# The Washington Post: Democracy Dies With Us **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Tags:** trump\ **Created:** [October 25, 2024, 5:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-washington-post-democracy-dies-with-us/1009210 "2024-10-25T17:30:09Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![RitterSport](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rittersport/32/6326_2.png) [@RitterSport](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RitterSport)\ **Post date:** [October 25, 2024, 5:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-washington-post-democracy-dies-with-us/1009210/1 "2024-10-25T17:30:10Z")
They aren’t endorsing a presidential candidate for the first time since 1980. Are they chickenshit about a potential Trump administration clamping down on media he doesn’t like? Yeah, probably. Fascism, pre-approved by the Washington Post! The LA Times is also going down this chickenshit path. I’m not around much today, so I thought I would just get this off my chest. I’ll try to return to the thread when I can. And, here we thought the NY Times was too pro-Trump. They are finally pounding how dangerous a Trump administration will be, although it’s probably too late. Anyway, fuck WashPost and also fuck the LA Times for good measure. ---
**Author:** ![Saint\_Cad](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/saint_cad/32/18907_2.png) [@Saint\_Cad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Saint_Cad)\ **Post date:** [October 25, 2024, 5:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-washington-post-democracy-dies-with-us/1009210/2 "2024-10-25T17:32:50Z")
> [@RitterSport](#): > > They aren’t endorsing a presidential candidate for the first time since 1980. WTF: How hard is it to pick the candidate that did not start an insurrection against United States democracy? ---
**Author:** ![Velocity](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/velocity/32/18006_2.png) [@Velocity](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Velocity)\ **Post date:** [October 25, 2024, 5:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-washington-post-democracy-dies-with-us/1009210/3 "2024-10-25T17:36:29Z")
Who did the Post endorse from 1980-2012? Just curious. I’m sure it was Hillary and Biden the last two times, but who before then? ---
**Author:** ![Dr.Winston\_OBoogie](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dr.winston_oboogie/32/2945_2.png) [@Dr.Winston\_OBoogie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr.Winston_OBoogie)\ **Post date:** [October 25, 2024, 5:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-washington-post-democracy-dies-with-us/1009210/4 "2024-10-25T17:42:00Z")
When the Chicago Sun Times was purchased by Chicago’s NPR station, they decided that as a non-profit they couldn’t endorse candidates any more. Meanwhile, the Daily Herald (suburban Chicago, more conservative than most newspapers) has endorsed Harris. Don’t think the Trib has officially released their presidential endorsement yet, but in 16 and 20 they broke with their almost exclusive Republican tradition to endorse Clinton/Biden. ---
**Author:** ![SenorBeef](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/senorbeef/32/2220_2.png) [@SenorBeef](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SenorBeef)\ **Post date:** [October 25, 2024, 5:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-washington-post-democracy-dies-with-us/1009210/5 "2024-10-25T17:43:22Z")
What the fuck? So in 2016 and 2020, Trump was so dangerous that they had to endorse his opponent, but in 2024 Trump is looking competent and sane? Kamala is certainly nothing out of the norm and there’s no reason to refuse to endorse her, so this looks like chickenshit damage control of trying to avoid being the first against the wall when the facists come for the media. Absolutely pathetic. ---
**Author:** ![wolfpup](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wolfpup/32/10618_2.png) [@wolfpup](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wolfpup)\ **Post date:** [October 25, 2024, 5:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-washington-post-democracy-dies-with-us/1009210/6 "2024-10-25T17:45:07Z")
This article in the _Guardian_ contains the publisher’s full statement, along with condemnation from a former WaPo publisher calling it “cowardice”. I agree that this is reprehensible bullshit, but realistically, I’m not sure that endorsing Harris would do much to sway anyone. Those who read and trust WaPo and similar legitimate news sources already have more than enough reason to despise Trump, while Trump’s acolytes consider such media to be precisely the “establishment” that they believe Trump is helping them fight. Still, when the stakes are so high and democracy is literally under threat, the media has an obligation to be a guiding light even when the right choice is so incredibly obvious. ---
**Author:** ![JRDelirious](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jrdelirious/32/9531_2.png) [@JRDelirious](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JRDelirious)\ **Post date:** [October 25, 2024, 5:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-washington-post-democracy-dies-with-us/1009210/7 "2024-10-25T17:46:15Z")
According to Wiki, WaPo has endorsed the Democrat candidate in every election since 1976, except they declined to make an endorsement in either 1988 or 2024. ---
**Author:** ![Buck\_Godot](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/buck_godot/32/6573_2.png) [@Buck\_Godot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Buck_Godot)\ **Post date:** [October 25, 2024, 6:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-washington-post-democracy-dies-with-us/1009210/8 "2024-10-25T18:16:22Z")
Here is the editorial itself (they say its free access, not even gift link) so hopefully it still works. [https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2024/10/25/washington-post-endorsement/](https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2024/10/25/washington-post-endorsement/) It looks like it isn’t anything about the candidates themselves, its just that they newly decided this year that she should go back to their policy of some decades ago that as an independent paper they should not be in the business of endorsing candidates. To which I reply that this is a hell of an election to choose to make this change. If ever there was a case where which candidate was better was a fact rather than an opinion this was it. Democracy dies in darkness so lets put on a blindfold. ---
**Author:** ![flurb](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/51bf81/32.png) [@flurb](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/flurb)\ **Post date:** [October 25, 2024, 6:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-washington-post-democracy-dies-with-us/1009210/9 "2024-10-25T18:21:30Z")
According to their own reporting, they had an endorsement of Harris ready to go but it was Bezos who blocked the endorsement: [The Washington Post will not endorse a candidate for president - The Washington Post](https://www.washingtonpost.com/style/media/2024/10/25/washington-post-endorsement-president/) ---
**Author:** ![John\_Bredin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/96bed5/32.png) [@John\_Bredin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_Bredin)\ **Post date:** [October 25, 2024, 6:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-washington-post-democracy-dies-with-us/1009210/10 "2024-10-25T18:23:47Z")
> [@SenorBeef](#): > > chickenshit damage control of trying to avoid being the first against the wall when the facists come for the media. Absolutely pathetic. And utterly pointless. Thin-skin Trump and his Unmerry Men don’t distinguish between editorials and unfavorable news. The only way to not be an “enemy of the people” is to quash every news story even remotely unfavorable to Trump. Including indirectly, such as implicitly acknowledging the existence of climate change. ---
**Author:** ![flurb](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/51bf81/32.png) [@flurb](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/flurb)\ **Post date:** [October 25, 2024, 6:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-washington-post-democracy-dies-with-us/1009210/11 "2024-10-25T18:26:06Z")
More reporting by CNN that the WaPo editorial board was ready to endorse Harris but Bezos spiked it. Frankly, this is horrifying. [Washington Post will not endorse a candidate in 2024 presidential election, breaking decades of tradition | CNN Business](https://www.cnn.com/2024/10/25/media/washington-post-wont-endorse-presidential-candidate/index.html) ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [October 25, 2024, 6:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-washington-post-democracy-dies-with-us/1009210/12 "2024-10-25T18:27:27Z")
What is Bezos afraid of? Musk is willing to be public in his support of Trump but Bezos is not willing to let the newspaper he owns endorse Harris? ---
**Author:** ![Robot\_Arm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/robot_arm/32/18280_2.png) [@Robot\_Arm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Robot_Arm)\ **Post date:** [October 25, 2024, 6:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-washington-post-democracy-dies-with-us/1009210/13 "2024-10-25T18:49:02Z")
> [@wolfpup](#): > > …but realistically, I’m not sure that endorsing Harris would do much to sway anyone. That’s what I was wondering. Maybe Jeff Bezos (since it sounds like this was his decision) felt that an endorsement of Harris from the Post would do more to help Trump than to hurt him. Trump thrives on publicity, good or bad, and has turned every political tradition on its head. Maybe the idea here is to not give him something to complain about. One of the Halloween episodes of _The Simpsons_ had giant advertising mascots come to life and threaten the town. The solution was “just don’t look”. ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [October 25, 2024, 6:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-washington-post-democracy-dies-with-us/1009210/14 "2024-10-25T18:58:30Z")
The New York Times said in its article about this, “Some people have speculated, without any proof, that the paper’s billionaire owner, Jeff Bezos, was being cowed by a prospective Trump administration because his other businesses have many federal government contracts.” The article also says that Bezos wants to appeal to more conservative readers including adding more conservative writers to the editorial pages. ---
**Author:** ![SenorBeef](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/senorbeef/32/2220_2.png) [@SenorBeef](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SenorBeef)\ **Post date:** [October 25, 2024, 7:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-washington-post-democracy-dies-with-us/1009210/15 "2024-10-25T19:00:33Z")
There was way more publicity from all the coverage of WaPo not endorsing anyone than there would’ve been from the endorsement. ---
**Author:** ![Horatius](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/horatius/32/3572_2.png) [@Horatius](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Horatius)\ **Post date:** [October 25, 2024, 7:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-washington-post-democracy-dies-with-us/1009210/16 "2024-10-25T19:01:45Z")
> [@flurb](#): > > According to their own reporting, they had an endorsement of Harris ready to go but it was Bezos who blocked the endorsement: Unless Bezos himself is coming in to work the printers, they should publish the damn endorsement, and damn the torpedoes. Let him fire the whole staff, because at this point, they’re all neutered anyways. ---
**Author:** ![Stratocaster](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/stratocaster/32/16393_2.png) [@Stratocaster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stratocaster)\ **Post date:** [October 25, 2024, 7:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-washington-post-democracy-dies-with-us/1009210/17 "2024-10-25T19:03:03Z")
I love that idea. “Well, we published one anyway. Now what?” ---
**Author:** ![Horatius](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/horatius/32/3572_2.png) [@Horatius](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Horatius)\ **Post date:** [October 25, 2024, 7:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-washington-post-democracy-dies-with-us/1009210/18 "2024-10-25T19:04:55Z")
> [@SenorBeef](#): > > There was way more publicity from all the coverage of WaPo not endorsing anyone than there would’ve been from the endorsement. “Bezos fires entire staff because they endorsed Harris” would also have some legs as a story. ---
**Author:** ![Atamasama](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/atamasama/32/12961_2.png) [@Atamasama](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Atamasama)\ **Post date:** [October 25, 2024, 7:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-washington-post-democracy-dies-with-us/1009210/19 "2024-10-25T19:05:59Z")
I originally posted this in the Harris campaign thread in P&E, but I think it’s better here… Pretty sure this has jack shit to do about tradition and everything to do about money. > **['Washington Post' won't endorse in White House race for first time since 1980s](https://www.npr.org/2024/10/25/nx-s1-5165353/washington-post-presidential-endorsement-trump-harris)** > > The Washington Post declined to make an endorsement in this year's presidential race. Its editorial board has written that GOP nominee Donald Trump is unfit for office. > _Post_ owner Bezos, the Amazon founder and one of the world’s richest people, has major contracts before the federal government in his other business operations, with billion-dollar implications affecting Amazon’s shipping business and cloud computing services as well as his Blue Origin space company. > > Bezos brought in Lewis, who has significant conservative bonafides, as publisher and CEO in January. Lewis held the same role at Rupert Murdoch’s _Wall Street Journal_; served as the editor of the London-based _Telegraph_, which is closely allied with the Tory party; and was a consultant to Conservative Boris Johnson when Johnson was U.K. prime minister. > > Colleagues have told NPR that Bezos selected Lewis in part for his ability to get along with powerful conservative figures, including Murdoch. Jeff Bezos doesn’t want the _Post_ to alienate anyone on the right, because it might jeopardize business deals, and he hired a guy this year to run the paper with an eye toward placating folks on the right. That just screams integrity to me. 🙄 ---
**Author:** ![Buck\_Godot](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/buck_godot/32/6573_2.png) [@Buck\_Godot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Buck_Godot)\ **Post date:** [October 25, 2024, 7:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-washington-post-democracy-dies-with-us/1009210/20 "2024-10-25T19:06:02Z")
> [@Dewey\_Finn](#): > > The article also says that Bezos wants to appeal to more conservative readers including adding more conservative writers to the editorial pages. Great turning one of the great papers of our nation into a mealy mouthed both-siderist. I had previously respected Bezos of having an apparently hands off approach to the post. Sounds like he’s decided to get involved. I’ve been a post subscriber for around 30 years, but if it becomes clear that Bezos is calling the shots I’m out. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-washington-post-democracy-dies-with-us/1009210.md?page=2)