On Monday, Donald Trump took to his X account to comment on Jeff Bezos for his op-ed on the Washington Post which says why The Washington Post will not endorse a presidential candidate. Trump also implied that Bezos wants to avoid being linked with Harris, who Trump predicts will lose to him. He wrote:
"Jeff Bezos confesses the reason he didn't allow the Washington Post to endorse that Far Left Extremist, Comrade Kamala, is because most Americans don't trust the media due to their shilling for the corrupt Democrats! Bezos is shaping up. He doesn't want to be part of the LOSER team when Comrade Kamala gets humiliated and defeated by me next Tuesday!"
What does Jeff Bezos say in his op-ed
Jeff Bezos, who is the owner of The Washington Post, in his op-ed, acknowledged the ongoing credibility crisis facing the media and highlighted The Washington Post’s struggle with public trust.
Bezos said that he believes presidential endorsements create a perception of bias that further damages media trust, so ending them was a choice not influenced by any political agenda or personal gain. He wrote:
"By itself, declining to endorse presidential candidates is not enough to move us very far up the trust scale, but it’s a meaningful step in the right direction. I wish we had made the change earlier than we did, in a moment further from the election and the emotions around it. That was inadequate planning, and not some intentional strategy."
This is the first time in 26 years that The Washington Post will not be making a presidential endorsement.
Since Jeff Bezos has defended the decision not to endorse any candidate for the U.S. presidency in his op-ed, he has received significant backlash, including reports that over 200,000 subscribers canceled their digital memberships. Additionally, nearly a third of the newspaper’s editorial board resigned in protest against this decision.
Following Jeff Bezoz's op-ed, The Washington Post Guild, an organization that represents employees, journalists, photographers, editors, and other newsroom staff at The Washington Post, has posted an official statement on their X account. In this statement, they wrote:
"We are deeply concerned that The Washington Post — an American news institution in the nation's capital — would make the decision to no longer endorse presidential candidates, especially a mere 11 days ahead of an immensely consequential election... We are already seeing cancellations from once loyal readers. This decision undercuts the work of our members at a time when we should be building our readers’ trust, not losing it."
According to NPR news, in his resignation announcement, former senior columnist for The Washington Post, Robert Kagan expressed concerns about The Washington Post's management under owner Jeff Bezos, particularly concerning Donald Trump.
Trending
Kagan indicated that the paper is compromising its integrity out of fear of Trump and suggested that interactions between Jeff Bezos' Blue Origin and Trump, shortly after the paper's decision not to endorse a presidential candidate, exemplified this fear.
Kagan's comments reflect a broader tension regarding media independence and the influence of ownership, especially given Jeff Bezos' financial interests with the government, like Blue Origin's contracts with NASA.
Reply
