The American newspaper “Washington Post” will not endorse any candidate in the upcoming presidential election, breaking a decades-long tradition.
“The Washington Post will not endorse a presidential candidate in this year’s election, nor in any future presidential election,” publisher Willie Lewis said in a statement, as reported by CNN. “We are returning to our roots of not endorsing presidential candidates,” Lewis added.
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Lewis stated that the “Washington Post” is aware that this decision will be interpreted in various ways, including as an implicit endorsement of one candidate, a condemnation of another, or a shirking of responsibility.
“That’s inevitable… We don’t see it that way. We believe it’s consistent with the values the Post has always stood for and what we expect from leaders: character and courage in service of American ethics, respect for the rule of law, and respect for human liberty in all its aspects,” he added. The owner of the “Washington Post” is billionaire Jeff Bezos, the founder of Amazon.
Former executive editor of the “Post,” Martin Baron, strongly criticized the publisher’s decision, calling it “cowardice, with democracy as the victim.” “Donald Trump will see this as an invitation to further intimidate owner Bezos (and others),” Baron wrote in a social media post. “Disturbing spinelessness in an institution known for courage,” he assessed regarding the decision to abstain from supporting any candidate in the US presidential election.
The “Washington Post” decision comes just a few days after the owner of the “Los Angeles Times,” Patrick Soon-Shiong, blocked the newspaper’s planned endorsement of US Vice President and Democratic candidate Kamala Harris, leading to the resignations of three members of the editorial board.
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Foto: AP