The Washington Post announced on Friday that it will no longer endorse presidential candidates, breaking from its long-standing tradition of supporting Democratic nominees in past elections. The decision has stirred immediate backlash, with criticism directed at the newspaper and its owner, Amazon founder Jeff Bezos, who reportedly blocked an endorsement of Kamala Harris, the Democratic nominee, over Donald Trump in the upcoming presidential election.
According to an article published by two Washington Post staff reporters, editorial page staff had drafted an endorsement for Harris. However, sources briefed on the situation revealed that Jeff Bezos intervened, preventing the publication of the endorsement. The newspaper, which Jeff Bezos purchased in 2013, had previously endorsed Donald Trump’s opponents in the 2016 and 2020 elections, backing Hillary Clinton and Joe Biden in strongly-worded editorials condemning Donald Trump.
Donald Trump, during his presidency, had been critical of both Jeff Bezos and The Washington Post, accusing the billionaire of using the newspaper to further his own business interests. In a 2019 lawsuit, Amazon claimed that it lost a $10 billion Pentagon cloud computing contract due to Donald Trump’s alleged interference, seeking to harm Jeff Bezos.
The Washington Post has endorsed presidential candidates consistently since 1976, with the exception of the 1988 election. All of the newspaper’s endorsements in that time have been for Democratic candidates.
In response to inquiries about Jeff Bezos’ alleged role in the decision, Post communications officer Kathy Baird said, “This was a Washington Post decision to not endorse, and I would refer you to the publisher’s statement in full.”
Later that evening, The Washington Post published a third article, signed by several opinion columnists, expressing strong disapproval of the decision to abandon endorsements. They argued that it was a mistake for the newspaper to remain neutral, especially given the significant political stakes of the 2024 election. “This is a moment for the institution to be making clear its commitment to democratic values… and the threat that Donald Trump poses,” the column said, referencing the newspaper’s previous endorsements of Donald Trump’s opponents.
Requests for comment from Amazon, where Jeff Bezos remains the largest shareholder, have not yet been answered. The move has sparked a wider debate about the role of media endorsements in shaping political discourse and the influence of ownership on editorial decisions.
