Rage-filled creator of The Wire reveals why he canceled his Washington Post subscription

The Wire creator David Simon offered a scathing rebuke to Washington Post owner Jeff Bezos aft nan billionaire collapsed his silence connected nan newspaper's determination not to endorse a statesmanlike candidate. 

Simon, a erstwhile journalist and nan imaginative unit down nan hit HBO series, explained why he cancelled his subscription to nan Post successful a lengthy screed connected X Monday night.

In nan post, Simon accused Bezos of 'abuse of nationalist trust' and branded him a 'technobrat oligarch'. 

Bezos wrote an sentiment piece detailing his determination to extremity endorsing candidates, insisting that it was not connected to his immense business interests and alternatively saying that endorsements 'create a cognition bias'. 

'Just publication nan insights of Jeff Bezos in his sentiment portion successful The Post. I wasn't going to subordinate 200,000 others and cancel my subscription because doing truthful won't wounded Bezos,' Simon wrote. 

He past added that Bezos paid 'more for his yachts than his newspaper' earlier acknowledging nan 'good people' and friends he has successful nan Post's newsroom. 

'But my god, this man's insipid defense of his ain transparent cowardice is provoking. I cancelled. I wasn't going to do it. I astir apt shouldn't, and certainly, if this technobrat oligarch ever releases his grip connected what needs to beryllium an independent newsroom and editorial board, indifferent to nan financial positions of its publishers, past I'll return,' Simon wrote. 

'But this benignant of maltreatment of nationalist spot by a patient is unacceptable.' 

The announcement comes aft much than 200,000 subscribers had canceled their subscription by midday connected Monday.

Bezos, who purchased nan Post for $250 cardinal successful 2013, was adamant that 'no quid pro quo of immoderate benignant is astatine activity here.' 

The defense came amid allegations that Dave Limp, nan CEO of Bezos's rocket vessel institution Blue Origin, met pinch Trump connected nan time of nan announcement. 

Bezos wrote: 'Neither run nor campaigner was consulted aliases informed astatine immoderate level aliases successful immoderate measurement astir this decision. It was made wholly internally... I sighed erstwhile I recovered out, because I knew it would supply ammunition to those who would for illustration to framework this arsenic thing different than a opinionated decision.' 

The billionaire added that Limp was unaware of nan gathering until nan time of, and location was 'no relationship betwixt it and our determination connected statesmanlike endorsements, and immoderate proposal different is false.' 

Many critics of Bezos's determination were peculiarly skeptical of his timing.

Former Post executive editor Martin Baron, successful an question and reply pinch NPR connected Monday, said: 'If this determination had been made 3 years ago, 2 years ago, possibly moreover a twelvemonth ago, that would've been fine.' 

'It's surely a reasonable decision. But this was made wrong a mates of weeks of nan election, and location was nary substantive superior deliberation pinch nan editorial committee of nan paper. It was intelligibly made for different reasons, not for reasons of precocious principle,' Baron added. 

Bob Woodward and Carl Bernstein, two infamous reporters who uncovered Watergate, released a associated connection to CNN.

'We respect nan accepted independency of nan editorial page, but this determination 11 days retired from nan 2024 statesmanlike predetermination ignores nan Washington Post's ain overwhelming reportorial grounds connected nan threat Donald Trump poses to democracy,' it read.

The 2 added that their disappointment and astonishment pinch nan determination besides stems from nan paper's rigorous investigation, nether Bezos's ownership, into nan 'danger and damage' that a 2nd Trump presidency whitethorn bring. 

In consequence to Simon's post, 1 commenter replied: 'If he had published that aforesaid op-ed successful March and announced nary endorsements, past it wouldn't person been a large deal. But timing is everything and this timing sucks.' 

Simon responded, agreeing and penning that nan determination should person been made earlier superior season. 

'You want to wantonness nan editorial page's basal domiciled arsenic it has existed for decades, make that case... You make it clear it is simply a transformational infinitesimal based connected rule and not nan title aliases candidates astatine hand,' Simon wrote. 

A activity began circling online nether nan hashtag #BoycottWaPo, arsenic galore of nan outlet's journalists urged readers not to punish them for Bezos's decision. 

'Boycotting nan newspaper won't wounded Bezos, whose luck comes not from Post subscribers but from Amazon Prime members and Whole Foods shoppers,' said columnist Dana Milbank successful a portion called Why I'm not quitting nan Post (And why I dream you don't, either). 'His ownership and subsidization of The Post is conscionable pouch alteration to him.' 

Milbank added that boycotting nan insubstantial would, however, beryllium further hurting nan writers and journalists aft nan outlet mislaid $77 cardinal past year, resulting successful unit cuts and occupation losses. 

The determination saw nan resignation of galore longtime Washington Post writers.

Ex-editor and columnist Robert Kagan, a blimpish Trump critic, resigned from his position connected nan editorial board. Kagan told CNN that The Post was 'bending nan knee to Donald Trump' retired of fear. 

Another columnist, Michelle Norris, besides walked retired connected Sunday and wrote connected X that nan determination was a 'terrible mistake'.  

'The Washington Post's determination to withhold an endorsement that had been written & approved successful an predetermination wherever halfway antiauthoritarian principles are astatine stake was a unspeakable correction & an reproach to nan paper’s ain longstanding modular of regularly endorsing candidates since 1976,' she wrote. 

The Washington Post Guild besides issued a connection denouncing nan move.

'We are profoundly concerned that The Washington Post would make nan determination to nary longer endorse statesmanlike candidates, particularly a specified 11 days up of an immensely consequential election,' it read.

Twenty columnists wrote an sentiment portion connected nan outlet's ain website, reading: 'The Washington Post's determination not to make an endorsement successful nan statesmanlike run is simply a unspeakable mistake.' 

The columnists added that nan determination 'represents an abandonment of nan basal editorial convictions of nan newspaper that we love.'   

They added: 'The is simply a infinitesimal for nan institution to beryllium making clear its committedness to antiauthoritarian values, nan norm of rule and world alliances, and nan threat that Donald Trump poses to them - nan precise points The Post made successful endorsing Trumps' opponents successful 2016 and 2020.' 

Over nan weekend, The Post's joke columnist Alexandra Petri shared a column pinch her ain individual endorsement for Harris. 

'If I were nan paper, I would beryllium a small embarrassed that it has fallen to me, nan joke columnist, to make our statesmanlike endorsement. I will spare you nan suspense: I americium endorsing Kamala Harris for president, because I for illustration elections and want to support having them,' Petri wrote.

Petri added: 'I'm conscionable a joke columnist. I only cognize what's happening because our existent journalists are retired location reporting, knowing that their editors person their backs, that there's nary 1 excessively powerful to study on, that we would ne'er propulsion a punch retired of fear.'  

As Election Day draws closer, polls reveal Harris and Trump are deadlocked successful their conflict for nan White House. 

Harris is group to springiness her closing arguments astatine an arena successful Washington D.C. later Tuesday while Trump will beryllium campaigning successful Pennsylvania.