Washington Post owner Jeff Bezos reportedly put the kibosh on the paper by endorsing Vice President Kamala Harris in the upcoming election — leading to the resignation of an editorial board member and backlash from his left-leaning staff.
The Beltway broadsheet said Friday it would not endorse either candidate, breaking with 36 years of tradition, after a “tense editorial,” according to NPR.
The newspaper then published an article written by two reporters saying that editorial staff had drafted an endorsement of Democratic candidate Harris over former President Donald Trump.
“The decision not to publish was made by The Post’s owner — Amazon founder Jeff Bezos,” The Post reported, citing two sources briefed on the events.
Publisher Will Lewis, who was hired by Bezos in January, explained the decision in an online note to readers.
“The Washington Post will not be endorsing a presidential candidate in this election. Not even in any future presidential election,” he wrote.
“We’re going back to our roots of not endorsing presidential candidates.”
Lewis’ note went on to say, “We recognize that this will be read in a number of ways, including as a tacit endorsement of one candidate, or as a condemnation of another, or as an abdication of responsibility. “This is inevitable. We don’t see it that way. We see it as consistent with the values The Post has always stood for and what we hope for in a leader: character and courage in service of the American ethic, respect for the rule of law, and respect for human freedom in all its aspects. “
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The decision prompted editorial board member Robert Kagan, a frequent Trump critic, to resign, according to NPR.
Bezos, the world’s second-richest person with a net worth estimated by the Bloomberg Billionaires Index at $209 billion as of Friday, was a frequent target of Trump during his first term in office — largely because of the Washington Post’s coverage of his administration.
Some WashPo insiders have speculated that Bezos does not want to alienate Trump as he gains momentum to retake the White House.
Bezos has not spoken publicly about the presidential election.
Marty Baron, former editor of The Washington Post, called the paper’s decision “cowardly, with democracy as its victim.”
″@realdonaldtrump will see this as an invitation to further intimidate owner @jeffbezos (and others),” Baron wrote on X.
A similar decision to withhold endorsements by Los Angeles Times billionaire owner Patrick Soon-Shiong has rocked that newsroom and led to the resignation of the paper’s editorial editor and two editorial board members.
The Washington Post endorsed Hillary Clinton in 2016 and Joe Biden in 2020, publishing its endorsements much earlier in past election cycles.
The New York Times endorsed Harris on September 30.
The New York Post endorsed Trump on Friday.
Lewis, who served as CEO of Dow Jones and publisher of The Wall Street Journal, sister publication of The New York Post, as well as editor of the London-based Telegraph, was hired to grow the paper’s conservative readership.
Sources told NPR that Bezos hired Lewis in part for his ability to get along with powerful conservative political figures, but he has so far been a lightning rod at the paper.
In June, the British-born media executive rocked The Post’s ranks, prompting Sally Buzbee — the paper’s first female executive editor in its 144-year history — to resign after a three-year tenure marred by deteriorating finances and readers.
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