The Washington Post, a prominent newspaper based in Washington, DC, announced on Friday that it will break from tradition and not endorse a candidate in the upcoming presidential election. This decision, which deviates from the paper's long-standing practice of endorsing candidates, has sparked criticism and controversy.
According to reports, the editorial page staff had drafted an endorsement of Democratic nominee Kamala Harris over GOP nominee Donald Trump. However, the decision not to publish the endorsement was reportedly made by the newspaper's owner, Amazon founder Jeff Bezos. This move is seen by some as a response to past tensions between Trump and Bezos, particularly regarding a lawsuit filed by Amazon claiming improper pressure from the Trump administration.
The Washington Post had endorsed candidates for president in every election year since 1976, with the exception of 1988. The current chief executive, Will Lewis, explained the decision in an online statement, citing a return to the paper's roots of not endorsing presidential candidates.
The announcement comes in the wake of similar decisions by other news outlets, such as the Los Angeles Times, whose editorial board head resigned in protest after the paper's owner decided against running a presidential endorsement.