The Washington Post is getting skewered by readers, reporters, and members of its own staff for its Friday decision to not endorse Vice President Kamala Harris in the 2024 election.
Before Friday, the Post had backed each Democratic presidential candidate dating back to 1976, except for in 1988, when it declined to endorse Michael Dukakis. Marty Baron, the paper’s former executive editor, immediately shared his feelings about the decision on X.
“This is cowardice, with democracy as its casualty,” Baron said. “Donald Trump will see this as an invitation to further intimidate owner Jeff Bezos (and others). Disturbing spinelessness at an institution famed for courage.”
David Corn, Mother Jones’ Washington bureau chief, said the Post’s editorial board is “despondent” over the non-endorsement.
Vanity Fair special correspondent and MSNBC contributor Molly Jong-Fast posted she was “so disappointed” by the paper.
New York Daily News sports columnist Mike Lupica ripped the Post, saying the decision “starts at the top” with owner Jeff Bezos.
Bezos, who made his fortune as the founder of Amazon, has not publicly backed Republican nominee Donald Trump or Vice President Harris in the 2024 race. Status reported earlier this week that some Washington Post employees believe Bezos didn’t want to alienate Trump by having the paper officially endorse a candidate.
In 2020, Bezos celebrated Joe Biden and Harris winning in an Instagram post, saying their victory showed “unity, empathy and decency are not characteristics of a bygone era.”
Washington Post columnist Karen Attiah, soon after the decision was announced by publisher William Smith, posted “Jesus Christ” on X.
She wasn’t the only Post staffer upset about the call, either. The Washington Post Guild said it was “concerned that management interfered with the work of our members in Editorial.” The decision, the guild said, “undercuts the work of our members at a time when we should be building our readers’ trust, not losing it.
The Post’s decision comes after the Los Angeles Times declined to endorse a presidential candidate earlier this week — a move that’s led to several editorial staffers quitting. The Times’ editorial page was prepared to back Harris against Trump, but now-ex-editorials editor Mariel Garza said owner Patrick Soon-Shiong vetoed that decision; Soon-Shiong denied he blocked any endorsement.
The Times’ decision led to an outcry from many left-leaning readers who said they were canceling their subscriptions due to the non-endorsement.
On Friday, The Atlantic’s Caitlin Flanagan called the Post and Times’ refusal to endorse Harris “shameful.”
Cheo Hodari Coker, creator of Marvel’s “Luke Cage” and a former LA Times music writer, said “something is broken” when the Washington Post fails to endorse a Democrat.
Yahoo football writer Charles Robinson blasted the Post’s “spineless, cowardly decision.”
Actor Jeffrey Wright, known for his roles in “The Batman” and HBO’s “Westworld,” posted he was canceling his subscription to the paper.
“Bye, byatch,” he said.
Former CNN commentator Roland Martin said it was a move of “cowardice” from Bezos, and that he was canceling his Washington Post digital subscription.
Goldie Taylor, a contributing editor at The Daily Beast, posted she was also canceling her subscription.
Democratic strategist Matt McDermott showed his 90,000 followers on X that he was ditching his subscription, although he’ll still have unlimited access to the paper until May 2025.
And a number of other readers posted on X that they had canceled their subscriptions too.
Those angry with the LA Times or Washington Post won’t have to look far to find outlets that have endorsed a candidate, at least. The New York Times, The Boston Globe, The Atlantic and The New Yorker have all officially backed the vice president. The New York Post, on the other hand, endorsed Trump on Friday, saying he was the “right choice” for the country.
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