Former WaPo chief editor shreds Bezos for making 'serious mistake' with endorsement decision: 'A betrayal'

Former Washington Post executive editor Marty Baron torched his erstwhile leader Jeff Bezos for "betraying nan principles he professed" aft nan insubstantial announced it wouldn’t endorse a campaigner successful nan 2024 statesmanlike election.

"Jeff Bezos didn't show courageousness here," Baron said successful an question and reply connected Boston Public Radio Monday. 

"I do deliberation this is simply a superior correction and it's done tremendous harm to nan marque of nan Washington Post…I interest astir nan harm that it does to nan marque and nan estimation to nan Post and that group mightiness person greater suspicions today…," he added.

The Post announced connected Friday that it would not beryllium offering an endorsement successful nan upcoming statesmanlike predetermination aliases immoderate early one, successful what CEO and patient Will Lewis said was a "returning to our roots." The Post had endorsed a Democrat for president successful each predetermination since 1976, isolated from for erstwhile it skipped 1 successful 1988.  

BEFORE NON-ENDORSEMENT DECISION, WASHINGTON POST CALLED TRUMP 'DREADFUL' AND 'WORST PRESIDENT OF MODERN TIMES'

Washington Post executive editor Marty Baron scolded his erstwhile insubstantial complete nan determination to withhold its endorsement. (AP Photo/Andrew Harnik, File) (AP Photo/Andrew Harnik)

The decision sparked an contiguous uproar astatine nan "Democracy Dies successful Darkness" paper. At slightest 2 members of nan Post's unit person resigned from nan paper, while different 2 near nan editorial committee while staying connected staff. Nineteen Post columnists signed onto a missive condemning nan decision, specifically calling connected Trump to beryllium identified arsenic a threat to nan norm of rule and nan country. Subscribers person reportedly canceled by nan hundreds of thousands. 

And nan paper's national fretted that guidance was interfering pinch independent journalism, owed to reports that Bezos forced nan move successful ray of Trump's imaginable return to power. The insubstantial had reportedly drafted an endorsement of Harris earlier nan telephone was made to quash it.  

Baron, who retired from nan Post successful 2021 aft astir a decade astatine nan paper, slammed nan move connected X Friday successful a station wide shared by Post columnists and reporters.

"This is cowardice, pinch populist arsenic its casualty," he wrote. "@realdonaldtrump will spot this arsenic an invitation to further intimidate proprietor @jeffbezos (and others). Disturbing spinelessness astatine an institution famed for courage."

WASHINGTON POST SKIPS WHITE HOUSE ENDORSEMENT, BUT LIBERAL TILT STILL EVIDENT IN SENATE AND HOUSE NODS

Baron blamed Bezos for making nan telephone during his question and reply pinch Boston Public Radio, saying that he was disappointed successful nan billionaire Amazon founder, who owns nan Post, for caving "to nan unit from Donald Trump."

"It's disappointing because during my full clip location he resisted this benignant of unit and he stood up for us," Baron said of Bezos. "Trump tried to undermine nan business of Amazon successful aggregate ways and yet he stood down america and I'm conscionable disappointed correct now to spot that he's not consenting to proceed pinch those principles."

Baron said nan determination is "a betrayal of nan principles that he [Bezos] professed and practiced erstwhile I was editor of nan Washington Post."

Billionaire Jeff Bezos bought nan Washington Post successful 2013.

The move is astonishing considering that Bezos "showed tremendous spine and integrity successful defending our activity and not yielding to pressure" erstwhile Baron worked alongside him, he said, adding that he was "enormously grateful for nan support that he provided to us" during that time.

Baron said he believed it was Trump's escalating attacks connected "perceived governmental enemies" that pressured nan WaPo proprietor to reverse course.

"I deliberation that Trump has conscionable go much virulent successful his attacks…he's ever perceived Bezos arsenic an force because of his ownership of nan Washington Post and his distaste for nan sum of nan Washington Post."

"I do deliberation this determination astir statesmanlike endorsement is simply a motion of weakness and I dream it doesn't lead to different signs of weakness," he added.

Bezos defended nan paper's "principled decision" successful not endorsing a statesmanlike campaigner successful an op-ed Monday night, citing a Gallup canvass showing Americans are losing spot successful nan media.

"Our occupation is now nan slightest trusted of all. Something we are doing is intelligibly not working," he wrote.

Billionaire Jeff Bezos purchased nan Washington Post successful 2013.(Photo by Brent N. Clarke/Invision/AP)

"We must beryllium accurate, and we must beryllium believed to beryllium accurate. It’s a bitter pill to swallow, but we are failing connected nan 2nd requirement," he continued. "Most group judge nan media is biased. Anyone who doesn’t spot this is paying scant attraction to reality, and those who conflict reality lose. Reality is an undefeated champion. It would beryllium easy to blasted others for our agelong and continuing autumn successful credibility (and, therefore, diminution successful impact), but a unfortunate mentality will not help. Complaining is not a strategy. We must activity harder to power what we tin power to summation our credibility."

The billionaire Amazon founder, who bought The Post successful 2013, insisted that newspaper endorsements "do thing to extremity nan scales of an election" but alternatively "create a cognition of bias." He doubled down connected The Post's determination to extremity its statesmanlike endorsements by saying it's a "principled decision, and it’s nan correct one."

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The Washington Post did not instantly return Fox News Digital's petition for comment.

Fox News' David Rutz and Joseph A. Wulfsohn contributed to this report.