The venerable Washington Post is reeling amidst accusations that its billionaire owner Jeff Bezos interfered with its editorial independence to curry favor with Donald Trump. The firestorm erupted after the Post announced it would not endorse a candidate in the 2024 presidential election—mere hours before Bezos-owned Blue Origin executives were seen meeting with Trump.
Endorsement Debacle Rocks the Post
Insiders reveal that the Post’s senior news and opinion staff had already drafted an endorsement of Democratic nominee Kamala Harris when they were summoned to an emergency meeting with Bezos in late September. The Amazon founder reportedly expressed reservations about the paper making any endorsement, leading to Friday’s bombshell announcement:
The Washington Post will not issue an endorsement in the upcoming presidential election.
The move stunned political observers, as the Post has reliably endorsed Democratic nominees in recent elections. More shockingly, within hours of the non-endorsement, top executives from Bezos’ Blue Origin were seen meeting with Trump after a campaign speech. Amazon CEO Andy Jassy also reportedly reached out to Trump by phone around the same time.
Quid Pro Quo Allegations Swirl
Editor-at-large Robert Kagan, who resigned in protest, minced no words about the sequence of events:
Trump waited to make sure that Bezos did what he said he was going to do – and then met with the Blue Origin people. Which tells us that there was an actual deal made.
Robert Kagan, former Washington Post editor
Although the Post’s publisher Will Lewis insisted the non-endorsement was his call, many see Bezos’ fingerprints all over it. The billionaire’s companies, including Amazon and Blue Origin, compete for lucrative government contracts that a vindictive Trump could threaten if opposed.
Open Revolt in the Newsroom
The backlash inside the Post has been fierce. Eighteen columnists signed a dissent calling the decision a “terrible mistake”. Legendary journalists Bob Woodward and Carl Bernstein expressed disappointment. The Post’s cartoonists published an all-black panel evoking the paper’s “Democracy Dies in Darkness” slogan.
Prominent readers like Stephen King canceled subscriptions in protest. Trump critics warn the move validates his authoritarian tendencies and may be a case of “anticipatory obedience” to an aspiring tyrant, as described in historian Tim Snyder’s book “On Tyranny”.
Bezos’ Growing Newsroom Involvement
Bezos acquired the Washington Post in 2013 for $250 million but had largely remained hands-off with its journalism. That changed in 2023 as the paper faced major financial losses and staff departures. His selection of Will Lewis as publisher raised eyebrows due to past scandals in Lewis’ journalistic career.
As recently as June 2024, Bezos claimed in a memo that the Post’s “journalistic standards and ethics” would not change. The endorsement debacle has many wondering if that promise has been broken and whether Bezos is letting his other business interests interfere with the paper’s editorial integrity.
Democracy at Stake?
Beyond one election cycle, media experts worry about the dangerous precedent of the Post appearing to placate Trump. With other billionaire-owned outlets like the LA Times following suit, concerns are growing that corporate interests and political access are being prioritized over journalistic duty.
This is cowardice with democracy as its casualty.
Marty Baron, former Washington Post executive editor
As the election draws near and Trump continues to fan the flames of doubt over its legitimacy, the full implications of the Washington Post’s non-endorsement are still unfolding. But for many, the damage to its reputation—and to the state of American democracy—has already been done.
