In a move that generated impact and controversy in the political world of the United States on Friday, Jeff Bezos, the owner of the Washington Post, decided to prevent the publication of an editorial column in which the newspaper, one of the most important in the country, was endorsing Kamala Harris.
Most newspapers in the United States, in the days leading up to the elections, usually endorse one of the candidates. The Washington Post has been doing this continuously since 1976 (with the exception of 1988), and for example, a few days ago the New York Post endorsed Donald Trump.
Why doesn’t Jeff Bezos want to endorse Kamala Harris?
According to an article written on the Washington Post's website, support for the Democratic candidate was already drafted, but the owner of Amazon decided not to publish it.
"The decision of the Washington Post is not to support any candidate," said one of the media's external communications managers succinctly.
According to a column by William Levis, executive director of the Post, the decision was to "return to its roots", when the newspaper did not endorse any candidate. The first candidate to receive the newspaper's endorsement was the Democrat Jimmy Carter, who was competing against Republican President Gerald Ford in the tumultuous years following Watergate.
Levis also stated that they will not support any other presidential candidate in the future.
"This is cowardice, a moment of darkness that will leave democracy as a victim. Donald Trump will celebrate this as an invitation to further intimidate The Post's owner, Jeff Bezos (and other media owners). History will mark a disturbing chapter of lack of courage in an institution famous for its bravery," said Martin Baron in a text message to the newspaper. Baron is the former executive editor of The Washington Post, who led the media outlet while Trump was president.
Since 1976, all the candidates endorsed by The Post have been Democrats, including Joe Biden over Donald Trump in 2020.
Like almost all major media outlets in the United States, the news team operates independently from the Washington Post's press department.
The Los Angeles Times did the same few days ago
Bezos' decision and the executive leadership of The Washington Post comes just days after a similar determination made by the owner of the Los Angeles Times.
In said medium, the editorial team had also written in support of Kamala Harris, but the newspaper owner, Chinese-South African businessman Patrick Soon-Shiong, decided to prevent its publication, leading to the resignation of editor Mariel Garza and two other members of her staff.
This Friday, Soon Shion’s daughter, Nika Soon-Shiong, wrote on social media implying that the decision not to support Harris was related to the current administration’s policy on Israel and Gaza: “This is not a vote for Donald Trump. It is a refusal to support a candidate who is overseeing a war against children.”.