"USA Today & Its 200-plus Local Affiliates Punt on Presidential Endorsement," read today's Oct. 29th headline in Politico
WASHINGTON, D.C. (Texas Insider Report) — “Presidential endorsements do nothing to tip the scales of an election. No undecided voters in Pennsylvania are going to say, ‘I’m going with Newspaper A’s endorsement.’ None. What presidential endorsements actually do is create a perception of bias. A perception of non-independence. Ending endorsements is a principled decision, and it’s the right one,” wrote. Amazon founder and Washington Post owner Jeff Bezos Monday, announcing The Washington Post’s decision to not endorse Kamala Harris – saying his decision is based in response to a larger issue of the media industry's credibility being eroded.
“I would also like to be clear... no quid pro quo of any kind is at work here. Neither campaign nor candidate was consulted or informed at any level or in any way about this decision,” he wrote to clarify that the decision was made internally.Even so, Bezos is acutely aware of the larger challenges facing his newspaper and the industry at large, as the media’s credibility problem is neither isolated, nor new.
“Now more than ever, the world needs a credible, trusted, independent voice, and where better for that voice to originate than the capital city of the most important country in the world?" he asked.
"To win this fight, we will have to exercise new muscles,” Bezos added.
In his article published Monday, titled “The hard truth: Americans don’t trust the news media,” Bezos pointed to recent and decades worth of surveys on public trust and public reputation of the nation's press, with media institutions consistently ranking near the bottom, published in the opinion section of the Post.
That did not stop – following the The Post's decision – several staff members who supported Kamala Harris from resigning in protest. And, the newspaper has reportedly seen a drop of over 200,000 subscriptions after the decision was announced, according to NPR.
Bezos argued media credibility has eroded not only because of perceived biases – but also due to an industry tendency to ignore public perception. Bezos further explained that the most recent backlash surrounding the Post’s decision not to endorse Harris only highlighted a growing issue that trust in the press depends on two pillars:
- the coverage being accurate, and
- broad public trust that the coverage is accurate.
Just last week, Gallup reported an even more dire verdict: Journalism now holds the lowest spot in American trust.The choice not to endorse Kamala Harris, however, provoked immediate and substantial outrage in liberal political and media circles – but as Bezos stated in a rare public response, the decision is rooted not in partisanship, but in a commitment to genuine independence.
"USA Today and its 200-plus local affiliates punt on presidential endorsement," read the headline in a lead article of today's Oct. 29th Politico.
Earlier this week, USA Today had announced its decision to withhold an endorsement in the 2024 Presidential Race, citing a commitment to fostering a balanced discussion rather than aligning with specific candidates, thereby returning to a position of neutrality.
In an October 2020 piece, the newspaper stated:
…
"This year, the editorial board unanimously supports the election of Joe Biden, who offers a shaken nation a harbor of calm and competence."
The LA Times has backed the Democrat nominee for president in every election since 2008 – although it declined issuing a presidential endorsement for several decades up to that point.
The Los Angeles Times has also decided not to endorse Kamala Harris this year, citing concerns of its owner, Patrick Soon-Shiong – who permitted the endorsement of Biden in 2020, but blocked one for Kamala Harris' in this year's hotly contested 2024 race.
Nonetheles, Mariel Garza, Editorials Editor of the LA Times, resigned in protest last Wednesday.
"I am resigning because I want to make it clear that I am not OK with us being silent.
"In dangerous times, honest people need to stand up. This is how I'm standing up," said Garza, reported on by Colombia Journalism Review.
Glen Bolger, a veteran Republican strategist and the co-founder of Public Opinion Strategies, didn't mince words on what he thinks of Harris' media strategy.
"She can't think on her feet, doesn't know what she stands for, and has no original policy ideas," he told Newsweek.
"Her advisers are smart to keep her from the press. Word salads aren't very tasty."
In September 2024, the Minnesota Star Tribune's editorial board announced: "The newly rebranded Minnesota Star Tribune announced in August that it will not offer political endorsements in the 2024 general election, saying it was not an impromptu decision to pause our long-standing practice."
South Florida's Sun Sentinel, the main daily newspaper of Fort Lauderdale and Broward County, endorsed Biden in 2020 in an article entitled "Endorsement: Save our democracy. Vote for Joe Biden," saying: "President Trump is actively working to undermine every major institution in our country... Joe Biden respects our Constitution."
The Sun Sentinel , however, has joined other U.S. newspapers in not endorsing a presidential candidate in the 2024 Election.
