali, @sanderlinr@threads.net, @ecgreaves, @bgrueskin, @mollyjongfast, Le Monde.fr, @annabower, Slate, @piersmorgan, @jeffjarvis, @davidfolkenflik, @dankennedy_nu@threads.net, @davidfolkenflik, @brianklaas, @brendan.j.nyhan@threads.net, @markjacob16, @ggreenwald, @donwinslow, @palafo@threads.net, @ggreenwald, Breitbart, Robert Reich, CBS News, @donmoyn.bsky.social, John Robinson on LinkedIn, @espiers.bsky.social, @debholleync@threads.net, @johnburnsnc@threads.net, nationalinterest.org, Newser, Business Insider, Blaze Media, @fraying@xoxo.zone, Mediaite, Rolling Stone, Status and The Wrap

Discussion:

Edward Helmore /
The Guardian: Washington Post cartoon team skewers paper's decision not to make endorsement

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’

Dan Froomkin /
Press Watch: A sickening moral collapse at the Washington Post

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

Tom Boggioni /
Raw Story: ‘Sell the paper!’ Michael Steele flattens WaPo owner Bezos for spiking Harris endorsement

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.”

Yonette Joseph /
@yonetteajoseph@threads.net: Susan Rice, former national security adviser to a president, said “chicken shit” and Im not even shocked

John Schwartz /
@jswatz_tx@threads.net: Folks, it's not that a Washington post endorsement would have changed a lot of votes. It's that the newspaper, by taking a stand, shows what it's made of. And not taking a stand, they also showed what they're made of. It's a really sad day.

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.

Rebekah Gleaves Sanderlin /
@sanderlinr@threads.net: No one becomes a journalist to get rich. Because comforting the afflicted and afflicting the comfortable is incompatible with a life spent pursuing wealth. If you're worried about what telling the truth will do to your profits, you have no business going anywhere near a newsroom.

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]

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

Piotr Smolar /
Le Monde.fr: Harris or Trump? The Washington Post and LA Times, under the influence of their owners, withdraw endorsements

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/...

Justin Peters /
Slate: The Real Reason the Washington Post's Non-Endorsement for President Is So Infuriating

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

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

Dan Kennedy /
@dankennedy_nu@threads.net: Ironically, I canceled my @washingtonpost subscription months ago when our university began offering it. I doubt I would cancel, especially since the opinion operation was already a dumpster fire. It's the gutlessness of this decision that should worry us all. JournalismThreads

David Folkenflik /
@davidfolkenflik: In his memoir, “Collision of Power,” Marty Baron wrote that then publisher Fred Ryan did not want to make an endorsement in the 2016 Clinton v Trump race. Editorial page editor Fred Hiatt considered resigning. Bezos's reply at the time: “Why wouldn't we make an endorsement?”

Brian Klaas /
@brianklaas: I used to write for the Washington Post. I now write for The Atlantic. The Post just made an absurdly pathetic, cowardly decision not to endorse. Meanwhile, the Atlantic endorsed for only the 5th time in 167 years of publishing because the stakes are so high.

Brendan Nyhan /
@brendan.j.nyhan@threads.net: Endorsements don't matter. A Harris endorsement by the WP would surprise or persuade virtually no one. But people failing to stand up to Trump due to fear of backlash or worse, especially if he wins and tries to punish his enemies, is corrosive. Resistance to authoritarianism is a coordination game.

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:👇

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.

Patrick LaForge /
@palafo@threads.net: It actually would have shown more moral courage for Bezos to write a Trump endorsement himself. Lay it out there, man.

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.

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

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.

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.

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.

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.

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

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

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

Peter Kafka /
Business Insider: The Washington Post and LA Times just stepped into a bigger political mess than the one they tried to avoid Blaze Media: Nuclear meltdown ensues after Washington Post refuses to endorse in presidential election: ‘You feckless cowards’

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.

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

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

Oliver Darcy /
Status: Democracy Dies in Darkness

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:
New York Post, Media Nation, RedState, @davidfolkenflik, Benzinga, @bradfordpearson, @joshtpm, @tvmojoe, BizPac Review, @elienyc, @kateaurthur, @radleybalko.bsky.social, @farhip, @postguild, @davidfolkenflik, @obrien_kat@mastodon.world, @kateaurthur, @conniewilson_33931@me.dm, @AlanSill@mast.hpc.social, @paezha@mastodon.online, @jppullen@threads.net, The National Pulse, Business Insider, Raw Story, Payday Report, The Guardian, @Bellison22@mastodon.social, @smurfburger.bsky.social, The Daily Caller, Mediaite, Fox News and The Wrap

Discussion:

Jon Levine /
New York Post: Watergate reporters Woodward and Bernstein calls Washington Post decision to not endorse Kamala Harris ‘disappointing’

Dan Kennedy /
Media Nation: The fallout from the Post's gutless decision; plus, my 2018 book portrayed a very different Bezos

Joe Cunningham /
RedState: Why the Washington Post Won't Endorse Kamala Harris, and Why the Left Is Big Mad About It

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

Bibhu Pattnaik /
Benzinga: Bezos Faces Newsroom Rebellion Over Decision To Kill Washington Post 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.

Josh Marshall /
@joshtpm: I think a lot of people are actually canceling their wapo subs. It's not like the usual round of claims. But I think the brand damage to the Post may be greater than people realize and go beyond the near term hit on subs. A big slice of America is living in a climate of .... @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?

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

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,

Radley Balko /
@radleybalko.bsky.social: Just a reminder: Sen. JD Vance sent a letter to DOJ demanding that Kagan be criminally investigated for writing the column below. — He wanted a journalist criminally investigated. For writing a column. Fascist Teddy Ruxpin then had the gall to wax about censorship at the VP debate. [image]

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... @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]

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. @obrien_kat@mastodon.world: @Mediagazer kudos to him. Way back in May 2016, months before Trump was even elected, Kagan wrote this prescient piece https://www.washingtonpost.com/ ...

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.

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! @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. …

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.

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

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

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

Mike Elk /
Payday Report: WashPost Union Calls Out Bezos in Non-Endorsement - Sherrod Brown Begs Kamala to Invest in Ohio - Nebraska Union Leader Embraces Anti-Immigrant Politics in Tight Senate Race

Anna Betts /
The Guardian: Furor over Washington Post's decision to not endorse presidential candidate: ‘Stab in the back’, ‘dying in darkness’ @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]

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

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

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

WaPo CEO Will Lewis says “I do not believe in presidential endorsements” and Bezos “was not sent, did not read and did not opine on any draft” of an endorsement— Let's get this part out of the way first: Newspaper endorsements normally don't matter much.

Discussion:
@hadas_gold, The Guardian, @carlbernstein, @eriqgardner, @maxwelltani, @froomkin, @deggans, @peteryared, @apocalypticanow.bsky.social, @semaforben, @jayrosen_nyu, @benmullin, @brianstelter, Las Vegas Review-Journal, Financial Times, Sydney Morning Herald, MediaPost, New York Magazine and Breitbart

Discussion:

Hadas Gold /
@hadas_gold: Former Post editor @postbaron tells @smerconish Will Lewis reasoning for the non-endorsement “laughable” [video]

Lois Beckett /
The Guardian: ‘Anticipatory obedience’: newspapers' refusal to endorse shines light on billionaire owners' motives

Carl Bernstein /
@carlbernstein: Statement on Washington Post's refusal to endorse presidential candidate. [image]

Eriq Gardner /
@eriqgardner: I don't think endorsements matter except Taylor Swift going on the Kelce podcast “New Heights” to discuss love, football, and the election.

Max Tani /
@maxwelltani: One result of the WaPo non-endorsement: I'm told the NYT has been experiencing a small but noticeable wave of cancelations since yesterday, as well as emails to the effect of “fuck Bezos.” There's been some internal discussion about what (if anything) to do about the confusion.

Dan Froomkin /
@froomkin: I wrote this 2 years ago, calling for Bezos to divest himself of the Post: “The Washington Post has a Bezos problem” https://www.cjr.org/... via @cjr

@deggans:
Brian Stelter outlines stakes of newspaper endorsement scandal in his Reliable Sources newsletter for CNN: “The appearance of caving to Trump does real and lasting damage to any enterprise that isn't identified as pro-Trump.” https://view.newsletters.cnn.com/ ...

Peter Yared /
@peteryared: Bezos forcing WaPo to not endorse is an employee filter like his Amazon 5 day back to the office policy @apocalypticanow.bsky.social: “Trust me, says notorious liar” — www.npr.org/2024/07/30/n... [embedded post]

Ben Smith /
@semaforben: Bezos ... more or less disowning the decision? A confusing way to operate. https://www.semafor.com/... [image]

Jay Rosen /
@jayrosen_nyu: “After democracy dies in darkness, they'll be the ones who will be moving happily about in the shadows.” Timothy Snyder on what the media oligarchs have revealed about themselves. https://www.theguardian.com/ ... [image]

Ben Mullin /
@benmullin: NEW: Will Lewis, the C.E.O. of The Washington Post, issues a statement saying Jeff Bezos “was not sent, did not read and did not opine on any draft” of an endorsement for president. “We are an independent newspaper and should support our readers' ability to make up their own

Brian Stelter /
@brianstelter: “I do not believe in presidential endorsements,” Post publisher William Lewis says in a new statement to CNN 👇🏼 [image]

Brian Stelter /
@brianstelter: Surprise — a special Saturday edition of the @ReliableSources newsletter just landed: https://view.newsletters.cnn.com/ ...

Debra J. Saunders /
Las Vegas Review-Journal: Two liberal newspaper giants refuse to endorse Kamala Harris Financial Times: Jeff Bezos faces backlash at Washington Post over refusal to run endorsement of Kamala Harris

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

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

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

Wendell Husebø /
Breitbart: Washington Post Snubs Kamala Harris with Non-Endorsement

CNN:

Some current WaPo journalists say they have no problem with the editorial board not endorsing in any situation, but the timing of the announcement is troubling— New York CNN — — One day after The Washington Post announced it would not endorse a presidential candidate in this year's election …

Discussion:
RedState, The Hill, Blue Virginia, The Gateway Pundit and Agence France-Presse

Discussion:

Filip Timotija /
The Hill: Trump meets with leaders from Bezos-owned Blue Origin

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”

Ben Kew /
The Gateway Pundit: Mayhem at Washington Post After Bezos Kills Harris Endorsement - Staff Threatening to Quit and Denounce Company

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:
Washington Post, Times of San Diego, L.A. Times Guild, @mvario@mastodon.social, @kingkaufman@sfba.social, @stopthatgirl7@famichiki.jp, @theferocity.bsky.social, @bruno_j_navarro …, @NewsDesk@flipboard.social, @waltisfrozen@threads.net, SFist, Instapundit, freebeacon.com, San Francisco Chronicle and The Guardian

Discussion:

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

Kristina Bui /
L.A. Times Guild: Open letter from L.A. Times staff @mvario@mastodon.social: LA Times Planned ‘Case Against Trump’ Series Alongside Kamala Harris Endorsement Before Owner Quashed It - TheWrap — https://www.thewrap.com/... #SoonShiongOligarch #TaxTheRich #NoBillionaires #WealthTax #SaveDemocracyVoteBlue #StopFascism #StopProject2025 — [image]

King Kaufman /
@kingkaufman@sfba.social: You cannot in good conscience work for the LA Times after this. — https://www.thewrap.com/... @stopthatgirl7@famichiki.jp: The greed of the billionaire class is going to destroy us. — LA Times Planned ‘Case Against Trump’ Series Alongside Kamala Harris Endorsement Before Owner Quashed It | Exclusive — : https://www.thewrap.com/...

Saeed Jones /
@theferocity.bsky.social: Wait, waaaaaait, the owner of the LA Times is also from South Africa???? — *looks directly at camera*

Bruno J. Navarro /
@bruno_j_navarro@mastodon.social: Alongside its endorsement of Kamala Harris, the Los Angeles Times editorial board had also planned a multi-part series against Donald Trump before the whole thing was quashed by owner Patrick Soon-Shiong, TheWrap has learned. — https://www.thewrap.com/... @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**.” …

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

Ed Driscoll /
Instapundit: COCKBURN: Jennifer Rubin's resignation from the Washington Post is surely imminent. …

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

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

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:

Betsy Reed /
The Guardian: On political endorsement: a note from our editor

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

Chris Quinn /
Plain Dealer: The Washington Post, LA Times and New York Times are wrong; but we're still endorsing: Letter from the Editor

Mary L. Trump /
The Good in Us: Democracy Dies in Darkness. Indeed.

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

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_...

St. Louis Magazine:

Press Forward pauses payment on a $100K grant awarded to the St. Louis Argus over concerns it has published content from other local outlets without permission— The newspaper has a storied history, but has recently been publishing the work of other local outlets without permission.

Discussion:
@sarahfenske, @ryanwkrull, @mavmandall, @timjeby and Adweek

Discussion:

Sarah Fenske /
@sarahfenske: Alarming story at @stlmag : The St. Louis newspaper awarded a $100K Press Forward grant to reimagine local journalism has been regularly helping itself to work created by other local outlets https://www.stlmag.com/...

Ryan Krull /
@ryanwkrull: Press Forward, which is all about supporting local journalism, did not give much of a reply when reached for comment by a local reporter. https://www.stlmag.com/...

Jerry Patterson /
@mavmandall: Haterism in media, Argus St Louis wins a grant and St Louis Magazine crying because the news platform shared their work. So they go on a vicious attack ..Typical Missouri messiness! @stlmag

Tim Eby /
@timjeby: There are many questions about the Press Forward funding initiative, so it's good that ⁦@sarahfenske⁩ and ⁦⁦@stlmag⁩ are looking into one St. Louis-based publication that just received funding. https://www.stlmag.com/...

Brad Pareso /
Adweek: Press Forward Presses Pause on St. Louis Argus Grant

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

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:
The Verge, The Sun, The Wrap, Sara Fischer on LinkedIn, SiliconANGLE, Digital Music News, iPhone in Canada Blog, @sarafischer and Reuters

Discussion:

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

Jimmy Grant /
The Sun: Meta AI explained: What does the new feature on Facebook and Instagram do and can it be turned it off?

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

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

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/...

Aditya Soni /