‘Fundamentally saddened’: Washington Post readers on failure to endorse Harris
GuardianNOV 12 2024
Robert Kagan, Washington Post editor-at-large who resigned on Friday following the paper's decision not to endorse any candidate in the US presidential election, has alleged that the paper's owner, Jeff Bezos, struck a secret deal with Donald Trump to drop its planned endorsement of Kamala Harris.Former Washington Post editor-at-large Robert Kagan, who resigned last Friday following the paper's decision not to endorse a candidate in the US presidential election, has alleged that The Post's owner, Jeff Bezos, struck a secret deal with Donald Trump to drop its planned endorsement of Kamala Harris.
According to Kagan, Trump met with executives at Blue Origin – Bezos' space exploration company – after The Post's announcement and "set up this quid pro quo" to kill the plan to support Harris as well as end The Post's decades-long practice of endorsing presidential candidates.According to Kagan, Trump met with executives at Blue Origin – Bezos' space exploration company – after The Post's announcement and came to a "quid pro quo" agreement to end the plan to end The Post's decades-long practice of endorsing presidential candidates and not support Kamala Harris.
Kagan said Trump "waited to make sure that Bezos did what he said he was going to do, and then met with the Blue Origin people." The decision comes less than two weeks before US voters go to the polls to elect their next president.Kagan said Trump "waited to make sure that Bezos did what he said he was going to do, and then met with the Blue Origin people." The allegations come less than two weeks before US voters go to the polls to elect their next president.
The decision not to endorse a candidate is a cowardly move that undermines democracy. It's a clear example of corporate interests bowing to political pressure, potentially sacrificing journalistic integrity for financial gain. This sets a dangerous precedent for media self-censorship and could further erode press freedom.
The Washington Post's decision to refrain from endorsing a presidential candidate is a step toward true journalistic neutrality. It allows readers to form their own opinions without undue influence from the paper. The allegations of a quid pro quo are baseless and ignore the publisher's stated reasons for the decision.