‘Cowardice, with democracy as its casualty’

The Washington Post home page. (Colorado Newsline)

Two major newspapers, The Los Angeles Times and The Washington Post, recently made a last-minute decision not to publish a presidential endorsement. The news for both was a surprise, particularly given reports that endorsements had already been written. However, The Washington Post’s decision was the more shocking because of its stated “duty to its readers and to the public at large, and not to the private interests of the owner.”

It was owner Jeff Bezos who ordered The Washington Post not to run the presidential endorsement — which the Post’s editorial page editor David Shipley “had [already] approved.” This is a first in 36 years of prior custom by the Post.

Despite his being the second richest man in the world, worth $215 billion, perhaps Bezos is terrified that the wrong endorsement might cause Amazon Web Services to lose its five-year contract with the U.S. Navy for $723.9 million. After all, Bezos alleged in 2020 that the then-administration “had improperly pressured the Department of Defense, preventing the Pentagon from awarding a $10 billion contract” to Amazon.

Whatever Bezos’ motivation, his dictate feels like a treacherous abandonment of journalistic ethics by the once-legendary Washington Post.

Under past owner Katharine Graham, this newspaper demonstrated great moral courage in pursuit of journalistic truth, defying the Nixon administration when it published the Pentagon Papers in 1971 and revealed the U.S. government’s lies about the quagmire in Vietnam. This is the newspaper, too, that broke the Watergate story and continued to report on the burglary and bugging until reporters Bob Woodward and Carl Bernstein exposed President Richard Nixon’s connection to the crime and subsequent attempts at cover up. And, this newspaper’s former executive editor, Martin Baron, widely recognized as a journalistic icon, has strongly criticized Bezos’ decision, calling it “cowardice, with democracy as its casualty.”

In an election season that has already provoked an onslaught of criticism for much of mainstream media, including The Washington Post and The New York Times, the Post’s decision is a historic low. No doubt Graham is spinning in her grave. Yes, “democracy dies in darkness.” How ironic that this gutsy slogan was adopted by the Post under Bezos’ ownership.

The Post claims it is returning to the newspaper’s independent roots. Publisher and CEO William Lewis, a former Rupert Murdoch associate, alleges that he sees The Washington Post/Jeff Bezos’ decision as consistent with the news outlet’s values of standing up for the rule of law and respecting human freedom. However, 32,000-plus Post readers commenting on Lewis’ editorial know this is suspect. Additionally, over  250,000 readers have canceled their Post subscriptions.

Whatever the outcome of the 2024 presidential race, Bezos might feel the need to seek refuge in international waters on his $500 million superyacht. I don’t own a yacht. But, I am among the more than 250,000 who have saved $120 a year by canceling a subscription to The Washington Post, and I will continue to support a variety of reputable, independent news outlets instead.