Bezos on Endorsements

Washington Post owner Jeff Bezos defends endorsement decision - The Washington Post

Bezos — who did not block presidential endorsements in the two campaigns since he bought The Post in 2013 — called his move to halt presidential endorsements “a principled decision” and also cast doubt on their usefulness. Bezos said his decision is aimed at restoring public trust in the news media.

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I have always thought that papers endorsing candidates was weird. That said the issue here is not the decision, it’s the timing. If after the 2020 election or the 2022 midterms Bezos made this decision many people would have applauded him because they feel as I do. Deciding ten days before the election while executives from another company Bezos owns met with Trump officials gives away the game. This is not about doing what is right for the paper, it’s about kissing Trump’s ring.

I have seen many people say you should not cancel because the Post still does great reporting and that it would hurt the reporters not Bezos. The problem with that is that you have to believe that Bezos won’t block other things if they are negative toward Trump. Maybe that is the case, but this week makes it hard for me to believe that.

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