Washington Post Office, adopted the slogan “Democracy dies in darkness” in time Donald Trumppresident, has decided not to endorse a candidate in the 2024 presidential election, the newspaper’s publisher and CEO William Lewis was announced on Friday in a note to readers.
Lewis, who participated Parcel in January, wrote that the newspaper was “returning to our roots of not endorsing presidential candidates,” pointing to editorials from 1960 and 1972 as instances in which the newspaper explained Like the rationale for not doing so. Lewis argues that Parcel “already existed” in 1976, when the editorial board approved it Jimmy Carter for the president. the Parcel has confirmed every cycle since then except 1988.
“We recognize that this will be interpreted in a variety of ways, including as an implicit endorsement of one candidate, or as a condemnation of another candidate, or as a abdication of responsibility. It was inevitable,” Lewis wrote, adding, “We don’t see it that way.”
Others apparently did. “This is cowardice, a dark moment that will make democracy a victim,” Marty Baron, female Parcel‘S former executive editorsaid in a statement to Vanity fair. “Donald Trump will celebrate this as an invitation to further intimidation articleowner of, Jeff Bezos (and other media owners). History will mark a disturbing chapter of weakness at an institution renowned for its courage.”
Tommy Vietor, a former Barack Obama staff and Pod saved America co-host, wrote on X that Parcel “donate [Kamala] Harris will attract precisely zero voters her way, but still laugh out loud at this cowardice from the group that brought us ‘democracy dies in the dark.’”
of NBC Chuck Todd, while admitting to being “agnostic about the impact of press endorsement,” wrote to X that “the unintended consequences of this decision…are precisely what makes all of this so demoralizing for journalists working on the ground. When rich people and publicly traded companies cower, it hurts us all.”
the Parceldecision of Los Angeles Times editorial board break with recent tradition about not endorsing a 2024 presidential candidate, a controversial move by its billionaire owner, Patrick Soon Shiong. the time‘ editorial editor, Mariel Garza, resign Wednesday in protest, with two editorial members, Robert Greene And Karin Klein, Thursday next week.
Although it is debatable whether newspaper editorials—produced by the opinion side of the operation—actually influence voters, especially since American opinion seems as locked in less than two weeks from Election Day, it’s incredible to see two of the nation’s most prominent views. publications, each of which is endorsed Hillary Clinton (2016) et Joe Biden (2020), sitting out the 2024 race.
“These decisions are appalling, a dereliction of duty and a disturbing statement about the priorities of two billionaire-owned newspapers,” Margaret Sullivan, a former New York Times public editor and Parcel media columnist who currently writes a politics and media column for Guardian of America, speak to me.
Inside ParcelNPR David Folkenflik reportededitorial page editor David Shipley conveyed the decision to staff in a “tense meeting” shortly before Lewis announced it publicly. While staff were said to be surprised by the change, Shipley was said to have said that he “owned” the decision and that it was intended to allow the newspaper to remain “independent”, the language also used by Lewis in his letter to his readers.
Two Parcel board member, Charles Lane And Stephen W. Stromberg drafted a Harris version endorsement when the process stalled, before Friday’s announcement, according to Columbia Journalism Review executive editor Sewell Chan. He added that the decision, approved by Shipley, had left staff “angry”.
Lewis’s tenure was marked by controversy, with female Parcel, between stores, reporting on encounter about his plans for the newspaper and his relationship with the British phone hacking scandal. Lewis previously worked for Rupert Murdochby News Corp.
