Far-left Washington Post staffers are reportedly fuming over the paper’s silence on endorsing Vice President Kamala Harris for the 2024 presidential election.
Insiders believe the delay in public support stems from none other than the paper’s billionaire owner, Jeff Bezos, raising concerns that he may be playing it safe as former President Donald Trump surges in popularity.
According to a New York Post, Bezos has remained tight-lipped about the 2024 election, with some speculating that the Amazon founder doesn’t want to alienate Trump.
As Trump’s momentum grows, with a potential return to the White House on the horizon, Bezos is allegedly cautious about endorsing Harris, fearing the consequences of backing the Democrat.
This delay is said to have sparked frustration within the WaPo newsroom, with sources claiming the paper’s editorial board already drafted its endorsement for Harris.
However, Bezos and WaPo editor-in-chief Will Lewis have yet to give the green light to publish it, according to former CNN and pro-censorship media journo Oliver Darcy, who now runs the Status newsletter.
The far-left editorial board supported Barack Obama in both 2008 and 2012, endorsed Hillary Clinton in 2016, and backed Joe Biden for the 2020 election.
According to New York Post, “The WaPo staffers are perplexed over the Beltway broadsheet remaining mum given that 20 million voters have already sent in their ballots and Election Day is less than two weeks away.”
The Washington Post isn’t the only major left-wing outlet facing backlash. California’s far-left Los Angeles Times is also in the hot seat for declining to endorse Kamala Harris, their home-state candidate.
In a surprising turn of events, the Los Angeles Times editorial board, which had previously backed Harris in her Senate and Attorney General campaigns, was reportedly blocked from doing so this time around by the paper’s billionaire owner, Dr. Patrick Soon-Shiong.
Dr. Soon-Shiong’s intervention has shocked the liberal stronghold of California. Insiders suggest that the owner demanded neutrality in this cycle, signaling waning support for Harris even in her most loyal base.
The fallout led to the resignation of editorial page editor Mariel Garza, who publicly condemned the decision as a betrayal of journalistic integrity.
Soon-Shiong defended his decision on X, claiming that the editorial board was given an opportunity to present a balanced analysis of both candidates’ policies but chose to remain silent instead.
According to a rough estimate by Fox News, U.S. newspaper endorsements for the Democrat candidates have dipped by more than 60% compared to previous election cycles.
In 2016, more than 240 newspapers endorsed Hillary Clinton, while Trump garnered only 20 endorsements. In 2020, Trump’s numbers slightly increased to 14, while 120 newspapers endorsed Biden. Now, in 2024, Harris has received fewer than 80 endorsements, a striking contrast to the full-throated support previously given to Democrat candidates.