The Washington Post's decision to immediately stop printing election advice from presidential candidates has sparked outrage. What do newspaper owners have to say about this?
October 28, 2024 05:19October 28, 2024 11:55
Renzo Ruf, Washington/ch media
The Washington Post caused a stir in the nation's capital when it announced it would not publish election advice favorable to presidential candidates. Thousands of readers canceled their subscriptions, media reporter Brian Stelter reported over the weekend. The editorial team was literally inundated with negative feedback.
Is he trying to curry favor with Donald Trump? Amazon boss Jeff Bezos.Image: trapezoid
The newspaper's general manager announced the decision on Friday. Will Lewis, who was inspired by British journalism, gave his reasons for the surprising move:
“We wanted to get back to our roots.”
The newspaper stopped publishing such opinion pieces until 1976.
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Apparently, Jeff Bezos, owner of the legacy and award-winning Post since 2013, is said to have made the switch. At least that's what well-informed reporters usually report. Bezos, the founder of online department store Amazon and the nation's second-richest resident, has yet to comment publicly.
But political observers in Washington are convinced Bezos is shying away from making election recommendations out of concern about a victory by Republican Donald Trump. Because there is no doubt that The Washington Post will publicly support Democrat Kamala Harris. The relevant responsible commentators have written corresponding “editorials”.
In fact, during Trump’s first term from 2017 to 2021, newspaper publisher Bezos and businessman Bezos clashed many times. The government retaliated against the Bezos empire by bypassing Amazon when awarding contracts after The Washington Post harshly criticized the president.
Then-Washington Post editor Marty Barron wrote an entire book about the conflict and now has a scathing criticism of his former boss. On SMS Trump will see this as an invitation to further intimidate Bezos.
Other voices say it's finally time to debate these voting recommendations that would benefit presidential candidates. Such “editorials” are no longer appropriate; also because they raise questions about the independence of newsrooms. In American newspapers, reporters and commentators work completely independently.
“Perhaps it was the right decision, but at the wrong time,” Brian Stelter, a prominent CNN anchor, wrote in his newsletter. (aargauerzeitung.ch)
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