The Washington Post will not support the 2024 presidential election

The Washington Post will not support a candidate for president for the first time since 1988. Instead, the magazine lets readers decide whether they support former President Trump or Vice President Harris, and will continue to do so in all future elections.

In a memo to employees, Post CEO Will Lewis wrote: “The Washington Post will not endorse a presidential candidate in this election. Not even in any future presidential election. We are returning to our roots of opposing presidential candidates.”

To explain the call, Lewis cited a 1960 editorial column in which he outlined the newspaper's position at the time not to support presidential candidates. He also tried to preempt criticism of the decision:

“We recognize that this will be interpreted in a variety of ways, including as a tacit endorsement of one candidate, a condemnation of another, or an abdication of responsibility. “That is inevitable,” Lewis wrote. “We don’t see it that way. We see this as consistent with the values ​​the Post has always stood for and with what we hope for in a leader: character and courage in the service of American ethics, reverence for the rule of law and respect for human freedom in all its aspects aspects. We also view it as a statement in support of our readers’ ability to form their own opinions on this most consequential American decision – who to vote for as the next president.”

The criticism came quickly, first and foremost post Editor Marty Baron wrote that the decision was “cowardice of which democracy is the victim.” Donald Trump “will see this as an invitation to further intimidate the owner (Jeff Bezos) (and others).” “Disturbing spinelessness in an institution that known for her courage,” he added.

Internally one post One employee says the decision, made so close to the election, was “shocking” and has raised questions about the reasons behind it. In fact, Bezos' influence plays a big role in this move, regardless of whether he made the final decision or not.

Status's Oliver Darcy reported earlier this week that the Post had received no support, although Friday's decision appeared to finally close the call.

And the move through the post also came days after that Los Angeles Times was in turmoil over his decision not to support the 2024 election. The decision sparked an exodus of editors and fueled the anger of many employees who found the decision inexplicable.

While some speculated that this could be due to owner Patrick Soon-Shiong's role in the medical field (where government regulation can destroy a business), his daughter Nika revealed that the decision was related to Harris' stance on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. “This is not a vote for Donald Trump. “This is a refusal to SUPPORT a candidate who is leading a war on children,” she wrote.