The Washington Post made headlines on Friday when it announced the newspaper would not endorse a candidate in the 2024 presidential election.

It’s the first time in 36 years that the publication will not endorse a presidential candidate.

According to multiple outlets, editorial page staffers for the newspaper drafted an article endorsing Kamala Harris for president.

However, Jeff Bezos reportedly made the decision to scrap the article endorsing Harris.

 Per CNBC:

The newspaper also published an article by two staff reporters saying that editorial page staffers had drafted an endorsement of Democratic nominee Kamala Harris over GOP nominee Donald Trump in the election.

“The decision not to publish was made by The Post’s owner — Amazon founder Jeff Bezos,” The Post reported, citing two sources briefed on the events.

Trump, while president, had been critical of Bezos and the Post. The newspaper in 2016 and again in 2020 endorsed Trump’s election opponents, Hillary Clinton and President Joe Biden, in editorials that condemned the Republican in blunt terms.

“Washington Post Editor-at-Large Robert Kagan has RESIGNED after owner Jeff Bezos BARRED the endorsement of Kamala Harris,” journalist Nick Sortor commented.

“This comes just days after fellow leftist paper Los Angeles Times also refused to endorse a candidate in this election,” he added.

From the New York Post:

Publisher Will Lewis, who was hired by Bezos in January, explained the decision in an online note to readers.

“The Washington Post will not be making an endorsement of a presidential candidate in this election. Nor in any future presidential election,” he wrote.

“We are returning to our roots of not endorsing presidential candidates.”

Lewis’s note went on to say: “We recognize that this will be read in a range of ways, including as a tacit endorsement of one candidate, or as a condemnation of another, or as an abdication of responsibility. “That is inevitable. We don’t see it that way. We see it as consistent with the values The Post has always stood for and what we hope for in a leader: character and courage in service to the American ethic, veneration for the rule of law, and respect for human freedom in all its aspects.”

The decision led editorial board member Robert Kagan, a frequent critic of Trump, to resign, according to NPR.

In related news, the New York Post endorsed President Trump on Friday.

“Today’s cover: The Post endorses @realDonaldTrump for president — the clear choice for a better future,” the outlet posted to X.

A closer look:

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“I LOVE THE NEW YORK POST. GREAT ELECTION COVERAGE. THANKS FOR THE WONDERFUL ENDORSEMENT!!!” Trump wrote on Truth Social.

“Donald Trump is the right choice,” the outlet concluded.

 

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