# 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:** 29
**Author:** ![LSLGuy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lslguy/32/5813_2.png) [@LSLGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LSLGuy)\ **Post date:** [March 22, 2025, 10:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-washington-post-democracy-dies-with-us/1009210/561 "2025-03-22T22:33:15Z")
They have died insofar as they ever represented responsible journalism. IOW, the correct interpretation of their masthead is _not_: > We are the lasting and impregnable bulwark of democracy. Instead, the correct interpretation is: > We are the fragile and spineless canary in the coalmine. Now that we are truly most sincerely dead, you can bet that democracy is soon to follow. ---
**Author:** ![Stranger\_On\_A\_Train](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/13edae/32.png) [@Stranger\_On\_A\_Train](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stranger_On_A_Train)\ **Post date:** [April 6, 2025, 12:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-washington-post-democracy-dies-with-us/1009210/562 "2025-04-06T00:55:41Z")
Another long time _Washington Post_ staffer is leaving citing Bezos’ editorial policy: > **[Longtime Washington Post columnist Eugene Robinson is leaving. He cited...](https://apnews.com/article/washington-post-robinson-columnist-leaving-85f7f63fb549035848193922364004f9)** > > Pulitzer Prize winning columnist Eugene Robinson says he is leaving the Washington Post. He's the second prominent columnist in a month to depart after newspaper owner Jeff Bezos said he wanted its opinion section to focus on issues of personal... Stranger ---
**Author:** ![Gyrate](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gyrate/32/3588_2.png) [@Gyrate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gyrate)\ **Post date:** [May 6, 2025, 10:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-washington-post-democracy-dies-with-us/1009210/563 "2025-05-06T10:12:00Z")
Ann Telnaes has just won the Pulitzer Prize for “illustrated reporting and commentary”. WaPo is proudly touting this as a win for them, despite her quitting the Post earlier this year due to editorial interference. > **[Ann Telnaes, who quit Washington Post in protest, wins Pulitzer for...](https://apnews.com/article/ann-telnaes-pulitzer-washington-post-quit-protest-4c1855566d0b02ea04d465e7aa39e070)** > > A longtime editorial cartoonist for The Washington Post who quit in protest after editors killed her sketch of the newspaper’s owner and other media executives bowing before President Donald Trump, has won the Pulitzer Prize for illustrated reporting... WaPo has also won a Pulitzer for “breaking news coverage” which is apt - they used to have excellent news coverage and then they broke it. ---
**Author:** ![natureboy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/4491bb/32.png) [@natureboy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/natureboy)\ **Post date:** [May 6, 2025, 10:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-washington-post-democracy-dies-with-us/1009210/564 "2025-05-06T10:19:56Z")
There isn’t really a functional free press in 2025. It’s thousands and even millions of smaller presses that are now hosted on platforms owned by really wealthy people who have no use for liberty and democracy, only capital. ---
**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:** [May 6, 2025, 10:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-washington-post-democracy-dies-with-us/1009210/565 "2025-05-06T10:21:42Z")
I think this is false. NPR is a functional free press. The NYT, too. AP, BBC also count. ---
**Author:** ![Gyrate](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gyrate/32/3588_2.png) [@Gyrate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gyrate)\ **Post date:** [May 6, 2025, 10:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-washington-post-democracy-dies-with-us/1009210/566 "2025-05-06T10:29:21Z")
> [@RitterSport](#): > > BBC also count. Nng…sometimes… ---
**Author:** ![scudsucker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/scudsucker/32/14101_2.png) [@scudsucker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/scudsucker)\ **Post date:** [May 6, 2025, 6:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-washington-post-democracy-dies-with-us/1009210/567 "2025-05-06T18:44:53Z")
> [@Gyrate](#): > > despite her quitting the Post earlier this year due to editorial interference. If I was magically awarded the biggest lottery win, and bought the Post… I think my only influence on them would be in the “letters to the editor” section (assuming they have one) where I would write in as an anonymous citizen. Editorial independance is sacrosanct. ---
**Author:** ![EddyTeddyFreddy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eddyteddyfreddy/32/18796_2.png) [@EddyTeddyFreddy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EddyTeddyFreddy)\ **Post date:** [May 6, 2025, 6:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-washington-post-democracy-dies-with-us/1009210/568 "2025-05-06T18:50:17Z")
> [@RitterSport](#): > > NPR is a functional free press. The NYT, too. AP, BBC also count. Also The Boston Globe. ---
**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:** [May 6, 2025, 6:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-washington-post-democracy-dies-with-us/1009210/569 "2025-05-06T18:56:44Z")
Sure. Point is, it’s too cynical, even for this board, to say that there’s no functional free press. It’s just an excuse to “do your own research” and go down bullshit partisan rabbit holes. ---
**Author:** ![Sherrerd](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sherrerd/32/8_2.png) [@Sherrerd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sherrerd)\ **Post date:** [May 6, 2025, 10:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-washington-post-democracy-dies-with-us/1009210/570 "2025-05-06T22:06:31Z")
> [@Gyrate](#): > > Ann Telnaes has just won the Pulitzer Prize for “illustrated reporting and commentary”. WaPo is proudly touting this as a win for them, despite her quitting the Post earlier this year due to editorial interference. I’m guessing that with this award the Pulitzer Prize committee is getting in a little dig at Bezos. (As well as recognizing the genuinely-talented Telnaes.) ---
**Author:** ![needscoffee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/needscoffee/32/1076_2.png) [@needscoffee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/needscoffee)\ **Post date:** [May 6, 2025, 10:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-washington-post-democracy-dies-with-us/1009210/571 "2025-05-06T22:21:39Z")
> [@Sherrerd](#): > > I’m guessing that with this award the Pulitzer Prize committee is getting in a little dig at Bezos. (As well as recognizing the genuinely-talented Telnaes.) - That would be accusing them of politicizing a journalism award which is dedicated to excellence in journalism. ---
**Author:** ![Sherrerd](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sherrerd/32/8_2.png) [@Sherrerd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sherrerd)\ **Post date:** [May 6, 2025, 10:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-washington-post-democracy-dies-with-us/1009210/572 "2025-05-06T22:22:40Z")
> [@needscoffee](#): > > That would be accusing them of politicizing a journalism award which is dedicated to excellence in journalism. Is defending journalism against censorship equivalent to “politicizing” journalism? I would argue the opposite. ---
**Author:** ![needscoffee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/needscoffee/32/1076_2.png) [@needscoffee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/needscoffee)\ **Post date:** [May 6, 2025, 10:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-washington-post-democracy-dies-with-us/1009210/573 "2025-05-06T22:42:02Z")
> [@Sherrerd](#): > > Is defending journalism against censorship equivalent to “politicizing” journalism? > > I would argue the opposite Awarding it based on ideology is the very definition of “politicizing”, even when one believes that their ideology is the clear correct one. There were many, many excellent political cartoons last year. I’d like to think it was chosen because they thought it was better than the others. ---
**Author:** ![LSLGuy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lslguy/32/5813_2.png) [@LSLGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LSLGuy)\ **Post date:** [May 6, 2025, 11:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-washington-post-democracy-dies-with-us/1009210/574 "2025-05-06T23:17:26Z")
> [@Sherrerd](#): > > > [@needscoffee](#): > > > > That would be accusing them of politicizing a journalism award which is dedicated to excellence in journalism. > > Is defending journalism against censorship equivalent to “politicizing” journalism? > > I would argue the opposite. I’d argue this is akin to > **[Paradox of tolerance](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paradox_of_tolerance)** > > The paradox of tolerance is a philosophical concept suggesting that if a society extends tolerance to those who are intolerant, it risks enabling the eventual dominance of intolerance; thereby undermining the very principle of tolerance. This paradox was articulated by philosopher Karl Popper in The Open Society and Its Enemies (1945), where he argued that a truly tolerant society must retain the right to deny tolerance to those who promote intolerance. Popper posited that if intolerant ideolo Censorship is like intolerance. A successful democratic pluralistic future demands it not be tolerated. Or censored. ---
**Author:** ![Alessan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alessan/32/465_2.png) [@Alessan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alessan)\ **Post date:** [May 7, 2025, 9:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-washington-post-democracy-dies-with-us/1009210/575 "2025-05-07T09:06:35Z")
> [@needscoffee](#): > > Awarding it based on ideology is the very definition of “politicizing”, even when one believes that their ideology is the clear correct one. Self-interest is not an ideology. As a journalism award, the Pulitzer has an obligation to encourage journalistic freedom and to protect journalists. Otherwise, it cannot justify its own existence. ---
**Author:** ![needscoffee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/needscoffee/32/1076_2.png) [@needscoffee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/needscoffee)\ **Post date:** [May 7, 2025, 2:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-washington-post-democracy-dies-with-us/1009210/576 "2025-05-07T14:16:31Z")
But that’s accusing them of bias. From [Pulitzer.org](http://Pulitzer.org): > the Pulitzer Board takes seriously its mission **to recognize excellence** in reporting, literature, history, and culture, Bolding mine. The cartoon would easily fall under: > Before they begin reviewing submissions, jurors must agree upon a set of criteria that will be used to assess the entries. These criteria could include difficulty, novelty, **and impact** , for example. Bolding mine. > For a distinguished portfolio of editorial cartoons or other illustrated work (still, animated, or both) **characterized by political insight, editorial effectiveness, or public service value.** Bolding mine. I’d say impact and editorial effectiveness is exactly what this cartoon falls under. While the committee may certainly _also_ enjoy the fact that this particular award is getting a little dig at Bezos, to even imply that the award is biased in that regard cheapens it. Ann Telnaes has won a Pulitzer previous to this one. I think her work stands on its own merit. ---
**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:** [May 7, 2025, 4:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-washington-post-democracy-dies-with-us/1009210/577 "2025-05-07T16:00:52Z")
> [@needscoffee](#): > > While the committee may certainly _also_ enjoy the fact that this particular award is getting a little dig at Bezos, to even imply that the award is biased in that regard cheapens it. I’m in agreement with this opinion. ---
**Author:** ![nearwildheaven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/90db22/32.png) [@nearwildheaven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nearwildheaven)\ **Post date:** [May 7, 2025, 10:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-washington-post-democracy-dies-with-us/1009210/578 "2025-05-07T22:39:59Z")
Haven’t read the whole thread, so maybe it’s been addressed, but Ms. Telnaes has the last laugh here, because she got the Pulitzer Prize for that cartoon, and her reaction to ITS reaction. Congrats! I chose this link, because the headline says it all. > **[Pulitzers Troll Bezos by Awarding Cartoonist Who Mocked Him](https://www.thedailybeast.com/pulitzer-board-sticks-it-to-bezos-by-awarding-cartoonist-who-lampooned-him/)** > > Ann Telnaes quit the paper in January after The Washington Post killed a cartoon critical of owner Jeff Bezos. ---
**Author:** ![Alessan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alessan/32/465_2.png) [@Alessan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alessan)\ **Post date:** [May 7, 2025, 11:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-washington-post-democracy-dies-with-us/1009210/579 "2025-05-07T23:01:36Z")
> [@needscoffee](#): > > But that’s accusing them of bias. Self-interest is not bias. It’s the default human condition. ---
**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:** [May 8, 2025, 12:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-washington-post-democracy-dies-with-us/1009210/580 "2025-05-08T00:08:33Z")
> [@Alessan](#): > > Self-interest is not bias. It’s the default human condition. Bias is also the default human condition, so this is not in any way a valid counter. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-washington-post-democracy-dies-with-us/1009210.md?page=28) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-washington-post-democracy-dies-with-us/1009210.md?page=30)