More than 200,000 people have canceled their subscriptions to the Washington Post after the media establishment blocked its endorsement of United States Democratic Party’s presidential candidate, Kamala Harris.
The National Public Radio (NPR) were informed by sources that the number of withdrawals continued to rise by Monday.
A series columnists have also resigned from the Washington Post as two of the newspaper’s columnists quit, and three of the nine members of the editorial board resigned their positions.
According to the sources, the figure represents about eight percent of the paper’s paid circulation of roughly 2.5 million subscribers, which includes print.
In a statement addressing the issue, Billionaire businessman and owner of Washington Post, Jeff Bezos said that editorial endorsements create a perception of bias and do nothing to tip the scales of an election.
“Ending them is a principled decision, and it’s the right one,” Bezos wrote.
He also clarified that the decision was not influenced by any political play.
“I would also like to be clear that no quid pro quo of any kind is at work here,” he said.
“Neither campaign nor candidate was consulted or informed at any level or in any way about this decision. It was made entirely internally.”
In addition, the Business man also wrote that he wished the decision to end presidential endorsements had been made earlier, “in a moment further from the election and the emotions around it”.
“That was inadequate planning, and not some intentional strategy,”
In a separate statement on Friday, William Lewis, the post’s publisher and chief executive officer of the newspaper said it will not be making an endorsement of a presidential candidate in the Nov. 5 election, nor in any future presidential election.
“We are returning to our roots of not endorsing presidential candidates,” Lewis wrote.
Martin Baron, who was editor when Bezos bought the paper, said the decision was laced with “cowardice”.
“Disturbing spinelessness at an institution famed for courage,” Baron said.
The Washington Post’s decision came just days after the Los Angeles Times also said it would not endorse a presidential candidate, a move the paper acknowledges has cost them thousands of subscribers.
Written by Jennifer Amarachi
